APIL Auction

Here is Stephany and me at a recent event at SMU. The Association of Public Interest Law (APIL) held its third annual auction this past Friday evening to raise money for students working at non-profits over the summer. I was a recipient last year of a $3,000 stipend which paid for six weeks' of work at Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas. It's definitely a good cause, since students can actually make a little money over the summer (summer internships for first-year law students are almost never paid) and get valuable legal experience, while also helping out organizations that have serious financial constraints. It's also a good way to see a different side of law, working with people who have very specific needs associated with poverty, immigration, homelessness, etc. It was a really good experience for me, and I'm glad to know that APIL raised some money recently to continue this program.

I volunteered at the check-in table, where I (along with about five others) spent a solid two hours taking money for admission and registering people in our auction system as bidders. Stephany joined me later in the evening, and we had a great time seeing a lot of our law-school friends there. If you're curious to know what SMU-related people and local merchants donated, here's a list of items. A bag of Starbucks coffee and a coffee cup donated by Stephany's store went for $159 - pretty awesome.

Nathan