Summer 2025 CGJ Recap

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What an incredible summer it has been at the Center for Global Justice. Regent Law was recently ranked #1 in the nation for human rights — and it's no wonder why. Eighteen Regent Law students recently returned from internships across the globe, where they confronted human rights abuses head-on. From advocating for survivors of human trafficking through our CGJ Clinic, to drafting asylum briefings in Washington, D.C., to supporting pro-life advocacy in Europe and fighting to protect persecuted Christians in closed countries, our students put their legal training to work in meaningful, transformative ways.

As we move into the fall semester, their commitment continues. Our student volunteers are conducting research to help prosecutors fight human sacrifice in Uganda, to thwart online child exploitation in the United States, and to defend religious freedom throughout Africa. Our Uganda Fellow, Alyssa Schiefer '25, is on the front lines in Uganda combating child sacrifice throughout the country. These projects reflect not only their dedication, but also the vision that you help make possible.

I want to thank you personally for your heart for the Center for Global Justice. Your prayers, encouragement, and support ensure that Christian advocacy for the world’s most vulnerable is not only possible, but excellent.

Meg Kelsey

Director

Center for Global Justice

Regent University School of Law

1000 Regent University Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23464

Clinic Update and Trainings

Human Trafficking Clinic

The Fall 2025 Human Trafficking Clinic is in full swing, with five new 3Ls joining this semester. Students are working to file vacatur and expungement petitions for trafficking survivors who now qualify for criminal record relief under the July 2025 expanded law.

Their work not only equips them with practical, trauma-responsive legal skills, but also brings hope and justice to those rebuilding their lives.

Specialty Docket Workshops

Since 2023, the Center for Global Justice has trained more than 150 legal professionals, including law enforcement officers, judges, public defenders, prosecutors, community members, and court personnel.

In partnership with Freekind, a local nonprofit, the CGJ provides specialized workshops for docket personnel, equipping them to recognize the intersection of substance abuse and mental illness among trafficking victims and to identify survivors already within their specialty courts.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CLINIC

Legislative Update

Thanks in part to the Center for Global Justice’s advocacy, Virginia’s Vacatur Law expanded on July 1, 2025 to provide criminal record relief for all human trafficking survivors. The law now covers more than 30 misdemeanor offenses as well as felony drug possession, greatly broadening the path to justice and restoration.

Professor Kelsey continues to serve as co-chair of the 2026 Workgroup in preparation for the upcoming General Assembly session. Our goal this year is to further expand the list of convictions eligible for vacatur, removing additional barriers to survivors’ reintegration and long-term stability.

This July also marked a powerful victory as another trafficking survivor’s Virginia criminal record was cleared—making her the fourth survivor in Virginia history to receive vacatur for crimes she was forced to commit as part of her exploitation.

Pictured: 3L Clinic student Anna Norris; CGJ Fellow Lauryn Eason; CGJ Director and Professor Meg Kelsey; Troutman Pepper Locke LLP Pro Bono Counsel, Sarah Bures Bennett.

ALYSSA SCHIEFER '25 IS COMBATTING CHILD SACRIFICE IN UGANDA

Alyssa Schiefer (’25) arrived in Uganda at the end of August and is thriving in her placement. She is living on campus at Uganda Christian University, one of Regent Law’s international partner schools, while also serving as legal counsel for Kyampisi Childcare Ministries (KCM) —a local organization dedicated to combating child sacrifice across the country.

She is working with KCM to compile child sacrifice cases in preparation for a special court session next spring. As of 2024, more than 120,000 human sacrifice cases remain pending, with an additional backlog of 60,000.

This week, Alyssa is in Northern Uganda with Uganda Christian University’s clinical program, mediating land disputes. Property issues create cultural opportunities for witch doctors to offer vulnerable widows a solution to their poverty-- often at a great cost. Through this work, she is gaining firsthand insight into the cultural and legal challenges many poor Ugandans face.

Please join us in prayer over Alyssa's mind and body as she employs earthly legal means to oppose some of the darkest spiritual elements that can be faced on this side of heaven.

World Changer Spotlight

MONICA ANELLI ('27)

"Throughout the summer, I was entrusted with meaningful work. I conducted research for cases involving federal litigation on behalf of women trafficked through Nevada brothels, navigated complex questions of international law under the Hague Convention, and drafted motions and portions of briefs in cases against alleged sex traffickers. I also contributed to policy analysis, evaluating bills moving through Congress to identify both their strengths and shortcomings in relation to protecting victims.

As I return to Regent Law for my 2L year, I carry with me not only sharper legal skills but also a deeper sense of conviction and purpose. This summer confirmed for me that this is the work I want to devote my career to, and it gave me a vision of what it looks like to pursue justice with integrity and compassion."

JILLISA GARY ('27)

"The most meaningful assignment for me was working alongside an international human rights attorney on an article about the suppression of freedom of expression in South Korea, specifically regarding restrictions on rendering aid to North Koreans. Our article, which will be submitted to multiple law journals and even to the United Nations, argues that such suppression violates international human rights law.

Through all of this, God was teaching me dependence on Him... He placed me with the right mentor, gave me projects with real-world implications, and reassured me that He is at work—even when I can’t always see the results."