Workshop Speakers 

Paul Baertschi has been handling criminal defense cases for over 20 years and has tried criminal vehicular operation, DWI, assault, criminal sexual conduct cases in district court and appeals. He has experience as a prosecutor as well, earlier in his career handling felonies and more recently misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor prosecutions. Mr. Baertschi is the past President of the Minnesota CLS Chapter and the chief founder and current board member of Twin Cities Christian Legal Aid. He receives a large number of criminal defense referrals from the Christian community. 

Richard C. Baker works at Mauck & Baker – a firm that desires “to serve the Lord and his people” and that spurs one another on to do God’s work. The majority of his clients are churches and religious ministries which could be crippled or closed without guidance on tax disputes, zoning challenges, or church splits. Six generations of lawyers in his family have impressed Mr. Baker with an understanding of the practice of law as an honorable profession and the importance of integrity. He has served on a number of boards, is active in missions, and enjoys teaching others about various legal and religious topics. He earned a B.A., cum laude, from Wheaton College and a J.D. from Loyola Law School. He and his wife, Mary, have six children. 

The Honorable Bobby R. Baldock was appointed U.S. Circuit Judge for the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1985. He graduated from New Mexico Military Institute and received his J.D. from the University of Arizona. After admission to the bar, Judge Baldock worked as an associate and partner at Sanders, Bruin & Baldock; an Adjunct Professor at Eastern New Mexico University, Roswell Campus; and as U.S. District Judge for the District of New Mexico. He is a member of the Chaves County Bar Association and Phi Alpha Delta. He has been a member of the Oversight Committee for the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, and past Chairman of the Judicial Conference of the U.S. Committee on Financial Disclosure. He is married and has two children.

Sanjeev Bhasker has been an attorney for almost seven years and a criminal prosecutor for six years in the Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office in Cleveland, Ohio. He has tried over 70 criminal felony trials and made over 30 appellate arguments, inclusive of capital murder, rape, white collar crime, drugs, and organized gang activity. In addition, Mr. Bhasker assists the Department of Justice with the training of prosecutors in Mexico. He is licensed to practice in Ohio, Florida, and Illinois. He is fluent in Spanish and Hindi and is also an NCAA Football Official. 

Byron Borger, along with his wife, Beth, own and operate Hearts & Minds bookstore n Dallastown, PA, which they have run for 29 years. Before opening their independent bookstore, they worked in campus ministry for the Coalition for Christian Outreach in Pittsburgh, PA. They are active in a Presbyterian Church in York, PA and have three children, ages 29, 24, and 18. Byron enjoys being involved in conversations about how the Christian faith influences public life, hearing how people relate their faith to their work, citizenship and leisure. He blogs regularly about books at: www.heartsandmindsbooks.com/booknotes. 

Delia Bouwers Bianchin is the General Counsel for Penn United Technologies, Inc., an international precision metal manufacturing company based in Cabot, PA. Prior to joining Penn United six years ago, she practiced complex commercial litigation for ten years with Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC and Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, LLP, where she garnered experience in a wide range of federal and state courts. Ms. Bianchin is active in community and civic affairs, currently serving on the Board of CLS, Bethany Christian Services, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law Alumni Association, and as Chapter President for the Western PA chapter of CLS. She was one of the founding board members of Christian Legal Aid of Pittsburgh, Inc., which offers pro bono legal services to the poor and needy in the Pittsburgh area. Ms. Bianchin graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in May of 1997, where she served as the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Law and Commerce in 1996-97 and the Research Editor for the University of Pittsburgh Law Review in 1996-97. She received her B.A. in English from Calvin College in 1990. She lives in Butler, PA with her husband, Robert, and their two children, Julia and Simon.

Roger G. Brooks is a partner in the Litigation Department of Cravath. His practice covers a wide range of courtroom litigation for technologically intensive companies, including disputes concerning trade secrets, standards-driven technology licensing, patents and software copyright, as well as antitrust and general corporate litigation. He also advises clients concerning the interactions between open source software and proprietary intellectual property. Mr. Brooks is currently lead counsel for the world’s preeminent cellular technology development and licensing company, Qualcomm Inc., in defending against patent and antitrust claims. He has been recognized by Chambers USA, The Legal 500, and Benchmark Litigation for his skills as a practitioner.  

