IMPACT A P U B LICAT IO N O F R EGE N T UN I V E R SI T Y
VOL. 5 ISSUE 9 SEPTEMBER 2014
SEEKING JUSTICE
Regent Law’s Center for Global Justice internship program prepares the next generation of lawyers for high-level legal work
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ost university students spend their summer close to home or school, working to earn money for the upcoming semester. Nineteen students at Regent University’s School of Law spent their most recent break from classes gaining legal experience through summer internships focused on issues of global justice. Since its founding in 2010, the Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law® has been committed to fulfilling the mandate found in Proverbs 31:9 to “defend the rights of the poor and needy.” The internship program is one of the most impactful means to this end.
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“Summer internships give our students the opportunity to see how their learning matters to real legal issues,” says the School of Law’s dean, Jeffrey Brauch. “Students gain great confidence as they realize they can successfully participate in high-level and very meaningful legal work.” Through this program, select law students receive a grant to cover the costs of their
INSIDE: MAKING A CASE FOR EXCELLENCE
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INNOVATIONS IN EDUCATION
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Paul Davis’ (‘15) internship took him to Kampala, Uganda. Nearly 80 School of Law interns have served in at least 18 countries. SEEKING JUSTICE — CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
internship. Up to 20 grants are awarded to interns who work with legal organizations that fight human trafficking, protect children, help the poor, promote religious freedom and advance other human-rights-related issues.
with Jubilee Campaign has changed the way I view surrender by allowing me to interact with Christians who have come face-to-face with pure evil–and have returned it with forgiveness and love.”
While most of this summer’s Center for Global Justice interns served somewhere in the United States, several worked abroad with international organizations. “This provides them with quality legal experience, as they work on the front lines with practicing lawyers in other countries,” Brauch explains.
Another third-year law student, Paul Davis, traveled to Kampala, Uganda to work with the Children’s Justice Initiative (CJI). Davis said his summer internship provided him
To date, nearly 80 interns have served in countries such as Cambodia, France, Ghana, Greece, India, Japan, Korea, Malawi, Mexico, Nepal, Russia, Rwanda, Thailand, Uganda, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, and across the United States. This summer’s interns included third-year law student Tiffany Bennett, who worked with Jubilee Campaign in Washington, D.C. Bennett’s experience included drafting proposed legislation to help safely repatriate 60,000-plus Nigerian refugees fleeing persecution by Boko Haram: “My internship
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with valuable opportunities to advocate for individual children and the implementation of the rule of law: “My role as legal director was to oversee the successful implementation of various CJI programs, maintain strategic relationships with partners and further identify areas in which the legal program can advocate for children in conflict with the law.” Cassandra Carsrud worked with Christian Legal Aid in Los Angeles, California. The second-year Regent Law student says, “Justice is frustrated when people lack an
REGENT UNIVERSITY
advocate.” So she spent her summer in America’s second-largest city advocating for impoverished people involved in civil cases. Carsrud called her internship “an eye-opening experience” that allowed her “to act as an encourager, advocate and prayer warrior, enabling people to go forward and access justice that they were unable to achieve alone.” “As a school,” Brauch says, “it’s a joy for us to see our students’ impact. These internships make a real and lasting difference in the lives of our students and those they go to serve.” Sponsoring one summer intern costs approximately $5,000. Without that grant money, most, if not all, of the students would be unable to participate in the Center for Global Justice Summer Internship Program. But thanks to the generosity of Regent friends and alumni, School of Law students gain valuable, real-world experience; frontline humanitarian and relief organizations receive high-quality, no-cost legal assistance; and, most importantly, the oppressed find justice.
In 2014 alone, through Regent Law’s Center for Global Justice, students interned for organizations including: International Justice Mission, Kenya International Justice Mission, Thailand Freedom Firm, South East Asia Advocates International, Bulgaria Jubilee Campaign, Washington, D.C. Land and Equity Movement, Uganda Renewal Forum, Washington, D.C. The Alabama Attorney General’s Office (sexual crimes division)
For more information about the Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law®, and to find out how you can help sponsor a summer intern, call 757.352.4660 or visit regent.edu/globaljustice.
CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP TO CHANGE THE WORLD
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MAKING A CASE FOR EXCELLENCE WITH NEARLY 30 YEARS OF ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP AND 3,000 ALUMNI, REGENT LAW STANDS AMONG THE NATION’S BEST In 1986, CBN University (as Regent was known then) opened its School of Law. Jeffrey Brauch has been dean of Regent Law since the year 2000, half of the school’s 28 years. “It has been a joy for the law-school community to see God’s blessings on our efforts over many years,” he says.
teams that have won more than 60 national and regional championships. It recently ranked in the top 10 percent for law schools across the nation – ahead of Harvard, Yale and the University of Virginia.
“We know that to honor God in this, we must do what we do with excellence.”
• Regent’s moot court team has even established itself among the best in the world, placing second at the 2013 Price Media Law Moot Court Competition in Oxford, England – ahead of both Oxford and Cambridge universities.
The university’s “law-school community” includes professors who are recognized as some of America’s best. In 2013, The Princeton Review ranked Regent The team atmosphere Law’s outstanding that exists throughout faculty among the top the school creates a 10 in the nation. “We sense of community that believe that God calls encourages and breeds men and women to serve success across a wide Him as ministers of spectrum. justice,” Brauch explains. Regent Law Moot Court Team “As faculty members, Brauch insists that one of we are honored to be part of the process of the keys to fulfilling the mission and maintaining equipping bright and committed young men excellence at Regent University’s School of and women for that service. We know that to Law is alumni involvement. “We hope that honor God in this, we must do what we do our alumni will want to invest in the lives and with excellence.” futures of current students – men and women who have followed in their footsteps. Alumni That excellence extends into every area of can invest in many ways: serving as mentors and the law school’s involvement: from alumni apprenticeship supervisors, judging moot court achievement to bar-passage rates to moot or negotiation competitions, and contributing court competitions. financially to student scholarships.” • School of Law alumni include 27 serving judges and several elected officials on local, state and federal levels. All time, 33 alumni have served as judges across the country. • Recent Regent Law graduates posted a 100-percent passage rate by first-time takers of the February 2014 Virginia Bar Exam. • Since the School of Law’s founding, Regent Moot Court Program has produced
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Nearly three decades of outstanding achievement and accomplishment make a compelling case for enduring excellence by School of Law students, faculty and alumni in their pursuit of justice.
To support Regent University’s School of Law with your tax-deductible gift of any amount, call 800.335.4409 or visit regent.edu/give.
REGENT UNIVERSITY
INNOVATIONS IN EDUCATION REGENT OFFERS STUDENTS SEVERAL UNIQUE OPTIONS FOR EARNING A LAW DEGREE A traditional law school requires three years of intense study. But to meet the needs of today’s students, Regent University’s School of Law offers several recent innovative options for acquiring an advanced degree.
are currently enrolled and pursuing this new degree in one of six concentrations: business and commercial law, business management, criminal justice, national security, human resources, and nonprofit management.
First, there’s the two-year Juris Doctor ( JD) Program, which enables highly motivated students to earn their law degree in a shorter-than-average time period. Professor Michael Hernandez says the program, which got its start in 2013, is exactly the same as the threeyear course of study in terms of overall curriculum.
Dr. James Davids says this innovative program offers the opportunity to study law as it relates to a person’s profession at a fraction of the cost, time and effort: “Whereas the ‘sticker price’ for a JD degree is a little less than $100,000 and normally takes three years to complete, an M.A. in Law costs less than $20,000 and can be completed in one year.” Davids continues, “If someone is interested in studying law, but not in practicing law, then he or she can take law courses that are specifically relevant to his or her chosen career.”
“We want to be among the first adopters of programs that reduce the cost and increase the flexibility of legal education.”
“The difference is simply in the sequencing of the courses and the requirement that students take classes both in their first and second summer,” Hernandez explains. “For that reason, the program is ideal for someone who either already has a job settled prior to starting law school or who has excellent job prospects.” Students who start in this program have the option to switch to the traditional three-year degree. According to Professor Douglas Cook, associate dean of Regent’s School of Law, the part-time/evening program was conceived and developed to meet the needs of the modern law student. “Students are becoming more cautious about amassing large amounts of debt to obtain the JD degree,” Cook says. “One way to keep the level of debt down is to go to law school part time, while still employed. Part-time students are able to design a schedule that works best for them and complete their degree in four or five years.” This fall, Regent introduced a new program that offers students the opportunity to earn a Master of Arts in Law. Nearly 70 students
With a traditional three-year degree, a two-year program, a part-time/evening juris doctor option and the new Master of Arts in Law, Regent University provides four excellent education choices to meet the needs of anyone who wants to pursue law. “We have realized that both the legal profession and legal education are changing,” Regent Law Dean Jeffrey Brauch says. “We want to be among the first adopters of programs that reduce the cost and increase the flexibility of legal education, and we want to be at the forefront of training lawyers to be ready from day one to practice with excellence and integrity.”
