The foundations of American jurisprudence have slowly begun to crumble. A new generation is necessary to protect what we have; reclaim what has been lost; and determine what the future will be. The Alliance Defense Fund started the Blackstone Legal Fellowship for this very reason – to protect the freedoms our forefathers intended. Named in honor of Sir William Blackstone, the noted English law professor, the Blackstone Legal Fellowship is a leadership development program designed to provide a rigorous nine-week summer legal internship.
Our goal is to train law students who will rise to positions of influence and leadership as legal scholars, litigators, policy makers and judges. Ideas may have consequences, but people change cultures. For that reason, the Blackstone Legal Fellowship seeks to identify and train leaders who passionately demonstrate truth – who embrace the right things at the right time with the right attitudes.
The Fellowship addresses some of the challenging cultural and legal issues facing the Christian lawyer in the new millennium. Through a principled and analytical framework, students receive highly specialized, in-depth training, and hands–on work experience in:
- Natural law principles: the foundation of law on which our country was established
- Practical, real world experience in bringing crucial change to the current legal system
- Sound, reasoned defense of religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage and the family
This unique program began in 2000 with 24 high caliber students and has grown to an anticipated 110 students in 2010. We have worked with over 160 domestic and international allies and allied organizations. The Blackstone Legal Fellowship is a new generation of men and women of Christian conviction, passion and intelligence being trained to restore freedom and bring about change in our culture.