Scott M. Browning has represented a broad array of business and non-profit entities, including ESPN, Honeywell, Johns Manville, ECMC, Heitman Capital Management, and Tri-State as well as archdioceses and dioceses around the country. He has obtained successful verdicts and judgments against such large corporate entities as Shepards/McGraw Hill, Target, Bankers Life and one of Vail's largest wholly-owned subsidiaries. Mr. Browning is presently serving as lead trial counsel to the Archdiocese of Denver and lead outside legal counsel to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. He has tried many state and federal court cases and has established important precedent through a number of well-known Tenth Circuit and state court appellate opinions.

John C. Buckley III is a US Air Force Academy graduate who flew fighters and taught political science at the Academy after receiving his master’s degree in management from Webster University. He left active duty after ten years and worked his way through Harvard Law School as a management consultant. After graduation, he practiced law for a large law firm in Michigan before establishing his own practice in Saudi Arabia. A major focus of his firm, now based in Colorado, is to enable clients to protect their estates and businesses through the use of sophisticated legal structures. Mr. Buckley is an active Rotarian and a founding member of WealthCounsel LLC. He and his wife, Melinda, were high school classmates; they have six children between them.  

Ann Buwalda founded Just Law International, PC – an experienced immigration law firm dealing primarily with US business visas, religious worker visas, family-based petitions, and asylum and refugee cases. She has served as adjunct professor teaching Immigration Law and International Religious Freedom Law at Regent University; she has also taught Refugee and Human Rights Law at Handong International Law School in Korea. In addition, Ms. Buwalda directs Jubilee Campaign USA, focusing on international religious freedom and other human rights issues. She has an honorary Ph.D. from the United Theological Seminary; two M.A. degrees and one J.D. from Regent University; and a B.A. from Liberty University.

Susan D. Campbell serves as Counsel for the firm Bryan Cave and represents a wide range of nonprofit and for-profit organizations, including charitable, conservation, health-related, and religious organizations. Ms. Campbell has substantial experience on employment law issues, including the defense and prosecution of wrongful discharge and employment discrimination cases. She frequently assists clients with the preparation and review of personnel policy manuals, litigation avoidance strategies, wage and hour issues, employee hiring and termination, workers’ compensation and unemployment compensation problems. Ms. Campbell also works with nonprofit organizations on intellectual property issues. 

Frederick (Rick) W. Claybrook is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Crowell & Moring, LLP. He graduated cum laude from Wheaton College (Illinois) in 1973 and with honors from Duke University School of Law in 1976. He was a member of the editorial board of the Duke Law Journal, in which he published two articles. Following his graduation from law school, he clerked for the Honorable Gerald Bard Tjoflat of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Mr. Claybrook has litigated widely in the federal and state courts, has practiced extensively in the government contract area, and has published a number of works. He is a member of the ABA and its Public Contract Law and Litigation Sections, and he is on the national board of CLS

Kimberlee Wood Colby has worked for the Center for Law and Religious Freedom since graduating from Harvard Law School in 1981. She has represented religious groups in numerous appellate cases, including two cases heard by the US Supreme Court, and has filed numerous amicus briefs in federal and state courts. She also assisted in the congressional passage of the Equal Access Act. An acknowledged expert on religious issues in public schools, she has prepared several CLS publications, including Religious Released Time, A Guide to the Equal Access Act, and Teachers & Religion in Public Schools. She is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Illinois where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. She is married and has two sons. 

John L. Cooley is partner and firm president at CooleySublett PLC where he practices causality insurance defense, constitutional and First Amendment law, employment law, private education law, and products liability. He has written various articles on employment and related issues for nonprofits and religious oriented organizations; has presented at the Association of Christian Schools International Regional Meetings on a range of topics; and is a member of a number of professional associations. Mr. Cooley was selected as “One of 50 Outstanding Alumni” at Tennessee Temple University where he graduated with a B.A., magna cum laude. In addition to earning his J.D., cum laude, he also holds a M.R.E, magna cum laude, and a Ph.D.

Steven A. Denny is the founder of the Law Office of Steven A. Denny, P.C. and CivilAgreement Mediation Services, Inc., in downtown Chicago. As an attorney he specializes in plaintiff's trial litigation for victims of medical negligence, personal injury, childhood sexual abuse, and legal malpractice. As a mediator he focuses on dispute cases involving divorce/child custody, church/clergy, inheritance, small business, Christian colleges, mission boards/missionaries, and non-profit organizations. Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Denny was an Ombudsman for a large Chicago hospital for six years, taught Biblical Greek at Lincoln Christian College for four years, and pastored a church in Indiana for ten years. He is a member of various ADR organizations, has a Masters Degree in Ancient History, another in Old Testament, the J.D., and completed all course work for the Ph.D. at the University of Chicago in Semitic Philology (dissertation pending). 

