The Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) Public Interest Law Society (PILS) hosted its annual “PILS Auction” on February 17, 2023 at The Puppetry Arts Center. The fundraising event raised over $22,000 for the Renata Turner Award for Public Interest Law. The Award recognizes students who have made an extraordinary contribution to our community through public interest work and who have demonstrated an interest to continue that commitment.
A heartfelt “thank you” to the students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends, and event sponsors that made this year’s event one to remember. See you next year at PILS Auction 2024!
From the PILS Society President
Dear Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School Community,
This is the second year of PILS since it was reactivated in the Fall of 2021 by former President Cal Lewis. I am so impressed and grateful to see the enormous support from our AJMLS community. The 2023 PILS Auction raised over $22,000! This incredible amount was all due to the contributions and support from you.
This year, we also had a newly added scholarship for students interested in becoming public defenders. The Aspiring Public Defender Scholarship. Meaghan Eustice (’15) established this scholarship for law students interested in pursuing a career as a public defender. Attorney Eustice is a former public defender and is now a Senior Staff Attorney with the Fulton County Government. She believes that working as a public defender is one of the highest callings in the legal profession. We are so grateful for her support and guidance.
The Public Interest Law Scholarships are extremely valuable to AJMLS students who are passionate about Public Interest Law. Since most public interest law internships are unpaid, these scholarships provide students with support for their service to others and therefore encourages our students to seek public interest internships and it serves as a pathway of service to the community.
We know that if one is truly called to serve the public, no matter the cost, we will pursue that calling with our passionate hearts! On behalf of PILS, we want to thank you for supporting our mission and passion for serving those in need. I’m excited for the future of PILS and I know that the passion of PILS will continue to go above and beyond.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Esther Ko
President, Public Interest Law Society
2023 Renata Turner Award Recipients
Victor Gordon (J.D. Candidate 2023)
First and foremost, I would like to thank the Honorable Judge Renata D. Turner, the Public Interest Law Society, Alumni Relations, and the countless donors for making this scholarship possible — I am truly grateful to each and every one of you for this great distinction. I will use the generosity of the scholarship’s benefactors to fund my continued pro bono work with Atlanta Legal Aid. Atlanta Legal Aid is a non-profit law firm that provides free civil legal services to indigent Atlanta Metropolitan residents dealing with landlord-tenant matters, contested child custody cases, public benefits denials, family violence, immigration crises, bankruptcies, probate issues, amongst other problems. This scholarship will make an impact on the number of people Atlanta Legal Aid can reach, given the organization’s limited resources. Again, thank you for helping me — help them.
Ashley Kreider (J.D. Candidate 2024)
I would like to extend my thanks to all of the donors that have made this scholarship possible. This scholarship has given me financial freedom to continue pursuing my dream of working for the state to help indigent populations. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity that the Renata Turner Scholarship has afforded me.
2023 Aspiring Public Defender Scholarship Recipients
Melanie Stepho (J.D. Candidate 2023)
I am extremely grateful and honored to be a recipient of this scholarship and plan to utilize this money to assist me in alleviating the financial stressors associated with the bar exam while completing the last stretch of my 14-year long dream of becoming a public defender.
Brooke Harrison (J.D. Candidate 2023)
It is with great honor that I accept the Aspiring Public Defender Scholarship. The right to counsel is one of the most important rights granted to each and every person through the U. S. Constitution. I am thrilled to have found such tremendous support in my John Marshall Community as I work to uphold and protect that right and improve indigent defense systems across the nation.
2023 Sponsors
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