Regent Law News

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially in Regent Law’s Moot Court Board (MCB) office. From November 1st-15th the Moot Court Board organized a collection of shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse whose mission is to provide “spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world… with the purpose of sharing God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ.” Regardless of the fact that many Hampton Roads churches hosted shoebox collections of their own, members of the Regent Law family felt impressed to be a part of the MCB’s initiative. So, last Tuesday the Board piled the 233 shoeboxes into multiple cars and delivered them to the local collection center where they were informed that theirs was the largest donation of the year! Each shoebox is designated to a boy or girl of a certain age and is filled with everything from stuffed animals to toothbrushes, and coloring books to clothes. Not only that, but once the shoeboxes are inspect

The overwhelming concern of those with families who consider attending law school is how their families will adjust to a new lifestyle. Regent Law seeks to provide students with families everything they need to succeed and thrive during their law school experience. One of the ways Regent Law families find support is by living in Regent Village, the University’s 22 acre, 30-building student housing complex located less than a mile from campus. The Village’s large, park-like setting offers ample public space to foster family and community relationships. Amenities include a sand volleyball court, a basketball court, a covered picnic area, and a playground. A soccer field in the center of the complex is home to the Regent Village Youth Soccer League, open to children of residents and Regent University staff and faculty. The community room offers space for Bible studies, baby showers and parties, and also houses the King’s Pantry, a service that provides donated groceries to residents f

On Thurs., November 18, Regent Law Chapel welcomed the university’s Director of Campus Ministries, Dr. Richard Kidd, who inspired students with a message of hope. Kidd peppered his message with personal legal anecdotes including the collapse of a former business into bankruptcy, the experiences of a friend and college roommate who became a successful attorney, and the trial experiences of a victimized family member who did not receive justice. These experiences reminded students that in their future practices they will deal with people in dire circumstances whose ultimate question will be, “Are you going to bring me any hope?” Kidd challenged students to realize that though a just and successful legal outcome for their clients is good, as Christian attorneys they have a mandate to give their clients more. He asked the question: “How can the law itself help those in despair?” As part of his answer, Kidd referenced 1 Cor. 15:19-20 (ESV), “If in Christ we have hope in this life on

It’s an organization that may well be Regent Law School’s greatest asset, especially for students who come to law school with families. It’s the Law Wives Association. “When our family started looking at schools during the application process, we saw that Regent had Law Wives, and I thought, ‘what is that?’” says Regent Law 3L wife, mother of three, and current organization president Lan Downing. “I thought to myself, ‘That would be really great to have that support and that network while we’re there.’” Law Wives exists to create and maintain an effective support network among the wives of Regent Law students in order to support and encourage their husbands through the challenges of law school. Little did Downing know that Law Wives would provide that support even before the Downing’s decided on Regent Law. “We came for a preview weekend, and the Law Wives president at the time, Katrina Walker … kept our kids so I could go to a lunch event with Tim,” says Downing. “It showed me h

David Velloney , associate professor in the School of Law, was recently interviewed by WVEC 13 (Hampton Roads’ ABC affiliate) regarding the case of the accused Somali pirates currently underway in Norfolk’s Federal Court. School of Law alumna Kristina Earwood ’03 was recently elected as a judge in the 30th District Court, located in Western North Carolina, according to this article in the Smoky Mountain News . Alumnus Matt Osman ’01 was also elected in Mecklenburg County, N.C.

This past year, Regent University School of Law’s Summer Program in Strasbourg, France was by all accounts a success. The American Bar Association (ABA) who accredits the program made an evaluation visit this summer and gave the classes a score of 4.8 on a 5 point scale for quality of teaching. The Strasbourg Program courses give students the opportunity to learn about international law and human rights issues from a Christian perspective. Program courses are taught by Regent Law faculty and included officials from European legal and human rights organizations. Among this year’s visiting speakers was Hans Christian Kruger, former Secretary of the European Commission of Human Rights and former Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe. In addition to teaching quality, the ABA evaluated the Strasbourg Program on a range of criteria from educational content to quality of accommodations. According to their subsequent accreditation report, “The program was well organized and wel

