Public Interest Law Fund (PILF) 2020

Public Interest Law Fund (PILF) Friends & Family Campaign 2019-20

The Public Interest Law Fund (PILF) at UCI Law provides financial support to students who choose to work at non-profit legal organizations and agencies that assist those with the greatest need in our community. This year, UCI Law celebrates ten years of commitment to public service. We hope you can contribute to this mission by giving to PILF’s Friends and Family Campaign today!

The Goal: To enable students to work at non-profit, public interest organizations and agencies, helping real clients with real problems.

The Reason: Public interest organizations rely on volunteers. PILF stipends allow UCI Law students to take on unpaid internships that they otherwise could not accept. These stipends provide students with valuable and rewarding work experience, while enabling them to bring their highly needed skills to low-income and vulnerable communities.

The Results:

Since 2010:

• The UCI Law community has contributed over $560,000 toward summer stipends.

• PILF stipend recipients have contributed over 115,000 hours of legal services to assist underserved communities.

• UCI Law students have worked in areas such as children’s rights, environmental law, housing and homelessness advocacy, elder rights, immigration law, and more!

To date, PILF has been able to provide a stipend to every student who has applied. But as our school continues to grow, your generosity is even more vital. We cannot do it without your help! Your gift will enable our students to provide critically necessary legal services to our most vulnerable communities.

Thank you from all of us at UCI Law!

Testimonials from PILF Recipients:

“Seeing all the injustices that happened in our cases, and knowing that these injustices persist every day and can easily lead to someone being executed, solidified my passion for capital habeas litigation. I helped submit a petition for habeas corpus for one of our cases that involved a lot of race issues, evidentiary problems, and official misconduct. It was incredible to see everything the attorneys and investigators were able to find in order to request relief for our client. Without PILF, I wouldn't have been able to move halfway across the country for a summer, learn such valuable lessons, and meet such incredible people. This internship was the experience of a lifetime and it was possible because of PILF's support."

- Olivia Meme ‘20, Office of Capital and Forensic Writs in Austin, TX

“Being a DA for Los Angeles County is a dream job for me. I'm going to do everything I can moving forward to make that dream a reality and PILF's Summer Stipend has allowed me to get one step closer to it. I couldn't have afforded the commute to Los Angeles County without the PILF funding.”

- Emily Goldstein ‘21, Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office - Hardcore Gang Division

"PILF enabled me to work with brilliant and inspiring attorneys whose litigation achievements have done so much to promote immigrant rights. It was also extremely rewarding to conduct legal intakes with immigrants detained at the Imperial Detention Center, who typically have very limited access to counsel. I am grateful that PILF supports public interest careers at UCI and makes this a viable path for so many aspiring attorneys."

- Emily Johanson ‘20, ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties