Brooklyn Law School Auction Nets Record Profits

March 9, 2012 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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NHL Commissioner Sold for $3,000

STATE STREET – The Brooklyn Law Students for the Public Interest (BLSPI) held its 22nd annual auction fundraiser last week. The event was a resounding success and served as both a testament to all of the hard work that went into planning the evening and a statement of how highly the Brooklyn Law School community regards BLSPI’s public interest mission.

BLSPI is particularly pleased to announce that this year’s auction set records for gross proceeds collected, net funds raised, and attendance at the event.

The auction was once again held in the beautiful Forchelli Center of Feil Hall – Brooklyn Law School’s landmark student residence building on State Street in Downtown Brooklyn – and was attended by an enormous crowd of over 450 students, faculty, alumni, and community members. National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman

This massive undertaking required planning and preparations that spanned over a nine month period. That job was headed up by the capable team of Anna Park, ’13, and Jessica Rickards, ’13, who served as BLSPI’s Auction Committee co-chairs. They were joined by Sarah Briglia, ’14, and Nate Hennagin, ’14, the Auction Committee’s first-year delegates, and an incredible group of over 70 law students who, despite their busy schedules, found time to assist in making this event a reality.

“We could not be more proud of our auction co-chairs and the committee of dedicated students they put together,” said Michael Berman, ’12, co-chair of BLSPI, also noting, “they broke every meaningful record we’ve ever kept for this event.”

Matthew Allee, ’13, also a BLSPI co-chair, added, “the success of this year’s auction will ensure our organization’s stability for years to come. BLSPI has seen a growth in initiatives in the recent past and this auction has given us the resources to continue that trend into the future. We would like to thank everyone who attended, volunteered, donated items, and placed the bids that made the 2012 BLSPI Auction such an incredible success.”

An exact tally of the fundraising haul is still being compiled at this time and will take a few weeks to finalize. However, BLSPI can say with confidence that between corporate sponsorships, individual donations, receipts from the door, and winning bids, the auction brought in well over $60,000 this year.

After accounting for expenses and fees associated with the event, this will provide between $50,000 and $55,000 in funding for BLSPI’s numerous programs and initiatives.

One of the highlights from the night was the bidding for a lunch with the dean of Brooklyn Law School, Michael Gerber, and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. After a spirited round of escalating bids, the lunch sold for an unprecedented $3,000 to a student, Joel Alan Gaffney, ’12, bidding on behalf of Ronald J. Friedman, ’96, of Silverman Acampora, LLP, and Gary F. Herbst of LaMonica Herbst & Maniscalo, LLP.

Two other top auction lots included the ever-popular dinner with Brooklyn Law School alumni Gerald Lefcourt, Geraldo Rivera, and Gerald Shargel, and a pair of tickets to a star-studded fundraising gala for The Trevor Project.

“The entire BLS community turned out in force to ensure that the good work of BLSPI continues to empower and enrich students who are pursuing careers in public interest and public service law,” said Jessica Rickards, ’13, auction co-chair. “We are honored by the support and thrilled that the auction was able to raise so much money to fund BLSPI’s endeavors.”

Anna Park, ’13, also an auction co-chair, added, “the auction would not have been successful without the help of our wonderfully dedicated auction committee. The best parts of the auction reflected their many hours of hard work and tireless efforts…”