Regent Law News

  Regent University School of Law will host the 20 th  Annual Leroy R. Hassell Sr. National Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition in a virtual format on October 8-10, 2020. This annual competition is named in honor of the late former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, Leroy R. Hassell. During his distinguished career, the former chief justice championed constitutional rights and fought for justice for the Commonwealth’s citizens. He was a leader in equality, becoming the first African American Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court. He also served as a member of the Regent University School of Law Board of Visitors and as Distinguished Jurist-in-Residence. “Chief Justice Hassell was a close friend of Regent University School of Law,” said Mark Martin, dean of Regent Law and former chief justice of North Carolina. “A model of professionalism and excellence, Chief Justice Hassell regularly exhorted students to work hard, to do justice, and have faith to achieve thei

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Judge Jeffrey Sutton, J.D., addressed Regent University law students about the newly released book, The Essential Scalia: On the Constitution, the Courts, and the Rule of Law. Sutton, who serves as a senior lecturing fellow with Regent University School of Law, co-edited the book with Edward Whelan, president of the Ethics & Public Policy Center. Both men are distinguished former law clerks to the late Justice Scalia. The book is a collection of opinions, lectures, and articles by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Sutton discussed the transformative way Scalia interpreted law — an approach that accepts the Constitution as having no less or more meaning than what it meant to those who penned and signed it. “He was the foremost proponent of textualism and originalism in the last 100 years,” explained Sutton. “A central point of his career was to recover an approach to interpretation that the justices had all used for the first 150 years

A professor of law and a constitutional law fellow at Regent University School of Law are working together on an ongoing study of criminal justice issues to identify aspects of the criminal justice system that are most deserving of possible reform. The team has put forward several recommendations for further consideration, including pretrial detention reform, reassessing mandatory minimum sentencing, and ensuring that prisoners are adequately prepared to re-enter society as productive citizens. “Public safety should always be the paramount consideration when evaluating possible reforms to our criminal justice system,” said Mark Martin, former Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and dean of Regent Law. But, according to Martin, “since very few criminal defendants serve sentences of life in prison, we must also be concerned about equipping prisoners to function in society after their active sentences have been completed.” Professor James Duane, a Regent Law professor who ha

  VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (August 24, 2020) – Jay Sekulow, J.D., Ph.D., gave the keynote address at the   Regent University School of Law’s   opening ceremony for new students. Sekulow serves as Counsel to the 45th President of the United States, leading a team of lawyers representing the interests of the President in multiple venues. Sekulow is also a distinguished professor of law at Regent University School of Law and chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). The ACLJ is a premier national public interest law firm specializing in constitutional law and the defense of religious and civil liberties. Sekulow has argued several landmark cases before the United States Supreme Court, which have become part of the legal landscape in the area of religious liberty litigation. “Regent’s School of Law provides preeminent legal education by integrating real-world experience into its academic programs,” said Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño, executive vice president for Academic Affair

Author: Paul Allen, Associate Director of M.A. in Financial Planning & Law Depending on who you ask, there are somewhere between 4 and 7 steps in the process of  ‘problem solving’... identify, analyze, describe, etc . No matter how many steps you recognize in your problem solving process, the issue is never resolved unless there is implementation of a solution . I am Director of the CFP Board Registered Program at the Regent University School of Law. As I prepare to teach the Capstone Course in Financial Planning in the approaching summer semester, I am reminded there is a problem within the financial planning profession.  You probably won’t be surprised by the problem, but you might be surprised to discover we are implementing the solution to it at Regent University. The problem is the financial planning profession does not look like the rest of America. The United States is 76.6% white and 49.2% male. According to 2019 Bureau of Labor Statistics data , financial advisors in t

In September 2019, Regent University School of Law opened a satellite campus law clinic in downtown Norfolk, Virginia to provide pro bono legal aid to the Hampton Roads community. Since its inception, the clinic has served 1,000 households. Kathleen McKee, Clinic Director (Standing) “At Regent Law, we are humbled and honored to serve the Hampton Roads community by extending legal expertise to the underserved, completely free of charge,” said Regent University School of Law dean, Mark Martin. The mission of the Regent Law clinic is to serve low income households in the Hampton Roads community with free legal representation for civil matters. The clinic handles cases in the areas of consumer issues, domestic relations, landlord/tenant matters, government benefits, and guardianships. “The work of the law clinic is vitally important because, statistically, there is only one legal aid attorney for every 7,000-plus low-income persons in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said clinic d

