September 18, 2020

Meet our 2020 PILC Grant Recipient Working in Municipality Law

Southwestern's Public Interest Law Committee (PILC) is a student-run organization that sponsors a number of events each year to raise student awareness and involvement in providing legal services for underrepresented communities and is dedicated to facilitating public interest law careers by supporting students in public interest work through fundraising efforts for the school’s Public Interest Law Summer Grant Program.

We want to recognize these students and the incredible work they are doing with their Public Interest Law Committee Summer Grant. Meet our 2020 PILC Grant recipient working in Municipality Law: 

Keila Magana, 3L

Summer Placement: Law Clerk, California Attorney General's Office, Government Law Section (GLS)

GLS is tasked with defending California statutes, California's statewide elected officials, and certain state agencies in civil litigation. As a clerk, I assisted with conducting fact and legal research, and writing advice memoranda pertaining to constitutional law issues, civil procedure issues, ballot title and summary laws, state budget issues, and Covid-19 litigation. Clerking for the Attorney General’s Office has convinced me of the importance of public service work and how intertwined public service work is with policy advocacy. 

I am passionate about increasing affordable housing and providing mental health services to homeless individuals, and at GLS, I was able to assist in drafting an amicus brief to defend Project Roomkey, which aims to reduce the risk of homeless individuals contracting Covid-19.

Support PILC

In lieu of in-person events this year, you can help support PILC by donating at SWLaw.edu/SupportPILC.

Donate Here

Southwestern’s Public Interest Law Committee (PILC) sincerely thanks you for your support.  PILC’s mission is to help create a community where Southwestern students are educated and incentivized to participate in issues concerning and advancing the public interest. Each fundraising cycle, PILC focuses efforts on raising as much funds as possible to provide financial support for students who wish to spend their summer contributing to the work of public interest and government agencies advocating for meaningful impact for the diverse, low-income communities across California who need legal advocacy the most. These funds will go towards our Public Interest Law Fund, which provides funding to selected student recipients to serve in unpaid, full-time clerkships with public interest / civil legal aid and government agencies up to a 10-week summer term.

The Public Interest Law Summer Grant aims to alleviate the financial burden of student loans while providing Southwestern students the opportunity to gain practical legal training and education in public service. PILC looks forward to continuing to serve our Southwestern and California communities through our fundraising efforts. 

PILC Grants are available for continuing students who work in public interest during the summer. Applications are due in March. Awards up to $5,000. Email publicservice@swlaw.edu for more information.