NEWARK, N.J. – “Planting the Roots for Our Community” is the theme for this year’s Public Interest Auction organized by students at Seton Hall University School of Law. Funds raised through the auction help to support Seton Hall Law School students who volunteer for public interest organizations and graduates who dedicate their careers to public interest work. The auction takes place Tuesday, February 27, 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. at The Newark Club, One Newark Center, Newark, New Jersey.

Lawyers and public interest professionals from the Metropolitan area will gather to bid on donated auction items, including jewelry, vacations and signed sports memorabilia.

Each year, Seton Hall Law School also honors several individuals who exemplify public service at the annual auction. This year, the Law School will honor the following public servants:

• Sister Rosemary McSorley, Esq., Lifetime Achievement Award, Director of Cornelian Community Counselors, a non-profit family law clinic.

• The Honorable Katharine Sweeney Hayden, Richard J. Hughes Award, United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.

• K. Anthony Thomas, Esq., Excellence in Advocacy Award, Assistant Federal Public Defender.

Proceeds from the auction go to Seton Hall Law School’s Summer Public Interest Law Fellowships and Public Interest Loan Repayment Assistance Program. The Summer Public Interest Law Fellowships provide financial support to students who are “planting roots for communities,” interning for organizations such as the Domestic Violence Clinical Center in New York City, Africa Legal Aid in Ghana and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office in New Jersey. The Public Interest Loan Repayment Assistance Program provides graduates, who work full-time in public interest assisting underserved populations, with financial assistance for paying off their student loans.

Tickets to the event are $1,000 for a table of ten, $100 for professionals and $70 for public interest professionals and recent Seton Hall Law School graduates. Registration is required. For more information and to register, go to http://law.shu.edu/auction.

The only private law school in New Jersey, Seton Hall University School of Law was founded in 1951, and is located in the city of Newark. Seton Hall Law School offers both day and evening programs leading to the Juris Doctor (J.D.), Master of Laws (LL.M.) and Master of Science in Jurisprudence (M.S.J.) degrees. For more information on Seton Hall Law School, visit law.shu.edu.