By Anne Darby Keating
Working with the Center of Global Justice during my time at Regent University School of Law has been such a blessing personally and professionally. I started as a staff member in the spring of my 1L year. Now, in the fall of my 3L year, as I look back over the past (almost) two years, I am amazed at the goodness the Lord has bestowed on my life through the Center.
Through my work with the Center, I have learned more about non-profit organizations nationally and internationally. Working with different non-profit organizations each semester has deepened my understanding of the work non-profits are able to accomplish. I have also been able to observe the incredible amount of behind-the-scenes work and research required to produce reports to non-profit organizations. “Legal research” is a broad term—but the amount of support that nonprofits request from the Center shows just how important this research is.
Over my time with the Center, many of the projects I have worked on were for domestic non-profits. This was ideal for me because my future professional goal is to work in local foster care. Foster children are at an increased risk of being trafficked because of their vulnerability. Researching alongside these organizations allows me to understand some of the issues that Christian non-profits are facing in the United States, while helping children who are trafficked or sexually abused.
The Center has also allowed me to research for international nonprofit organizations, which has expanded my horizons. Writing a report on religious freedom in Afghanistan that ADF used in its report to the UN Counsel is something I never anticipated that I would do in law school. The Center has shown me how the work we do as individuals can have an impact on a global scale.
Personally, the Center has given me deeper friendships and connections with classmates and professors, as well as speakers at our monthly events. The Center allows me to work with classmates that I would not normally run into day-to-day, and deepen friendships with those I already know. The most special part of my work at the Center is that it grounds me each week. It allows me to remember why I am in law school—to make an impact for Christ in the little world around me. In the spring, during my last semester here, I am taking a class on tax-exempt organizations (non-profits). Through this course and my work with the Center, I hope to prepare myself—personally and professionally—to partner alongside nonprofit organizations throughout my legal career.
This post was written by a student at Regent University School of Law. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.