Liberty Law alumni testify to the value of a Christian legal education during 20th anniversary symposium

Liberty University School of Law celebrated its 20^th anniversary over Founder’s Day Weekend, Aug. 30-31, welcoming alumni back to campus for a special time of thanking God for His faithfulness in raising up Champions for Christ in the legal field.

A highlight of the weekend was the school’s special symposium titled “The Vision and Importance of Liberty Law and Christian Legal Education,” where alumni and faculty discussed the many ways Liberty Law has impacted lives all around the nation.

Professor Scott Thompson opened the symposium, held in Liberty’s Supreme Courtroom, and welcomed alumni, students, and guests.

“Twenty years ago, this room did not exist, but on Aug. 3, 2004, we opened the door of this building to 60 pioneering law students — some of whom are here with us today — who came to an unaccredited law school to pursue their dreams and callings.”

Liberty Law received provisional approval in 2006, and full accreditation was granted by the American Bar Association (ABA) in 2010.

Interim Dean Timothy Todd then introduced the theme of the symposium, emphasizing Liberty founder Dr. Jerry Falwell’s vision for Liberty Law and the importance of Christian legal education in the years to come, and was followed by Chancellor Jonathan Falwell, who spoke about his father’s legacy and dreams.

“When my dad had a vision and heart to start this place, he had this in mind: there was going to come a day when he wanted to raise up thousands of attorneys who would be in multiple places all across the country, who might just be the last line of protection for a country that, for today, has the statement ‘one nation under God’ that we hold dear,” Falwell said. “My dad didn’t start a law school so he could send out a lot of lawyers to get rich. He started this school so that you would be able to go out and stand in the trenches and stand in the gap in ways that many others could not because of your training … to stand up for truth, be able to trumpet that at the highest levels, and protect the America we grew up in, what’s in the past, and what’s in the future.”

Multiple alumni spoke about their experiences at Liberty Law and how it has impacted their careers, including Brandon (’08) and Kelly (’07) Osterbind, attorneys and co-founders of Osterbind Law, who met while at Liberty Law. Jesus Reyes (’15), founder of the Law Office of Jesus Reyes, shared his testimony of immigrating with his family from Venezuela, ending up in a prison facility after his immigration petition was denied, and how God freed him through the work of a young attorney who represented him at no cost. This led him to pursue becoming an immigration attorney himself, and he chose Liberty Law because of the Christian foundation.

“(Liberty Law) has been one of the best experiences in my life,” Reyes said. “It was the skills and the knowledge that I learned at Liberty Law that have allowed me to represent hundreds of people in the United States and abroad. Be a Champion for Christ for your community, be a Champion for Christ for your family, be a Champion for Christ for your country, and let’s be a Champion for Christ for this world.”

Dominique Dove (’15) shared how she came from a background of abuse and homelessness but was given an opportunity to rise when she received a scholarship to attend Liberty Law. She will be sworn before the United States Supreme Court in two months as a government appellate attorney in the Army Jag Corps, and she has been recognized by the ABA Young Lawyers Division as an “On the Rise – Top 40 Young Lawyers” honoree.

Founding Academic Dean Jeffrey Tuomala gave a history of Christian legal education and why a Christian worldview is important in the legal field.

“We knew in setting up a school we needed to have the correct worldview. One of the criticisms of a Christian university or law school basing their view on Scripture would be ‘that’s irrational.’ I would suggest that only from Christianity is there a rational basis for the law,” Tuomala said. “All things were created through Christ. He holds all things together; He is the Word incarnate revealed to us. …I think our unfinished business for Christian legal education, not just at Liberty, is developing (the Christian) worldview totally and thoroughly and being able to take on the world.”

Jonathan Alexandre (’14), who sang the national anthem at Liberty’s Convocation earlier that day, was the last alumnus to speak. Alexandre is an attorney, vice president, and senior counsel for governmental affairs at Liberty Counsel. He exhorted his colleagues and current students to continue being faithful to God.

“It has truly been an incredible decade of hard work (and) faithfulness, but all that was birthed right here in this building with so many of you. All of our stories, from the first class to the most recent graduating class, launched from this very building, this very room, demonstrating God’s faithfulness on this mountain but taking it to the ends of the earth,” Alexandre said. “Whatever office you are in, whatever task you are doing, whatever area of law you are practicing, there is no more important time than now to continue the fight God has for you, to share His truth without compromise, and to share His truth with conviction, to share it with a world that needs to hear it the most, a world that’s counting on you tell them.”

He closed the symposium by leading the audience in singing the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”

Founder’s Day Weekend also included a special Convocation on Friday that recognized Liberty Law’s accomplishments and history and featured guest speaker and Liberty alumna Shannon Bream, anchor of “FOX News Sunday” and a former attorney. A Founder’s Day Dinner for alumni was held later that evening. The celebration continued Saturday with an open house and tailgate before the Flames Football game.

Since its founding in 2004, Liberty Law has trained over 1,200 professionals to enter their fields practice-ready with a biblical foundation. Graduates are serving in many areas such as private practice, government service, and in business and corporate settings. Alumni are working as prosecutors, public defenders, judges, and in elected office. Today, the law school enrolls over 275 students studying in 12 areas of study.

For more information, visit Liberty.edu/law.