Bruce M. DiCicco is an attorney-at-law in Manhattan where he concentrates his practice in Estate Planning and Trust and Estate administration. He holds an LL.M. in federal taxation. He has published a number of articles in the area of Trusts and Estates, including, among others, “Control of the FLP: Is the Client a Safe Choice?” (Dec. 2010: Estate Planning Magazine); “Limitations Period Extended for Actions Involving Estate Planning Documents” (Nov. 2009: New York Law Journal); “Priority of Creditor Claims against Estates” (Fall 2006: Trusts and Estates Law Section Newsletter, NYSBA); and “New York Trust Doctrine of Equitable Deviation and Supplemental Needs Trusts” (Oct. 2005: New York Law Journal, Trust and Estate Section).

Eugene H. Fahrenkrong is a founding partner of Walther/Glenn Law Associates in Clayton, Missouri, where he has practiced in the area of medical negligence litigation since 1990. Prior to joining his current firm, he was in Private Practice for 13 years in St. Louis City, Missouri, representing plaintiffs in personal injury litigation. Mr. Fahrenkrong has also served as an Associate Attorney for James F. Koester and Associates and as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. He has served as the President of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, the St. Louis County Productive Living Board, and CLS. He has been married to Linda for almost 38 years; they have three grown children.

Reginald Finger, MD, MPH received the Doctor of Medicine degree in 1981 and a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology in 1983 from the University of Washington in Seattle. For much of his career, Dr. Finger has worked in disease prevention and health promotion in state and local health departments. Since August 2006 Dr. Finger has lectured and researched for the National Embryo Donation Center, headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, the nation’s only national, non-profit, clinic-based embryo adoption agency – founded with the assistance of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations (CMDA). Dr. Finger has been a CMDA member since 2004. He has found embryo adoption to be an excellent issue to illustrate pro-life bioethical principles, and in addition to discussing the issue in medical settings, has used this opportunity to travel to and minister on Christian college campuses as well.

Judge David Furman serves at the Colorado Court of Appeals. During his career, he has worked as a Magistrate in both the Denver District Court and the Denver Juvenile Court, and as an attorney in both private practice and the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office. Judge Furman has taught at Colorado Christian University and Denver University Graduate School of Social Work. Judge Furman has worked diligently to bring attention to legal issues involving children. Among other things, he proposed the creation of the Office of the Child’s Representative for the training and oversight of attorneys representing children in abuse, neglect, and family law cases. He is married to Liz, and they have three sons. 

 U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Hegarty graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Kansas State University in 1982 and, after a year of study in Germany, attended the University of Kansas School of Law, where he served as Technical Editor of the Law Review and graduated Order of the Coif in 1986. He clerked two years for the Hon. Dale Saffels, U.S. District Judge in Kansas, and then worked four years as an associate attorney at Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C. and Denver. He became an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Denver in 1992, remaining there 14 years and eventually becoming Chief of the Civil Division for the last three years. He took the bench in 2006. He is active in his church and community where he and his wife raise and home school their eleven children.

Steffen Johnson is a litigation partner in Winston & Strawn LLP’s Washington, D.C. office, and is a founding member of the firm’s nationwide appellate practice. He has served as counsel in dozens of cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Johnson served in the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice. He has been listed several times in The Best Lawyers in America and in 2009 was named to the Legal Times’ and National Law Journal’s prestigious “40 Under 40’ Washington’s Rising Stars” list. He has published extensively in scholarly journals and the popular press, and formerly taught as an adjunct professor at The University of Chicago Law School. He serves on the advisory board of Samaritan Inns, a ministry to homeless and addicted individuals in Washington, DC, and on the New Canaan Society DC’s core leadership team. He was a member of CLS’s board of directors from 1999 to 2002, and from 2006 to 2009, and has represented CLS in numerous appeals involving religious freedom issues.

Brenda Jordahl is a Colorado native who lived many years in South Dakota. Much of her adult life, she spent practicing in the area of social work. In order to pursue her life-long dream of becoming a prosecutor, she applied to law school later in life. She graduated from the University of Denver with a J.D. and a M.A. in Human Resources. She has been practicing as a prosecutor in the El Paso County Colorado Office of the District Attorney since 2010. 

