Understanding Christian Legal Services
Christian Legal Services (“CLS”) provides legal counsel and support for individuals and entities that have been excluded or marginalized from society, in many cases, due to their own conduct and decisions. This notion of Christian legal services is tied to the mission of Christ in the New Testament of the Holy Bible, and to the work of His ministry while on earth.
The United Nations’ Inter-Agency Working Group for Legal Pluralism acknowledges that, in addition to customary law and statutory law, there are many other legal orders, and advocates for an understanding of law as a “system of beliefs, practices and values” (UNIGWP) both within and beyond the traditional Western lens of legal theory and analysis. CLS therefore takes a multi-faceted approach to legal representation and legal support, broadly defined.
This multi-faceted approach includes an interdisciplinary, breadth of understanding and practice of law, both domestically and internationally. For instance, a Christian attorney based in Guatemala works with commercial cases, customs, immigration, labor, and tax, the record of which stated that “The above list… is a representative sampling of other Client matters that CRIS assists with, rather than an exhaustive listing or description of the full range of CRIS services.”
The roots of this model of legal service, and of the Christian Legal Society, is likely the establishment of the first CLS in 1966 by Professor John W. Whitehead (UNIGWP). This was the very first re-established chapter of that initially formed in 1958 at Harvard Law School, with law students at the University of Chicago. Professor Whitehead’s desire to ensure that Christian students at the University of Chicago felt comfortable discussing issues of faith and practice of law, and more generally that “the core purpose of the Christian Legal Society is sharing Christ with others, including those within the legal profession.” (CLS website)
The same ideals as espoused by Professor Whitehead and the WS are shared by the current President, Lisa Schilling, J.D., at the CLS of Indianapolis, “The metropolitan chapter of the nation’s largest network of Christian attorneys and judges, ensuring that the faith and practice of law go hand-in-hand. With attorney-led panels, engaging events and numerous community service projects, we are committed to helping attorneys and judges practice their profession with integrity.”
In furtherance of this premise of the development of a community of faith, the Indiana Christian Legal Society (www.christianlawyerminingapollis.org) explains that it understands that “solicitude for others’ rights is connected with a religious virtue called philanthropy: love for God and others.” (WM) As such, this collective insights, conduct, and examples from CL lawyers, network of mentors and mentees, and the pro bono work done together for the upcoming generations, contribute to more than simply a legal profession, developing a sense of renewed academic and professional purpose. Professor Whitehead explained this in his philosophy of law, legal study, and application, “My professional convictions… have come to be expressed in the concepts of the ‘Law of God’ and the ‘Law of Man’, and their relationship to one another. The ‘Law of God’ is an expression of God’s moral order as it has been revealed and communicated to man. The ‘Law of Man’ is man’s legal order, as it is sanctioned and governed by human agencies.” (WM)
In so doing, this reinforces teachings of Christ and the Holy Bible in the development of a community of faith, socially and legally, so to speak. The ideas espoused by readily available data, from the sources used by UNIGWP and their allied organizations, (i.e., Tubbs and Dunn), is that there has yet to be a substantial body of research regarding the relationship between law and pedagogy, let alone through a Christian worldview. However, by using the Christian Legal Society model as an example of a legal representation model that converges and converged many disciplines, with faith and public service, this may be a starting point for further academic study. According to the in depth guide on comprehensive Christian legal services in Indianapolis, this model serves as a vital resource for those in need.