About Us

OUR MISSION

To nurture and encourage Christian law students by providing mentors and resources aimed at fostering:

  • spiritual growth,
  • compassionate outreach, and
  • the integration of faith, study, and practice.

And to establish and maintain vibrant witnessing communities of law students on every law school campus in the nation and at key Christian colleges.

OUR OBJECTIVES

Our mission is developed through four foundational objectives of CLS’ ministry:

GATHERING LAW STUDENTS ON CAMPUS

The first, and most modest, objective in fulfilling the CLS mission is simply an invitation: we want to bring students and lawyers into community by encouraging them to gather locally or to simply identify as Christ-followers. We desire to extend an invitation for law students on campus to stand up and say “I’m with Him.” Yet this goal is central. As law students who follow Jesus, we provide encouragement to our brothers and sisters in the profession.

FOSTERING SPIRITUAL FORMATION

The second objective is to assist law students as they become more Christ-like in the context of preparation for law practice. We all recognize that there are unique challenges, temptations, and issues facing Christian lawyers and law students, and our “lay” friends, including pastors and mentors, do not always understand the issues we face. Whether it be the time crunch of memo writing in law school, the pressures of partner-track politics at the big firm, the stress of preparing for trial, or the intricacies of an ethical dilemma, faithful responses are not easy to come by. Sharing with a brother or sister in Christ who “gets” the issue is often the most significant step on the way to spiritual understanding.

ENCOURAGING VOCATIONAL STEWARDSHIP

The third foundational objective of LSM centers on the lawyer’s calling. We want to help law students develop a well-defined understanding of Christian vocation and how it works itself out in law study and practice.

SUPPORTING CHRISTIAN SERVICE TO THE CAMPUS & COMMUNITY

Finally, Law Student Ministries seeks to encourage Christian law students to reach out to their campuses with the love of Christ. This element of service is a natural outgrowth of gathering together, growing spiritually, and thinking carefully about vocation. After all, if we see our legal gifts as given to us for the benefit of others, one of our critical tasks will be identifying those that might benefit from what we have.

FULFILLING OUR MISSION

A National and Local Network of Christian Attorneys and Law Students
CLS connects students with Christian attorneys to encourage, pray for, and mentor students. Attorneys and students meet and develop relationships through the CLS attorney chapters across the country, as well as through an annual national conference and several regional retreats. One of the great joys of being part of CLS and Law Student Ministries is being part of a movement that is bigger than one’s campus or the local bar association.

Resources Developed Specifically for Law Students
We have a library of resources, including Bible studies, podcasts, videos, blogs, and devotionals, developed with law students in mind, LSM wants to help students address the challenges they face in the study and future practice of law. Check out our resources page for a listing.

Strategic Partnerships
CLS and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA work closely on law school campuses, with many InterVarsity staffers serving local law student chapters in varied and rich ways. If you are a chapter leader, please consider your local InterVarsity Graduate and Faculty Ministry staff person a valuable resource. If you do not know who that might be, please contact InterVarsity's Law School Ministry Coordinator, Mike Schutt (who currently directs LSM as well) at mschutt@clsnet.org.

In addition, CLS and Regent University Law School have created the Institute for Christian Legal Studies (ICLS), a resource center for Christian law students and professors. ICLS provides materials and encouragement to students who seek to serve God in their law school studies and in their vocation as Christian lawyers.