Christian Legal Group Hits $100 Million Mark in Pro Bono Work

By Jennifer Riley, Christian Post Reporter Friday, October 16, 2009

A Christian legal group this week announced it has donated more than $100 million worth of pro bono ligation work towards defending religious liberty in the United States and elsewhere.

Launched in 1994, Alliance Defense Fund recorded more than half a million hours of legal work without compensation which added up to over $100 million. The group has over 1,300 Christian attorneys.

"We are truly grateful for the generous and selfless service provided by our dedicated allied attorneys in the battle to protect and win back our religious liberty both home and abroad," said ADF Senior Counsel Glen Lavy, who is also vice-president of alliance coordination and funding.

The alliance usually takes on cases related to religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and marriage and the family. It was launched by the late Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ; James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family; the late D. James Kennedy, founder of Coral Ridge Ministries; the late Larry Burkett, founder of Crown Financial Ministries; and other Christian leaders and organizations.

"In just 15 years, ADF-allied attorneys have helped stem the receding tide of religious liberty within and beyond America's borders," said Lavy. "Opposing legal organizations that have made a habit of undermining these freedoms are now having a more difficult time combating the resurging wave of constitutional rights being reclaimed through the selfless actions of these highly skilled volunteer lawyers."

Last month, ADF announced it received a $9.2 million grant to defend religious speech and expression at universities and colleges. An undisclosed family had matched funds raised by ADF, resulting in a combined total of nearly $20 million going towards ADF's University Project.

The legal Christian group highlights that in over 40 cases brought against public universities, it has never failed to gain policy changes or other positive results for students and professors.