PILA Pages- May 9 edition

Download the latest version of our bi-monthly newsletter here.

Join us for the PILA/FBA TGIT on May 15

LRAP, Social Justice Tuesday's, the expansion of our grants program, and a new crop of PILA grantees-- 2008 has been a great year! Please join us for our annual celebration of public service at UWLS. We'll fire up the grill, have plenty of drinks to share, and will not only announce the 2008 PILA grantees but will also celebrate the winner of this year's Dwyer Jury Paper Contest, sponsored by the Federal Bar Association. Mark your calendars for May 15 at 3:30, location out on the patio!

PILA will give over $100,000 to public service in 2008

PILA has committed to give $65,000 in summer grants this year and will match the Class of 2008's gift to LRAP up to an additional $10,000. When combined with the $27,000 raised for LRAP at our 2008 Auction, we're proud to announce that we will be giving over $100,000 to public service law this year! Thank you to all of our donors and volunteers for making our fundraising such a huge success!

The 2008 PILA grant application is now available.

To download a copy, please click on the Grants link above.

A Night in Monte Carlo results in $95,000 for PILA

The preliminary numbers are in-- this year's PILA Auction raised $68,500 for public interest law! With an additional $25,000 pledged by donors before the auction for named grants, PILA has raised almost $95,000 during this academic year!

Of the money raised at the auction, $26,000 was specifically pledged for the Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) endowment, helping the law school to get closer to the $250,000 goal that we must reach by the end of June 2008 to receive the equivalent in matching funds from the state.

Once PILA has subtracted the LRAP amount and event costs, then added the revenue from ticket sales, we will be able to determine how much is available for summer grants this year.

A very special thanks goes to our pro bono photographer, Jack Storms. For photos from the event, please visit Storms Photographic. You may purchase photos directly from the website.

On behalf of the PILA Board of Directors, we are once again overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. Thank you again to our generous donors, our guests/bidders, the student organizations who donated their copies to help us produce our catalogs, and especially our volunteers-- your contributions to public interest law are very much appreciated!

GordonDerr LLP donates Peter L. Buck Grant   

GordonDerr LLP (formerly Buck & Gordon) has agreed that the grant will provide one PILA grant annually to a UWLS student focusing on environmental law. One grant will be awarded annually for 10 years and will provide a living stipend for a University of Washington Law School student pursuing public interest environmental work for a quarter-long internship.

Peter Buck has long been an enthusiastic PILA supporter. This new grant will recognize his commitment to the public interest. GordonDerr’s generosity will ensure that one dedicated student annually can afford to pursue their passion for the environment.  The award will be equal to other PILA summer grants, meaning that this gift will grow right along with PILA!

The student board members and volunteers of PILA thank Mr. Buck and GordonDerr for their ongoing commitment to public interest law. The grant will help expand PILA’s impact on the Law School and the legal community. We are excited about working with GordonDerr in the future.

Join PILA for Social Justice Tuesdays

This year, PILA is proud to join the Student Bar Association, the Gates Scholars Program, and a number of student organizations to present Social Justice Tuesdays, a new program series that will bring together our public interest community here at UWLS. Every Tuesday at the lunch hour, a student organization will offer a presentation that will inspire, educate, and provoke meaningful discussions on the issues that affect our communities. Programs may include presentations from local practitioners, debates, discussions facilitated by faculty and much more. The first Social Justice Tuesday will be presented by the Gates Scholars Program on October 9.

WA State funds UW LRAP in the 2007 Budget!

On May 15, Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire, signed 2007-09 budget. Included in the appropriations for fiscal year 2008 (July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008) is $500,000 for the University of Washington Law School's Loan Repayment Assistance Program.  $250,000 will go into the LRAP endowment in July and the rest is available in matching funds.  The Legislature will match all money raised by the school for LRAP in FY 2008 up to $250,000.

This is the result of the hard work of many students over many years and is an amazing accomplishment.  The LRAP program will hopefully be operational in a year and will be available to graduates (from any year) who meet the income, employment and educational debt qualifications (which are yet to be decided).

Representative Jeannie Darneille championed this budget item and, on behalf of all present and future UW Law Students who hope to serve the public good, PILA thanks her profusely. The legislation also had the support of King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng, UW President Mark Emmert, Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna as well as local legal aid organizations and the UW Graduate Student Senate.

The school's press release can be found here. To find out more about the legislation please email Jason Sykes.

What is PILA?

PILA is a non-profit, student-run organization dedicated to promoting legal work that serves the public, and improves the quality of life for individuals in our community and elsewhere.

To this end, PILA...

• raises awareness about the need for and rewards of pro bono and full-time public interest legal work;
• advocates for the creation of a Loan Repayment Assistance Program;
• funds grants for UW law students doing unpaid public interest legal work through an annual auction.

Meet the 2007 grantees!