About SPILF
In 1978, a group of Stanford law students and alumni created the Stanford Public Interest Law Foundation (SPILF). Through this non-profit organization, the Stanford community strives to support groups that lack adequate legal representation.
Our Mission Statement:
The Stanford Public Interest Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating
new and innovative opportunities for law students and legal professionals to engage in
critically needed public interest work. Through a variety of fundraising efforts, SPILF provides
financial support to law students, alumni, and public interest organizations
dedicated to bringing legal services to those groups that would otherwise lack access
to adequate legal representation. SPILF believes each Stanford student and alum can and
should contribute to the public interest, through pro bono and public interest work,
and provides students an organization in which students develop and maintain their
commitment to public interest.
As part of its mission, SPILF provides grant aid to Stanford law students who find summer employment with public interest groups. Many of these jobs pay little, if at all; SPILF helps students support themselves while they explore fields outside of the more lucrative private sector. By increasing access to internships in areas like juvenile advocacy, environmental policy, and community legal aid, SPILF encourages students to start fulfilling careers in the public sphere.
In recent years, Stanford Law School has expanded its summer grant program for public interest students. As a result, SPILF now turns greater attention to its founding mission: for the past five years, SPILF has awarded Outside Project Grants to organizations engaged in public interest legal work.
Each year, student members raise all SPILF funds through the Annual "Bid for Justice" Benefit Auction, Hotel Voucher pledges, alumni and faculty donations, and law firm contributions.
The SPILF Student Board consists of:
- President: Samantha Brown
- Treasurer: Peter Schermerhorn
- Secretary: John Robinson
- VP of Auction: Shawna Reeves, Alexa Van Brunt
- VP of Hotel Voucher: Anthony Sun
- VP of Outside Project Grants: Brent Harris, Caeli Higney
- VP of Fellowship: Melissa Magner
- At large members: Jonathan Olinger, Lauren Sun, Tamika Butler, David Muraskin
Organizations that have received SPILF Outside Project Grants include:
- Colonia Property Rights Education and Organization
- Legal Aid Society of San Mateo: Teen Prgnancy Project
- Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project
- Contra Costa Senior Legal Services: Elder Abuse Project
- The Louisiana Crisis Assistance Center: The Mississippi Post-Conviction Counsel Project
- Disability Rights Advocates: Access to Health Care Insurance
- Servicemembers Legal Defense Network: The Survival Guide
- Legal Services of the Blue Ridge: Blue Ridge Domestic Violence Project
- AIDS Legal Referral Panel of the San Francisco Bay Area: On-Site Legal Clinics
- East Bay Community Law Center: Community Resources for Economic Empowerment & Sustainability
View the 2008 SPILF Brochure here.