In partnership with the John Templeton Foundation, we launched as a pilot project in 2012 the nation’s only full-time law-school clinic for religious liberty, and at one of the world’s top universities. Stanford Law School’s Religious Liberty Clinic has since become part of the school’s established curriculum and one of its most popular offerings.
Stanford’s program of clinical legal education is among the nation’s best, and takes a cutting-edge approach: full-time participation in an academic quarter with a dedicated faculty director. For the Religious Liberty Clinic, that means engaged cultivation of future lawyers and leaders in and through that vital subject, needed help to clients facing barriers in exercising their faith, and a high-profile witness to universal religious liberty - a combination as timeless as it is timely in a fast-changing world.
The Clinic is thriving, with student applications consistently outpacing available spots by a factor of three or more. It enjoys active support from the university and leaders in the field, has been featured in national media, and has inspired the exploration of related projects at other schools. In the process, the Clinic has taken its place in elite academic and professional circles, with a unique perspective of great importance to robust individual liberty. And its graduates are already making their mark at top firms and in judicial clerkships, including at the Supreme Court of the United States.
We look forward to continuing our cherished partnership with the John Templeton Foundation over the next three years (and hopefully beyond), to both secure the remarkable foundation we have built and expand its reach - to future students and clients, as well as the wider academic, legal, and faith communities, in accordance with our shared vision and goals and the pressing need for what we have to offer.
