February 17, 2009Twelve years ago, the Alliance Defense Fund first began sowing its vision for a nationwide alliance of trained Christian attorneys in the hearts and minds of the gifted lawyers who comprised the first session of our still one-of-a-kind National Litigation Academy.
And while the seeds we sowed then have long since begun to bear fruit, now we are beginning to see some truly bountiful harvests, as the dream we've nurtured with your generous support becomes an increasingly tangible reality.
This summer, for instance, during our 32nd NLA session, ADF will honor Kevin Clarkson, an Alaska lawyer who has contributed a record 7,267
pro bono hours – the equivalent of three-and-a-half years of full-time legal work – to the Body of Christ.
That's nearly $1.5 million worth of professional service contributed
free of charge! He's far from the only one sharing that kind of incredible generosity with our clients. Last month
alone, ADF-allied attorneys reported 12,551 pro bono hours,
bringing the total financial return on training NLA lawyers to nearly $91.5 million. By the end of this fiscal year, that number could easily reach $100 million worth of free legal service to Christians all over the country.
Of course, the ultimate measure of this NLA success is not money, but the top-quality legal representation made available to courageous Christians who without it could not have made their often lonely stands against the legal persecutions of groups like the American Civil Liberties Union. Every day, in hundreds of cases and legal matters across the country, our NLA-trained attorneys contribute their personal expertise and experience free of charge to defending those who support religious liberty, marriage and the family, and the sanctity of life from birth to natural death.
In return, your gifts enable ADF to supply these lawyers with crucial training, outstanding legal resources, and financial support to cover the costs of this vital litigation that is shaping what tomorrow will look like in America for your children and grandchildren.
Please be in prayer for these dedicated Christian lawyers – giving thanks for their personal commitment and sacrifice and asking God to continue to swell their ranks into a legal army trained and ready to take on every assault against our nation's First Freedom. Thank you for your faithful gifts to help underwrite our National Litigation Academy, and may this program in which you and so many other Ministry Friends have invested continue to bear rich and eternal fruit for the Kingdom.