The fundamental human right of parents to educate their children is under attack. Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Bartholet recently published an article that proposes to ban homeschooling with a few exceptions. She argues that the ban is necessary to protect children from abusive parents and fulfill children's "rights" to education and autonomy, among other things. In his new article, The Fundamental Right to Homeschool: A Historical Response to Professor Bartholet , Regent Law Center for Global Justice Director and Assistant Professor Ernie Walton explains that not only do Professor Bartholet's arguments directly contradict Supreme Court precedent, they also contradict the unambiguous historical record. Beginning in England and continuing in the colonies and founding generation stands an unbroken chain of the practice and recognition of the fundamental right and duty of parents to educate their children at home, and the Enlightened Academy cannot so easily di

Regent University School of Law is pleased to announce Bradley P. Jacob, J.D., as associate dean for online programs. In his new role, Jacob will oversee online programs including the Master of Arts in Law and the Master of Arts in Financial Planning and Law. “We are fortunate to have Professor Jacob at Regent Law,” said Regent University School of Law Dean Mark Martin. “Professor Jacob, in light of his demonstrated expertise in distance education, will enable Regent Law to continue its standing as one of the very best providers of online legal education in the nation.” The associate dean for online programs will be responsible for current and future distance-education programs in the Regent University School of Law. He will supervise overall curriculum structure and concentrations; oversee the creation of new courses and revision of existing courses as needed; hire and assign adjunct faculty; oversee, train, evaluate, and equip faculty; develop and communicate various academic

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (June 4, 2020) – Regent University mourns the tragic and wrongful death of George Floyd. We are heartbroken during this time, and we deplore every instance of racism, police brutality and evil acts of violence. We stand in support of all efforts of peaceful protest. We must emphasize forcefully that we are completely against rioting, looting, the wholesale destruction of private property and the taking of innocent lives. In John 11, Jesus wept when those around him were hurting. Our response is also to weep; we weep over the divisions in our nation and we are praying for restoration and healing. Together, we look to the LORD and His Word for guidance. The Book of 1 John is clear in its charge to love one another and to place all our hope in Jesus Christ: “7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifest

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (June 4, 2020) – Regent University School of Law is pleased to announce the opening of the Robertson Center for Constitutional Law. The Robertson Center for Constitutional Law will leverage the expertise of faculty, students, and its global network of alumni and legal experts to promote freedom of speech, separation of powers, and religious freedom. The center has already filed briefs in cases pending before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. “Regent University School of Law was established to train leaders to defend our Constitution and the principles upon which our nation was founded,” said Regent’s founder, chancellor & CEO, Dr. M. G. “Pat” Robertson. “The creation of this center is one more step toward fulfilling that mission.” Robertson expressed profound gratitude to the advisory board and Regent leadership for “the wonderful honor” of dedicating the center in his name. Leading the Robertson

Brad Jacob recently did an interview with CBN News on the constitutionality of contact tracing.  See it here: https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/newswatch?nid=583517. Brad Lingo and Mike Schietzelt with the Robertson Center for Constitutional Law have helped to publish an op-ed in today's National Review Online for clients (Sen. Coats and Rep. Weldon) in NY v. HHS, which links directly to the Center's Amicus Brief.  See it at https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/protecting-our-healers-courts-must-allow-the-federal-government-to-enforce-federal-law/.

Regent University School of Law is pleased to announce the highest employment percentage in the school’s history – landing at 95% for the class of 2019. This percentage is based on the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) 10-month employment calculation. Additionally, a record-breaking 24.6% of 2019 graduates secured judicial clerkships – the highest clerkship rate in Virginia. “Regent University School of Law is deeply committed to equipping lawyers to make a positive impact in the legal profession and in our society,” stated Regent Law Dean Mark Martin, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. “Achieving this employment rate is a huge win for our law school and, most importantly, our graduates.” Regent Law students receive extensive instruction in black-letter law and practical skills training under the leadership of prestigious faculty members. The rigorous academic program is uniquely integrated with a Christ-centered mission and commitment to fir

Regent University law school alumnus Sharla Mylar serves as the Special Assistant Attorney General in Alaska Department of Law. - Image courtesy, Sharla Mylar. Lost in in the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela as a 19-year-old exchange student, Sharla Mylar (SOL ’18) told God this was his second chance. His chance to speak to her. With little knowledge of the language, no memory of her local address, and an unreliable sense of direction, she couldn’t find her way home. “Isn’t this what You do? Find lost people,” she prayed. Lost Mylar was, and not just geographically. A few days earlier, her faith had taken a hit when she heard the extremely negative impression fellow students had of Christians. She had asked God to speak to her so that she could believe in Him. He chose that day to speak. A “God-thought” came to Mylar to “turn left,” and then another thought and another, guiding her from street to street, till she found her way home. “Re-meeting Jesus” that day was a tur