By Molly Eccles “Is anybody here having doubts about this whole law school thing?” That is the question that Regent Law alumna and solo practitioner Kerriel Bailey ('08) posed as she opened today’s Law Chapel service. The question was immediately followed by a collective chuckle from her audience of students and faculty. “I think,” she responded, “[we begin to doubt] when we are more focused on ourselves than on God.” She then encouraged listeners to remember that “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Rom. 11:29). Bailey, however, did not come to a true realization of this verse easily. She went on to share that when God called her to law school she “could not fathom learning the law at a place that did not even acknowledge a law Giver.” So she, her husband - who left his job of nineteen years – and youngest son packed their bags, said goodbye to the remainder of their family, and moved 3,000 miles from California to Virginia Beach. Like so many students

Festive Messianic music, a slide show of colorful trip photos, and a delicious deli lunch welcomed students to Regent Law’s 2011 Summer Program in Israel information session Tuesday. Hosted by Program Director, Professor Robert ‘Skip’ Ash , the session gave students a basic overview of the program goals and objectives; trip dates, tentative itinerary and costs, and the criteria for participation. Professor Ash introduced Professor Joseph Kickasola, with whom he shares teaching responsibility during the three-week trip. Participants will earn three credit-hours toward their degree in either the Law School or the School of Government. Two courses will be taught during the mornings, one comparing the Biblical and Qu’ranic ideas of war and another addressing aspects of international law in modern-day Israel. Several participants from previous trips commented on the “experience of a lifetime” afforded by the Summer Program in Israel. Regent Law 3L Jesse Weiss said, “It’s a great expe

On Friday, Oct. 29, the Regent chapter of the Phi Alpha Delta (PAD) pre-law honor society held its 2010 induction ceremony. Regent Law’s Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Associate Professor, Natt Gantt , served as the keynote speaker for the ceremony. He prefaced his speech by relaying the idea that we, according to a recent NPR broadcast, live in an “age of mistrust” when people do not trust their governments and institutions. “How can you be an instrument of change,” he challenged the inductees, “in the attitudes toward governments and institutions?” He went on to share that he did not decide to become a lawyer until his senior year of undergraduate studies. A psychology major, Dean Gantt was unsure as to what path to take for his graduate education. “Go where you feel like you can do the most good” were his father’s words of advice. Then, after praying about where that would be, God showed him that “You can do a lot of good in society with a law degree.” In a nation tha

This week Regent Law Chapel welcomed Dr. Corné Bekker, associate professor for the School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship and Editor of the Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership (JBPL). Addressing the topic of a Christian philosophy of leadership, Bekker contrasted the examples of 13th Century leader Agnus of Prague against the story of Herod in Acts 12, demonstrating the difference between the Christian idea of leadership and the world’s philosophy. That difference is embodied in who receives the glory, Bekker said. “Leadership schools tend to draw the wrong kind of students – those who are trying to be great,” he said. He referred to the danger of the sin of human pride and the desire for personal recognition which steals glory that belongs to God alone. Quoting a friend he said, “We grow small trying to be great.” In contrast, for the leader who is Christian, there must be a personal transformation that takes place by way of the Cross, a teaching Bekker sa

Photo by Patrick McKay '12 A contingency of five Regent Law faculty and 20 students participated in the Christian Legal Society’s (CLS) 2010 National Conference held October 21-24 in Orlando, Florida. Included among Regent Law’s representatives were the Dean of Academic & Student Affairs, Natt Gantt and Director of Career & Alumni Services, Darius Davenport. Keynote speakers included the Honorable Michael McConnell, Stanford Law School professor, constitutional law scholar and former federal judge on the US Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit; Dr. Don Davis, Founder and Director of World Impact’s Urban Ministry Institute; and Dr. David Butler, Lead Pastor of CenterPoint Church in Concord, NH. Break-out sessions were led by notable Christians such as theologian Dr. Wayne Grudem, Alliance Defense Fund senior vice-president Jeffrey Ventrella, and Stanley Carlson-Theis, president of the Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance. Regent Law Professor C. Scott Pryor co-presen

Law professor James Duane was quoted in this Friday, Oct. 29, Virginian-Pilot article discussing a recent trial that found a Norfolk, Va., police officer guilty of lying to federal agents and extortion. Law professor Mike Schutt was named in this Monday, Oct. 25, article appearing in The Times Record out of Brunswick, Maine. Schutt was a guest lecturer at the World View Academy camp over the summer. Law school admissions counselor Sarah Schulte was quoted in this Thursday, Oct. 28, article published by Charleston Southern College about their recent employment and graduate school fair.