UB Public Interest Law Students to Host Fundraising Auction Feb. 8
January 25, 2008
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
Lauren Young, director of litigation for the Maryland Disability Law Center, will receive the Robert M. Bell Award for Leadership in Public Service during a special ceremony on Friday, Feb. 8. The event, part of the 14th annual silent and live auction to benefit UB Students for Public Interest Law, will take place at the Belvedere, 1 E. Chase St. in Baltimore, from 7 to 10 p.m. The award ceremony and auction are presented by the University of Baltimore School of Law.
Young will be honored for her 10 years of work at MDLC, where she has also served as legal director and managing attorney. Prior to her arrival at MDLC, she was supervising attorney for the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau, where her work involved issues of foster care, homelessness, abuse and neglect, and children's rights. She has also served on the Juvenile Justice Committee for the West Virginia Supreme Court, where she provided guidance in the removal of juveniles from adult jails and improved conditions for youths confined in detention facilities. Young was the recipient of the 2007 Benjamin L. Cardin Distinguished Service Award.
In her role at MDLC, Young has been counsel on several reform cases on behalf of persons with disabilities. For example, she acted as counsel for 16,000 people with disabilities to enforce their right under the Americans with Disabilities Act to receive complementary paratransit service without capacity restraints. This action has resulted in significant improvements in services and a steadily increasing demand.
The UBSPI auction benefits UB students in public interest law who undertake summer fellowships.
The auction entry cost—$20 general admission and $10 for UB students, with tables for 10 available for $175—includes the opportunity to bid on items such as outings with professors and faculty, works by local artists and artisans, tickets to sports and theater events, rounds of golf and dozens more unusual and original items and services.
Proceeds from the auction will fund summer grants that enable UB law students to work for public interest organizations, including the Maryland Crime Victims' Resource Center, Friends of the Family, Inc., the Homeless Persons Representation Project, the Maryland State Public Defender and numerous others.
For more than a decade, UBSPI has given grants to students who help the less fortunate and underprivileged obtain equal representation in the justice system. With decreases in legal aid services and increases in the cost of legal education, this bridge benefits both the students and the community. Last year’s UBSPI auction raised $35,000, which allowed nine UB law students to work for public interest groups. This year's goal is $50,000.
UB School of Law Dean Phillip J. Closius will provide a 50 percent match for all successful bids at the auction.
Cocktails and light hors d'oeuvres will be available at the event. For more information or to make a reservation, or to make arrangements for special accommodations, call 410.837.5671 or send an e-mail to ubspi_auction_2008@yahoo.com.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts and the Merrick School of Business.