Studying With the Attorney General

As I write this post I am sitting in room 112 and giving the final exam to students in Human Rights, Civil Liberties, and National Security. I had the honor of co-teaching the course with Distinguished Professor—and former United States Attorney General—John Ashcroft.

The course, as its name suggests, addressed how to promote freedom and protect national security during wartime. We discussed cases ranging from the Civil War to World War II to the War on Terror, with heavy emphasis on recent Supreme Court decisions on Guantanamo Bay detainees.

Great class (well, at least I thought so!). Though I have teamed with General Ashcroft before, I was struck again by two things:

1. General Ashcroft is a great teacher. He loves students and connects with them really well.
2. It is a really special thing in the middle of a class session parsing a Supreme Court decision to have General Ashcroft pipe in with: “Well, here’s why we made the decision to….” The firsthand perspective is invaluable!

A final exam is never fun. But when it is over, I know that the students who learned under General Ashcroft will agree that the class was a very special opportunity and a unique part of their Regent Law career.

The Regent DC Community

Recently, I spent some time with our graduates at the annual DC alumni reception. Readers of previous posts will know how much I enjoy spending time with our alumni. Truly one of the best parts of my job! And this evening did not disappoint. As always, the evening was filled with encouraging reports of men and women truly living out the calling to serve Christ and others as Christian lawyers.

I drove home with two strong impressions. One did not surprise me at all; the other did.

Unsurprising - Regent Law grads--and a lot of them--are doing important work throughout DC. They work in law firms, legislative chambers, and executive agencies. An unscientific survey just of business cards I picked up that evening (I am a devoted collector of alumni business cards!) shows Regent grads serve as counsel for the Senate Budget Committee, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, and individual congressmen. They specialize in immigration, patent, malpractice, and construction litigation matters. They are human rights lawyers.

Surprising - Regent Law grads in DC continue to gather together regularly in a vibrant social community. In a way this shouldn't be a surprise. One of the distinctives of our school is the strong sense of community. But DC is known for being a challenging place to live for young professionals--long hours, long commutes, and a highly competitive professional environment. But despite these pressures, I learned that Regent Law alumni gather regularly for food, fun, encouragement, and prayer. They truly support one another. It was just one more thing that convinces me that Regent Law grads will succeed as Christian leaders who will change the world.