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Public Interest Fellowship Program

Overview

 

The Walter A. Lucas Public Interest Fellowship Program (PIFP) at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law has provided financial support to students who commit their summers to public service legal work for over 25 years. Every year, Villanova students are inspired to share their talents and give back to their community through public service legal work. However, due to the financial restraints many public interest organizations face, students work in unpaid positions. From these circumstances PIFP was born. PIFP, an entirely student-run organization, works tirelessly to provide summer fellowships to Villanova Law students, who in turn, dedicate themselves to providing legal services to those who need it most. At PIFP, our fellows know the value of public interest law and we are devoted to providing opportunities for students to experience meaningful fulfilling work without fear of summer finances.

Since its founding in 1998, PIFP has raised over $1,000,000, supporting over 250 fellows with $6,000 awards. The impact of PIFP has been felt worldwide with Villanova students using their fellowships in over 130 organizations located across nineteen different districts, fourteen states, and five countries. PIFP’s efforts don’t stop with current students either. This year marked the seventeenth consecutive year that PIFP, with the generous support of Joseph and Detta Tate, provided loan repayment assistance to alumni. The Detta & Joseph Tate Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) provides a $15,000 award, paid over three years, to two recent graduates committed to working for a public interest organization or governmental agency.

The highlight of PIFP’s fundraising efforts is its annual spring auction, which in recent years has featured 250 to 300 silent and live auction items donated by individuals and businesses throughout Greater Philadelphia area. We hope you’ll join us for this year’s auction on March 25, 2023. Learn more about the Walter A. Lucas Public Interest Fellowship Program’s Annual Public Interest Auction.

If you would like to support PIFP’s mission of providing meaningful opportunities for Villanova Law students to work alongside public interest organizations and deliver impactful legal aid to those who need it most, please consider making a tax-exempt monetary contribution. If you have any questions about PIFP, public interest law, or would like to get involved with PIFP, please contact us.

2022–2023 Executive Board

 

Alicia Broderick ’23, Director

Rachel Wolfman ’23, Vice Director

Riley Cook ’23, Auction Coordinator

Michaela Kelly ’24 & Alannah King ’24, Solicitation Coordinators 

Madelyn Phinney ’23, Eddie Reilingh ’23, Fellowship Coordinators

Laurel Enaco ’24 & Jordyn Pace ’24, Volunteer Coordinators

Julia Raith ‘24, Secretary & Communications

Julia Stribula ’24, Graphic Design Coordinator 

Sadie Walker ‘24, Treasurer

Tia Brownmiller ’24 & Briana Smalley ’23, Special Events

Sarah Urie ’24, Alumni Coordinator

Melissa Durante ‘23, Conor Mach ’24 & Leigh McLinden ’23, Auction Committee 

Andrea Solis Canto ’25, Riley Crouthamel ’25, Allison Gherovici ’25, Dave Goulden-Naitove ’25 & Lauren Walsh ’25, 1L Representatives

Ann Juliano & Doris Brogan, Faculty Advisors

26th Annual Public Interest Auction

Saturday, March 25, 2023

 

Click here to register for the Auction!

 

26th Annual Public Interest Auction Flyer March 25, 2023 features QR code for registration

25th Annual Public Interest Auction

Saturday, March 26, 2022

Save-the-date! 25th Annual Public Interest Auction!

 

24th Annual Public Interest Auction

Friday, March 26, 2021 at 6:00 pm

24th Annual Public Interest Auction Flyer Friday March 26, 2021 at 6 PM Registration link to follow

 

THE 23RD ANNUAL AUCTION

23rd Annual Public Interest Auction photo of 2019-2020 board members

The 2019-2020 PIFP Board would like to extend our warmest thanks to everyone who helped make our 23rd Annual Public Interest Auction a huge success! In total, we raised $36,795 at this year's auction. Thank you for continuing to support students who pursue public interest legal work. 

view of auction eboard from the back of the Commons
photo of individuals watching auction proceedings

 

THE 2018 PIFP AUCTION
was held on March 23, 2018 and was a huge success. We raised a lot of money to support public interest fellowships!

 

The 2016 Walter Lucas Public Interest Fellowship Program

The 2018 Walter Lucas Public Interest Fellowship Program Auction

Comprised of both silent and live auctions, the event in recent years has featured 250 to 300 items donated by individuals and businesses throughout Greater Philadelphia and across the country including: lunch and golf foursomes with distinguished Villanova Law alumni, vacation stays, tickets to cultural and sporting events, and much more; and all proceeds go toward providing $4,500 fellowships to current students who commit their summers to performing public service legal work.  PIFP also awards one $12,000 fellowship each year to a recent graduate who has committed to working full-time for a public service organization or governmental agency.

Founded in 1998, PIFP is a student-led organization dedicated to supporting student legal work in the public interest sector.  Each year, volunteers work tirelessly to raise money to provide summer fellowships for their fellow students who otherwise would work in unpaid public interest positions.  This work is critically important, not only to the public interest organizations with whom the fellows serve, but especially to the lives of low income individuals, the elderly, abused and neglected children, victims of discrimination, people with disabilities, and other members of our society in need of legal advocates. See the Recipients tab for a list of this year's Fellows and their positions.

Please join PIFP in helping public interest organizations deliver volunteer legal services to those in need throughout the Greater Philadelphia region and beyond!  

Monetary Donations

We appreciate donations in any amount. Please consider sponsoring a fellow for an hour ($11.25), a day ($90), a week ($450), a month ($1800), or an entire summer ($4500).

