Record number of Liberty Law students participate in prestigious Christian law fellowship

Six Liberty University School of Law students had the honor of participating in the Blackstone Legal Fellowship over the summer, where they received two weeks of classroom training from a Christian perspective before fulfilling internships then reconvening for five more days in the classroom. The selection of six students for the competitive fellowship is a record number for Liberty Law.

The Blackstone Legal Fellowship was developed by Alliance Defending Freedom, the world’s largest legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, the sanctity of life, parental rights, and God’s design for marriage and family. Around 200 top law students from around the country are selected to participate every year, and they each receive a scholarship.

The fellowship consists of three phases. The first phase is classroom instruction on legal philosophy, constitutional interpretation and jurisprudence, and Christian worldview development. In phase two, students complete a prestigious internship, including placements in government offices, law firms, public interest advocacy groups, and other corporations. Phase three is an additional week of classroom instruction focusing on professional development and training in legal and cultural engagement from world-class faculty and scholars.

Liberty 2L (second-year law student) Jaymee Wagner said the fellowship built on the foundations she learned as a 1L. She said much of the application process focused on the students’ biblical values, and her background at Liberty Law helped her stand out.

“At Liberty Law, we’re able to have faith-based conversations in our classes and flesh out some of our beliefs early on,” she said. “I think that helped us be more articulate on our applications, because we’d already had those conversations about how to integrate our faith with the practice of law.”

Wagner completed her internship at the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, where she was mentored by one of the trial attorneys and worked in the Actual Innocence & Special Investigations Section, assisting on several active cases and projects. As part of her internship, she also toured the Supreme Court of Virginia, the Virginia Governor’s Mansion, the Department of Forensic Science, and the Virginia Capitol.

“It was an honor to meet Attorney General (Jason) Miyares and to witness his passion for protecting and serving Virginians,” she said. “The entire (internship) was a gift from the Lord, and I am so thankful for it.”

2L Brendan Wells said Liberty Law’s Foundations of Law (LAW 501) course was particularly impactful in preparing him for the biblical worldview and philosophy conversations at the fellowship.

“(Before Liberty Law), I didn’t feel like I knew how to go extremely deep in a scholarly fashion about what I believe,” he said. “I knew Jesus as my Lord and Savior, but from an apologetic standpoint, that (Foundations) class helped prepare me and let me put my best foot forward in articulating my faith.”

Wells interned at Scheef & Stone in Frisco, Texas, assisting with litigation work, completing research, and attending trial sessions in court.

“I had lots of faith-based conversations with the associates and attorneys there, and it felt kind of like a home away from home. I loved it there,” he said.

Wells added that it was humbling to be around some of the top faculty in the world as well as other top law students from around the country.

“From a networking perspective, it was very neat to hear how many different careers there are and the impact that people are having and the levels at which they are having it,” he said. “Being connected with so many people who love the Lord from all over the country, it certainly opens up a network that complements what Liberty University has brought to us as well.”

2L Ava Standish interned in the nation’s capital in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia in the Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Unit. Blackstone helped make the connection and encouraged her to apply. Her hands-on experiences included assisting attorneys, writing opposition motions, helping with trial strategy, writing direct examinations, and observing motion hearings and jury trials.

“I am passionate about supporting victims and maintaining justice in the community, so this internship was an incredible experience,” she said. “Blackstone helped give me a biblical foundation for how to view the law and a career in the law. As I entered my internship, the solid truth of Scripture was my guiding post for the way I saw every assignment and issue.”

Standish said she will bring the ideas and knowledge she gained from Blackstone into the rest of her time at Liberty Law.

“It was an incredible experience, and I am so thankful to take the motivation, inspiration, and ideas deeply rooted in Scripture into my daily life as a law student. I am excited to take what I learned at Blackstone and begin a legal career that glorifies God above all as I walk forward in what He has called me.”

2L Nawel Noor worked for Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on the policy team, a rare opportunity made possible through a connection shared by the Blackstone Legal Fellowship.

“Not only did I sharpen my legal research and writing — I experienced their place within the overall mission of policy work: to tell the story behind the statute,” she said. “Working with Gov. Lee’s team to identify problems, brainstorm solutions, and include the network of impacted parties was a truly valuable way to spend my first summer in law school.”

The other two fellows from Liberty Law, 2Ls Ava Anderson and Randall Shirey, also completed prestigious internships. Anderson worked with Liberty Law Professor Tory Lucas on his “Seven Deadly Sins” scholarly article series, which focuses on attorney misconduct through the lens of Scripture, and Shirey worked with Judicial Watch in Washington, D.C., a conservative advocacy group.

The students said that even after the fellowship ended, the Blackstone staff continued reaching out to help connect them with future internships and job opportunities.