The Public Interest Law Association (PILA) is a student-run organization that hosts an annual fundraising gala to provide summer fellowships to CUNY Law students. The Fundraiser is an annual tradition that spotlights the efforts of public interest trailblazers and raises funds to support summer public interest grants for students. The event is hosted and organized by CUNY Law’s Public Interest Law Association, a student organization that promotes the Law School’s commitment to law practiced in the service of human needs and fundraises to expand access to summer internship experience for students.
In 2020, thanks to months of effort and our first virtual gala, we were able to surpass our goal of $30,000 and raised $38,158, more grant funds than ever before! PILA fellows worked extensively to make sure that the Gala would still continue, even during the pandemic. They organized creative ways to communicate and created new online initiatives to ensure we would have an amazing PILA Gala. Our success is a true example of CUNITY, and a product of everyone coming together in times of great uncertainty and need. Your donations, auction items, and presence at the event were greatly appreciated!
GRANTEES
Donations fund grants for our Public Interest Law Association Fellows, who are selected based on financial need and commitment to PILA’s mission. The Board evaluates each application thoroughly and chooses those that have unpaid internships based on the criteria stated above.
In 2020, PILA gave out nine grants. Below you can find a compiled list of each recipient, how they utilized the funds, and the ways in which you assisted their summer internships and success.
Dylan Baca
Dylan Baca ’21
Brooklyn Defender Services’ Integrated Defense Practice
My summer internship with Brooklyn Defender Services’ Integrated Defense Practice was entirely remote. I was engrossed in numerous trainings and hearings with regard to criminal and family defense work. I had to give them most of my time, therefore, I could not work part-time (not that there was any work anyway). The funds helped me immensely to cover my costs of living.
Isa Cajulis
Isa Cajulis ’22
Sanctuary for Families’ Virtual Courtroom Advocates Project
Last summer, I interned under Sanctuary for Families’ Virtual Courtroom Advocates Project (VCAP), where I assisted domestic violence survivors filing family offense petitions in New York Family Court. My tasks ranged from preparing referral documents for clients after their initial intake calls to drafting petitioners and exacting service after their temporary orders of protection were granted. My summer internship at Sanctuary for Families fortified my interest in the field of family law and in gender justice.
I appreciated VCAP’s hands-on approach to learning and focus on survivor-centered solutions. I can confidently say that I was able to cultivate invaluable skills that will follow me throughout my legal career because of my summer internship. My PILA grant helped me during my internship, in a time of pandemic, to do essential things like purchase groceries and pay for an emergency laptop repair that would have impacted my ability to work.”
Caitríona Fox
Caitríona Fox ’22
Nassau County Legal Aid Society
This summer I had the opportunity to intern with the Nassau County Legal Aid Society. It provided me an invaluable introduction into the mechanisms of the carceral state and the importance of public interest criminal defense while giving me an opportunity to assist.
As an unpaid intern, and one of many whose financial situation became even more precarious during the pandemic, the PILA grant gave me the funds I needed to stay safe and work remote, and even take a summer class. I am grateful and humbled by the generosity of the donors, this year especially.
Liora Cohen-Fraade
Liora Cohen-Fraade ’21
Brooklyn Defender Services, Immigration Unit
This past summer I had the opportunity to intern at Brooklyn Defender Services in the Immigration Unit, with the NYIFUP program, a dream internship of mine. I worked with attorneys to request the release of a client in immigration detention, prepare for an immigration asylum hearing of a client outside of detention, and research immigration consequences of federal conviction in anticipation of a change of plea hearing.
The funds from PILA were integral to being able to fully immerse myself in the internship and support myself without taking on additional work or classes to otherwise subsidize my summer internship.
Paulina Leyva Hernandez
Paulina Leyva Hernandez ’22
International Refugee Assistance Project
“I am a rising 2L evening student pursuing a joint JD/MA degree in Law and International Relations. By day, I work as the Legal Program Coordinator for a Harlem-based nonprofit in the immigration law field and this summer, I was a part-time intern for IRAP.
I recently celebrated a decade of living in the U.S. and as a future lawyer, I hope to pursue a career in immigration and refugee law, with a focus on human rights and women’s rights to help survivors of gender violence, motivated by my own experiences as both an immigrant and survivor. Having the support of the fellowship enabled me to pursue this opportunity without worrying about finances and without the feeling of being left behind in comparison to peers and law students in general.”
Sonja Kent
Sonja Kent ’21
Mobilization for Justice
I interned at Mobilization for Justice, preparing taxi workers for hearings at the OATH office, counseling individual clients on employment law matters, and assisting a formerly incarcerated worker to apply for reinstatement of his occupational license. While it was tremendously rewarding to serve clients in need, it was also challenging to do so remotely: I developed sciatica and nerve pain from working long hours at my kitchen table. So I am very grateful for the financial support I received from PILA, as it allowed me to pay for acupuncture and physical therapy. Thank you, PILA Alumni donors, for allowing me to be of service — I could not have done it without you!
Genevieve Marcy
Genevieve Marcy ’21
MADRE
I interned at MADRE this summer, working on legal issues affecting survivors of conflict-related sexual- and gender-based violence. This internship provided a strong introduction to international human rights law that connected with my work this year in the Human Rights and Gender Justice Clinic using international human rights arguments in the American context. PILA funds allowed me to work safely at home this summer and to gain research and legal reasoning skills in a unique area of law.
Rashika Rakibullah
Rashika Rakibullah ’21
Municipal Prosecutor’s Office in Anchorage, Alaska
I interned at the Municipal Prosecutor’s Office in Anchorage, Alaska and worked on misdemeanor domestic violence, child abuse, and assault cases. Alaska has the country’s highest rates of family violence, so I appreciated the opportunity to work directly with survivors, go to (virtual) court every day, and conduct legal research and analysis for motions and briefs. My PILA Fellowship allowed me to afford the expensive round trip airfare and buy a car for the summer, since Anchorage does not have accessible public transportation. Thank you to everyone who donated and made our summer experiences possible!
Fatima Youssef
Fatima Youssef ’21
Dallas Federal Public Defenders & Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid
Last summer I interned at the Dallas Federal Public Defenders and Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid in their criminal defense unit. I was grateful to receive both the state and federal perspective of the criminal justice system. I am extremely grateful for the money that was donated to PILA this year. With the pandemic, my financial situation became more difficult and having this money helped me tremendously. I am immensely grateful to all of the donors and the CUNITY that was created with PILA’s virtual fundraising event.
What’s Next For PILA
We’d like to take this opportunity to invite you to our 2021 virtual PILA event. Stay tuned for further information on the event and auction prizes!
A gift of any size is appreciated.
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