Lunch with the NHL commissioner and general counsel. Dining in the U.N. delegates’ dining room. An Apple TV. New Bergdorf socks. These were just a few of the items auctioned during “Step Right Up! Bids Under the Big Top,” the 18th annual Public Interest Auction on April 7.
The evening was auctioneered by Professors Randall Kennedy and Jonathan Zittrain, who auctioned 20 items. 155 silent items were also available and included, The Congressional Cookbook, a solo string concert by Professor Singer and a day of indentured servitude from the President of the Harvard Law Review.
The Scales of Justice private performance yielded the highest bid of $2,000, followed by a three-day weekend stay in a vacation home in the Shenandoah Mountains for $1,500 and a dinner with Professors Wilkins and Rakoff at Wilkins’ home for $1,400.
Since 1994, the auction has helped support Summer Public Interest Funding (SPIF) each year, providing opportunities for students to begin their careers working in public interest. Last year SPIF awarded approximately $2.02 million to 515 students working in 35 countries, 34 states, and the District of Columbia.