PILA’s 26th Annual Silver State Auction Raises $22,000 for Public Interest Law Grants
The 26th Annual Silver State Auction for Public Interest Law was held on February 27, 2025 at the Strip View Pavilion at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Event Center. Organized by the Public Interest Law Association (PILA), one of Boyd Law’s oldest student organizations, is committed to promoting awareness of public interest legal work and to providing summer grants to law students who work in a public interest position during the summer months. As many public interest summer intern positions are unpaid, numerous students would be unable to pursue such valuable opportunities without assistance from the PILA grants.
At the heart of the event is the silent and live auction. The silent auction featured donations from a variety of community contributors, including Boyd Law professors. Professor Mary Beth Beazley led a spirited live auction, featuring a Vegas Golden Knights Super Fan package, a signed Raiders helmet, a Huntington Jewelers diamond necklace, tickets to Hamilton at the Smith Center with hotel stays at the Golden Nugget and Sahara, and a PGA Tour Superstore Golf package. Thanks to the corporate sponsors, attendees, and auction winners, this year’s Auction was a tremendous success, raising $22,000 to fund the PILA summer grants.
In addition to the focus on philanthropy, the Silver State Auction is where PILA honors community members who have served as public interest mentors and role models. This year’s honorees included Bryan Scott for the Silver Staircase Award, Ellie Roohani for the Silver Service Award, Ozzie Fumo for the Silver Advocate Award, Professor Bret Birdsong for the Silver-Smith Award, the LACSN Pro Bono Project for the Silver Embrace Award, and Sydney Szostek for the Silver Student Award.
Auction sponsors included the Thomas & Mack Company, Boyd Gaming, the City of Henderson Attorney’s Office, the City of Las Vegas, Morris Injury Law, Realty One Group, Public Lawyers Section of the State Bar of Nevada, Sagebrush Lawyers, Bailey Kennedy, and Gina Corena & Associates.