For more information about degree options offered by Regent University School of Law, call 877.267.5072 or visit regent.edu/law.
CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP TO CHANGE THE WORLD
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Has America Lost Its Leading Edge? OCTOBER 24, 2014 • 3:30 p.m. REGENT UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATION & PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
John Bolton
Felipe Calderón
Steve Forbes
Brian Mulroney
Jay Sekulow
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (2005-2006)
President of Mexico (2006-2012)
Chairman and Editorin-Chief, Forbes Media
Prime Minister of Canada (1984-1993)
Chief Counsel, American Center for Law & Justice and European Centre for Law & Justice
DEBATE ONLY: $50 | DEBATE & DINNER: $150
REGENT.EDU/CLASH
REGENT WORLD CHANGER
E. Todd Wilkowski
EQUIP A WORLD CHANGER
Private Practice Attorney
Todd Wilkowski ’98 (Law) is a private practice attorney with the Frost Brown Todd law firm in West Chester, Ohio. He formerly worked as a counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force and served at the Pentagon and two U.S. embassies in South America. Todd says Regent’s School of Law provided him the unique opportunity to study with and learn from dynamic Christian leaders: “Regent University provided a tremendously formative experience for me, both professionally and personally. … I specifically learned that there should be no dichotomy between our professional occupation and our vocational calling from God to be ‘salt and light’ as His disciples in whatever vineyard we labor in.” Please join the entire Regent community in praying for Todd Wilkowski, September’s alumni World Changer.
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By donating to one of the university’s many scholarship programs, you can sponsor a Regent student to become a World Changer like Todd Wilkowski. Help equip a Christian leader to change the world: Call 800.335.4409 or visit regent.edu/worldchanger.
LEAVE A LASTING LEGACY Regent University’s planned-giving options will help you reach your stewardship goals, lower your tax burden and maximize your income. For information about annuities, trusts, bequests and other ways you can leave a lasting legacy to Regent students, visit regent.edu/plannedgiving or call 800.335.4409
REGENT UNIVERSITY
A Message From the Chancellor Dear Friend, This month, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia became the second current member of the nation’s high court to visit Regent University in the past three years. Justice Scalia’s attendance and address at a banquet in his honor on the evening of Tuesday, September 16, speaks to just how far our School of Law has come since graduating its first class less than 30 years ago.
Jeffrey A. Brauch
Dean, School of Law
Without question, Regent Law has earned the respect, and even the admiration, of some of the nation’s most influential legal leaders. With excellence, integrity and a Christ-first approach, Dean Jeffrey Brauch, his faculty and his staff, are equipping the next generation of attorneys who are answering God’s call as leaders in their field. Dean Brauch informed me earlier this month that two more Regent alums had received judicial appointments. That raises the total number of School of Law graduates currently serving “on the bench” to 27. All time, 33 alumni have served as judges across the country. I was thrilled to receive this very good news, because I’m convinced that, one of these days, there will be a Supreme Court Justice from Regent University! You can play a crucial role in making that a reality. Your faithful prayers and financial gifts will enable the School of Law to continue training lawyers committed to biblical truth and to seeking justice for all people. Thank you for your continued friendship and generous support. Sincerely,
Dr. M.G. “Pat” Robertson Founder, Chancellor & CEO Regent University
THE LAWS OF THE LORD ARE TRUE; EACH ONE IS FAIR. THEY ARE MORE DESIRABLE THAN GOLD, EVEN THE FINEST GOLD. PSALM 19:9-10
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Regent University’s Impact is published monthly by the university’s Office of Advancement, free of charge, for alumni and friends of the university. Regent University admits students without discrimination on the basis of race, color, disability, gender, religion or national or ethnic origin. Regent University is certified by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to operate campuses within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Regent University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associates, baccalaureate, masters, and doctorate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404.679.4500 for questions about the accreditation of Regent University. Opinions expressed in Impact are those of individuals and do not necessarily represent the views of Regent University’s board, faculty, administration or staff. Regent University accepts news submissions from readers but reserves the right to edit based upon clarity, length and content. The university may decline to print material at its discretion. ADV140833
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