Training an Alliance to Defend Religious Freedom

By 1994 — the year ADF was launched — the most threatening opponent, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), to religious freedom had already built an army of over 2,200 volunteer attorneys who were fighting for their radical secular agenda in courtrooms across America. Because people of faith were often not represented in these cases, Christians were rapidly losing their God-given, constitutionally protected freedoms by default.

So in 1997, with the goal of building a strong legal alliance of Christian attorneys to combat the ACLU and its allies, ADF launched the first ADF Legal Academy session (formerly known as National Litigation Academy) to train Christian attorneys in constitutional law. This one-of-a-kind program features continuing legal education conducted by some of the nation's top litigators and constitutional law experts, who are training our allied attorneys to make a lasting impact on Our First Liberty — religious freedom — in communities like yours all across America.

The Impact of the ADF Legal Academy

When Kevin Clarkson attended the first ADF Legal Academy in 1997, he had no idea that the training and knowledge he would gain that week would be used to defend marriage and the religious freedom of thousands of citizens across his state.

Immediately upon his return to Alaska following the training, Kevin was contacted by members of his state legislature to draft a constitutional amendment to defend the definition of marriage, following a court ruling in favor of same-sex "marriage." After facing a barrage of lawsuits from the opposition — who did not want the people to have a say in the matter — the amendment was successfully defended, placed on the ballot, and passed by a 2-to-1 margin!

Kevin’s Legal Academy training enabled him to make an immediate and lasting difference for religious freedom — a difference he otherwise may not have been able to make. And since his training 14 years ago, Kevin has reported more than 7,800 hours of pro-bono service to ADF and the Body of Christ!

"The ADF Legal Academy equipped me at just the right moment to be used by God to defend His values. So I just wanted to say thank you for your faithfulness and support of ADF. You are making a real difference for America!"
– 1997 ADF Legal Academy Graduate, Kevin Clarkson

An Incredible Return on Investment

Thanks to the faithful support of dedicated Christians like you, the ADF Legal Academy training is provided to the attorneys accepted into the program at no cost. In return, attorneys make a faith commitment to provide 450 hours of pro-bono legal work on behalf of the Body of Christ. In just 13 short years, ADF has trained more than 1,500 attorneys who have provided nearly $136 million in dedicated, pro-bono service in the legal battle to defend, protect, and affirm religious freedom, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family. In fact, for every dollar invested in the Legal Academy training program, it has returned more than $10 in value to the Body of Christ and the local community. This is simply an amazing return on investment!

Your prayerful support of the ADF Legal Academy is critical for the future of religious freedom. Without your sacrificial giving, the rights of thousands of Christians — like those in Alaska — may have gone unprotected. Your monthly donation of $35 or more will not only help train even more dedicated Christian attorneys like Kevin Clarkson, but also help fund our direct litigation efforts that will have a lasting impact on what tomorrow will look like in America.

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