You can make a monetary donation online by clicking here and designating your gift to the Walter A. Lucas '88 Public Interest Fellowship Program, or by sending a check payable to "Villanova University" with "PIFP" in the memo line to:

Public Interest Fellowship Program
Villanova University School of Law
299 North Spring Mill Road
Villanova, PA 19085

 

2018 PIFP Auction
auction
VLS Students Compete in the Annual Cozen O'Connor Deans' Cup

The 2019 Deans' Cup at the Villanova University

The Philadelphia Deans’ Cup is an annual charity basketball tournament designed to raise funds for the public interest organizations of participating schools. The 2019 tournament will feature Drexel Law, Penn Law, Temple Law and Villanova Law.

The 2019 Dean's Cup was held at the Jake Nevin Field House (800 E. Lancaster Ave, Villanova, PA 19085) at Villanova University on Friday, March 29, 2019 at 6:00pm.  Game 1: Drexel vs. Temple and Penn vs. Villanova; Game 2: Winners competed for the championship with Villanova coming out on top as 2019 champions!

Villanova won the inaugural Dean's Cup game in 2011, Temple was victorious in 2012, and Villanova took the Cup in 2013, 2014 & 2015. Temple won the Dean's Cup in 2016 and again in 2017.  Let's keep that trophy in 2020!

dean's cup

 

Upcoming Events

Fall Festival 2022 - October 26th - 3:00 to 5:00 PM

Past Events

 

Save-the-date! 25th Annual Public Interest Auction!
The Walter A. Lucas Public Interest Fellowship Program Fall Festival, 2021
24th Annual Public Interest Auction Flyer Friday March 26, 2021 at 6 PM Registration link to follow
23rd Annual Public Interest Fellowship Auction Flyer Feb 20 2020 6 PM $10 for nonstudents $7 for students at door $5 in advance Under 14 free
PIFP 5K Walk Run Flyer Oct 5 2019 9 AM
2019 PIFP Auction Save the Date February 23 2018

5th Annual Public Interest 5K

PIFP Public Interest 5K

A huge "Thank You" goes out to Krasno, Krasno, & Onwudinjo for their continued, generous sponsorship of the Public Interest 5K!

Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law - October 20, 2018

Current students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members joined together on a 5K Race/Fun-Run through Villanova's campus. All proceeds from the run will be applied to 2018 PIFP Summer Fellowships. The Walter A. Lucas Public Interest Fellowship Program at Villanova Law School provides funding for law students working in unpaid public interest positions during the summer.

2018 Dean's Cup at University of Pennsylvania

Friday, April 6, 2018

For more details, see the Dean's Cup tab above.

2018 PIFP Auction

The 21st Annual Villanova University
Charles Widger School of Law

Walter A. Lucas Public Interest Fellowship Program Auction

Friday, March 23, 2018

PIFP 2017 5K Run

A huge "Thank You" goes out to Krasno, Krasno, & Onwudinjo for their continued, generous sponsorship of the Public Interest 5K!

Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law - October 21, 2017

Current students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members joined together on a 5K Race/Fun-Run through Villanova's campus. All proceeds from the run will be applied to 2018 PIFP Summer Fellowships. The Walter A. Lucas Public Interest Fellowship Program at Villanova Law School provides funding for law students working in unpaid public interest positions during the summer.

Good Grief! A Very Charlie Brown Trivia Night

Flip & Bailey's - November 17, 2016

All proceeds went to the Public Interest Fellowship Program. 

Krasno, Krasno and Onwudinjo Public Interest 5K Walk/Run

Krasno, Krasno, & Onwudinjo Public Interest 5 K

November 5, 2016 - Villanova Law Front Lawn 
9 AM

PIFP TALENT SHOW

Talent Show


Wednesday, October 21, 2015
7 PM
Ardmore Music Hall 

 

 

 

 

Krasno, Krasno & Onwudinjo Public Interest 5K Run 2015
PIFP 5K October 2015

Krasno, Krasno & Onwudinjo Public Interest 5K Run/Walk

October 3, 2015
10 AM 
Villanova Law School
 
 

 

 

2022 PIFP Fellows

  • Anderson Amaya '24
  • Kimberly Baxter '23
  • Victoria Stabile Bouvé '24
  • Riley Cook '23, Hacker Fellow
  • Laurel Enaco '24, Villanova Law Faculty & Staff Fellow
  • Michaela Kelly '24
  • Conor Mach '24
  • Leigh McLinden '23
  • Jordyn Pace '24
  • Madelyn Phinney '23
  • Julia Raith '24, Penny Pether Fellow
  • Eddie Reilingh '23
  • Caity Rogowski '24
  • Briana Smalley '23
  • Julia Stribula '24, Krasno, Krasno & Onwudinjo Fellow
  • Sarah Urie '24
  • Sadie Walker '24

2021 PIFP Fellows

PIFP would like to take a moment to thank all of our community partners and donors who have already generously contributed to this year’s auction! This list will be updated as we continue to receive donations for the 2023 auction. Please visit our partners’ websites below for more information!


2023 PIFP Fellowship Application will become available in March 2023

 

LRAP Application

Will be posted in Spring 2024.


Auction Items

If you have an item you would like to donate please complete the donation form in our solicitation packet. Questions? Contact pifp@law.villanova.edu.

Monetary Donations

We appreciate donations in any amount. Donations can be made online. After entering the donation amount, please select the "Walter A. Lucas '88 Public Interest Fellowship Program" as your "Other Designation."

Please consider sponsoring a fellow for

  • an hour ($15)
  • a day ($120)
  • a week ($600)
  • a month ($2,400)
  • an entire summer ($6,000)

Contact PIFP

Villanova University School of Law
Public Interest Fellowship Program
299 North Spring Mill Road
Villanova, PA 19085

610-519-6163

pifp@law.villanova.edu