16th annual Public Service Auction raises money for public interest summer funding grants

On February 18, NYU School of Law held the 16th annual Public Service Auction at Vanderbilt Hall. The auction raises money for public interest summer funding grants, which support students during summer internships at organizations such as the Bronx Defenders, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the International Criminal Court, to name a few. This year's winning bids totaled $95,000.

The silent auction was held in Greenberg Lounge and the live auction in Tishman Auditorium. Together they featured hundreds of items and services donated by alumni, faculty, students, and local businesses. The final tally for the night is not in yet, but the biggest selling item was a weekend at Dean Richard Revesz's farmhouse, which went for $2,600. Another weekend getaway—the former home of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Rick Danko, where Bob Dylan and The Band recorded some of their classic songs—went for $2,000.
 
For the third consecutive year the Dean participated in a Wii Tennis match, this year facing off against Ian Herbert '12. Herbert, representing a team of student bidders, netted a two-love victory in the best-of-three match with mistake-free play and shrewd strategy."He has a really good serve," Herbert said of Revesz. "I just focused on getting my return in, hoping it would throw him off."

"We are pleased that the auction was such a huge success. It is a great cause that allows our students to be able to spend their summers doing public interest work," said Sara Rakita '98, associate director of the Public Interest Law Center (PILC). "In this economy it is more crucial than ever."

Posted on February 18, 2010 (Updated March 2, 2010)