Blackstone Legal Fellowship, a ministry of Alliance Defending Freedom, attracts top-notch law students who desire training in natural law and aspire to work for organizations that defend Biblical principles and seek justice for the oppressed.
This summer, two Regent Law students have the honor of serving as Blackstone Fellows, bringing the total number of Regent Law students who have been accepted into the program since it launched in 2000 to 100 students. Thirty-one students have been Blackstone Fellows in the last five years.
Sandra Alcaide (pictured) will work for the International Justice Mission in South Asia, and Leah Achor will serve Alliance Defending Freedom in Washington, D.C.
Leah was first impacted by Alliance Defending Freedom as an undergraduate student at Geneva College, which had filed a lawsuit against the Health and Human Services Administration. The contraceptive mandate in the Affordable Care Act conflicted with the institution’s religious beliefs.
“I admired the ADF attorneys' passion for protecting my school's religious conscience and decided that I wanted to do the very same work,” Leah says. “The Blackstone Fellowship will put me steps closer to achieving that goal.”
Leah will spend her time researching and writing for ADF’s Marriage and Family section, which is dedicated to protecting the institution of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
Through Blackstone, Sandra received a six-week internship with IJM. She will review IJM advocates’ trip reports, create curriculum materials for training advocates in organizations that partner with IJM, research, and write briefs.
“After receiving an excellent but highly biased education as an undergraduate student at New York University, I was very interested in receiving training based on natural law principles, as well as practical experience that would allow me to make a difference in the current legal system,” Sandra explains. “I knew I wanted to practice the law in a way that honored God, and Blackstone seemed like a perfect fit in equipping me to think and practice law in a way that challenges the status quo.”
Before they begin their six-week internships, Leah and Sandra will spend two weeks attending lectures, seminars, and discussions designed to help law students develop a Biblical perspective of the law. The fellowships conclude with a one-week debrief.
This summer, two Regent Law students have the honor of serving as Blackstone Fellows, bringing the total number of Regent Law students who have been accepted into the program since it launched in 2000 to 100 students. Thirty-one students have been Blackstone Fellows in the last five years.
Sandra Alcaide (pictured) will work for the International Justice Mission in South Asia, and Leah Achor will serve Alliance Defending Freedom in Washington, D.C.Leah was first impacted by Alliance Defending Freedom as an undergraduate student at Geneva College, which had filed a lawsuit against the Health and Human Services Administration. The contraceptive mandate in the Affordable Care Act conflicted with the institution’s religious beliefs.
“I admired the ADF attorneys' passion for protecting my school's religious conscience and decided that I wanted to do the very same work,” Leah says. “The Blackstone Fellowship will put me steps closer to achieving that goal.”
Leah will spend her time researching and writing for ADF’s Marriage and Family section, which is dedicated to protecting the institution of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
Through Blackstone, Sandra received a six-week internship with IJM. She will review IJM advocates’ trip reports, create curriculum materials for training advocates in organizations that partner with IJM, research, and write briefs.
“After receiving an excellent but highly biased education as an undergraduate student at New York University, I was very interested in receiving training based on natural law principles, as well as practical experience that would allow me to make a difference in the current legal system,” Sandra explains. “I knew I wanted to practice the law in a way that honored God, and Blackstone seemed like a perfect fit in equipping me to think and practice law in a way that challenges the status quo.”
Before they begin their six-week internships, Leah and Sandra will spend two weeks attending lectures, seminars, and discussions designed to help law students develop a Biblical perspective of the law. The fellowships conclude with a one-week debrief.