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (May 9, 2020) – On Saturday, May 9, 2020, Regent University conferred nearly 2,300 undergraduate and graduate degrees — the largest graduating class in the school’s history. Graduates rallied together online with family and friends from all over the world to watch Commencement live. Over 50,000 viewers on the Regent University website and Facebook page joined the Commencement ceremony.  Access the Regent University Commencement 2020 video recording here. Like many graduations across the country, Regent University’s commencement and school-specific commissioning ceremonies were moved to an online format due to the COVID-19 public health crisis. However, that did not stop the Regent community from celebrating its 40th Commencement ceremony. A crescendo of excitement could be felt in the atmosphere as a flurry of social media posts ushered in Regent’s Commencement Ceremony: “Bragging on all [social media] platforms. You see it: 23 with 2 degrees! Thank you,

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (April 30, 2020) – Regent University will open the Virginia Beach campus for face-to-face classes beginning on August 24, 2020.  “We are excited to welcome students back to campus for the fall semester,” said Dr. M. G. “Pat” Robertson, founder, chancellor & CEO of Regent University. “We will overcome these challenging days together as the Regent family. Every necessary precaution will be put in place to ensure the safest educational experience is available to the students we serve.” Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Regent’s on-campus students transitioned to online courses to complete the spring 2020 semester.  “Regent is ready to continue offering a world-class education to all of our students – on campus and online – amidst the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our plans will ensure that students, faculty, and staff have access to the resources they need to stay fully engaged, safely and with confidence,” said Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño, executive v

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (April 22, 2020) – To help students financially amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Regent University will freeze tuition for all classes offered in Fall 2020 through Summer 2021, both online and on-campus. “In this current climate of uncertainty, we understand the financial struggles many students and their families face,” said Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño, executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “This tuition freeze reflects Regent’s commitment to helping students achieve their educational goals. Now is the time for students to focus on their futures.” Students who enroll in Regent’s online or on-campus degree programs for the 2020-2021 academic year will enjoy the same tuition rates as the 2019-2020 academic year.  “In order to support academic enhancements, it’s not uncommon for colleges to increase tuition rates,” said Steve Bruce, vice president for Business Administration. “Although Regent officials had initially planned a modest tuition increase

Despite the cold weather at the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, New York, students in Regent University School of Law’s (LAW) moot court kept the competition stoked at the 2019 Herbert Wechsler Criminal Moot Court Competition last month. Out of the 36 teams from across the country that competed in the competition, Regent LAW’s team — Nathan Hernandez ’20 (R)  and Joshua Barbosa ’20 (L)  — claimed victory in the final round of the competition. “The final round was probably the most exhilarating experience I have had during my time at Regent Law,” said Hernandez. He received the Best Advocate Award for his strong performance. “Although winning the competition was the destination and the “cherry on top” so to speak, it was the competition as a whole and the journey in preparing for it that was the most worthwhile aspect of the experience,” he added. “Being able to compete for Regent has been a privilege and an honor.” “The high standard set for oralists in Regent’s moo

Recently,  Regent University School of Law was included on The Princeton Review’s “Best Law Schools 2020” listing. Specifically, Regent Law was ranked in the Top 5 in the Nation for Professors Interesting (Teaching), taking fifth position; in the Top 10 in the Nation for Professors’ Accessibility, tied for seventh, and Top 35 in the Nation for Academic Experience (listed 33rd). The Princeton Review compiles its rankings based upon surveys completed by students and administrators. “We are incredibly proud to be recognized by The Princeton Review. These rankings speak to the incredible work of our dedicated faculty in the School of Law, and it signifies the promise we give to our prospective students – you will learn from true scholars who are here to help you succeed and prepare for a life practicing law,” said School of Law Dean Mark Martin , former Supreme Court Chief Justice of North Carolina.

On Saturday, February 15, Regent Law Admissions partnered with our Black Law Students Association to host a Pre-Law Day event entitled, "The State of the Black Law Student in America.” The event was designed for minority high school and undergraduate students from along the East Coast to learn about the importance of increasing diversity in legal education and the profession, the law school experience, the application process, and to network with legal professionals. Esé Ighedosa , Associate Counsel for the Carolina Panthers, opened the event with a keynote address discussing the State of the Black Law Student in America. Several local attorneys, including Regent alum, were eager to participate in the “Legal Speed Networking” segment. Students interacted one-on-one with attorneys and learned about attorneys’ time in law school and their transition into their legal careers. Later in the day students were also able to hear from The Honorable Tanya Bullock , presi