Wake Forest Law students holding a flag that reads "PILO."

The Law School is pleased to announce that the Public Interest Law Organization (PILO) has received a generous anonymous gift, helping to fund its activities for the entire 2022-23 academic year.

Wake Forest University School of Law’s Public Interest Law Organization (PILO) is a student-run organization that focuses on educating students about public interest jobs and opportunities, and supports students who are seeking public interest careers. Public interest law is defined as anything affecting the well-being, rights, health, or finances of the public at large.

Throughout the academic year, PILO hosts professional and career development resources for students who are interested in pursuing a career in public interest. These events range from defining what public interest law is to inviting attorney speakers that work in different areas of public interest—from criminal law to education to civil rights.

Wake Forest Law students who take low paying or unpaid internships with public interest-based organizations are eligible for PILO grants. These grants allow students to pursue work with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, legal aid programs, and more, without worrying about finances for the duration of their internship.

“Without a PILO grant, it would have been financially impossible for me to take my dream internship advocating for marginalized communities, and I know that is a similar story for all of our amazing grant recipients,” said Amanda Spriggs Reid (JD ’23), PILO Executive Director.

“This gift is an important testament to the power of philanthropy in our law school community. We are grateful to this individual for their generous support, commitment to our students, and spirit of Pro Humanitate that creates true citizen lawyers,” said Assistant Dean of Development Logan Roach (’07).

For Professor Wendy Parker, Faculty Director of PILO and the Wake Forest Law Pro Bono Project, this gift represents the opportunity for students to gain core lawyering skills while giving back to the community. “I am heartened that others are willing to help fund students taking what they’ve learned into the classroom into serving others in need—and taking the pressure off students to do the bulk of PILO fundraising for the first time ever.”

For information about how you can lend your philanthropic support to PILO or other Wake Forest Law programs, please email Assistant Director of Development, Taylor Hill, at hillt@wfu.edu.

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