Chris W. Kirby provides Client-centric Business Development coaching and training to attorneys and other licensed professionals. By recent count, through his company PCT Solutions, Inc., Mr. Kirby has worked with well over 3000 clients from over 150 law firms and other organizations in 38 states, the District of Columbia, and more than 40 countries. He and his coaches are dedicated to helping you “Succeed as You define it™” – both personally and professionally. Mr. Kirby received his J.D. from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. He is a member of the Order of the Barristers, CLS, the State Bar of Texas and its Law Practice Management Committee, the College of the State Bar of Texas, the American Bar Association and its section on Law Practice Management, and the Law Marketing Association; he is a former multi-year member of the Million Dollar Round Table. Chris lives with his wife and three children outside of Austin, Texas

Terry Klein is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice. He holds a Master’s Degree in Behavioral Science from the University of La Verne in California and has an extensive background of more than 25 years in the field of Christian mental health. He has worked in both inpatient and outpatient settings as a psychotherapist and administrator. Mr. Klein also holds a Graduate Degree in educational methodology from the Montessori Institute in Bergamo, Italy and a B.A. in music with post-graduate studies at the Donizeti Institute in Bergamo, Italy. He is joined by his accomplished wife Kathi in counseling, educating, and giving seminar presentations, such as Balancing Home & Career, Marriage, and Parenting. 

Stuart J. Lark knows nonprofit law from the inside out. For more than 15 years, his practice has focused on advising nonprofit clients on corporate, tax, transactional and other matters related to their unique missions. Serving in an outside general counsel role, he has helped his nonprofit clients navigate complex matters involving corporate structure, operations, finance, growth, and taxes. In addition, he has counseled many clients with respect to religious accommodations under the law. He has spent “time in the trenches” in this area, having served as Legal Counsel for the Christian Legal Society’s Center for Law and Religious Freedom in Washington, D.C. He has also written papers on, and filed amicus briefs in many cases addressing critical religious liberty issues. In the past two years, he filed amicus briefs on behalf of 32 national ministry organizations in two U.S. Supreme Court cases involving religious hiring rights (CLS v. Martinez) and the Ministerial Exception (Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC).

Wallace L. Larson, Jr. is counsel based in the New York office of Cleary Gottlieb. Mr. Larson’s practice concentrates on the laws governing lawyers. He holds the title of Professional Responsibility Counsel to the Firm and advises on issues such as conflicts of interest, multi-jurisdictional practice, attorney-client and work product privilege, anti-money laundering, audit inquiry responses, confidentiality and privacy as well as risk management. Mr. Larson received his J.D. from Columbia Law School and graduated cum laude with a B.A. from Harvard College. He is the Executive Editor for The New York Rules of Professional Conduct: Opinions, Commentary, and Case Law, an Oxford University Press treatise.

Forrest Latta is a partner in Burr & Forman LLP where he handles complex litigation and appellate work, areas for which he has been recognized in both Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers respectively. Mr. Latta represents clients at both the trial and appellate level in cases involving business, product liability, media law, and insurance. Besides trial work, he chairs the firm’s Appellate Practice Section, which is often picked to represent clients in significant appeals. Mr. Latta has participated in over 100 appellate cases including some landmark US Supreme Court cases which redefined the law of punitive damages. He earned his law degree cum laude from Samford University, Cumberland School of Law where he served on law review and a trial team. 

Gregory S. Love is a partner at Love & Norris and the founder and director of MinistrySafe. He earned a B.A. in Accounting from Texas Tech University in 1987, followed by a J.D. from Texas Tech School of Law where he served on the law review. He is a member of the Texas State Bar, Tarrant County Bar Association, and a Fellow of the Tarrant County Bar Foundation. His peers have repeatedly chosen him as one of Tarrant County’s “Top Attorneys”. Mr. Love has been invited as a guest lecturer at Texas Wesleyan School of Law and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is an AV® Rated Lawyer (the highest rating an attorney can achieve under a national peer-reviewed system), as rated by Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory.

J. Tyler Makepeace has been practicing family law and criminal defense in Colorado Springs for the past 35 years. He graduated from Colorado College and the University of Colorado Law School. Tyler has served his community in countless ways over the years, including as Chairman of the Board of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education and founding Chins Up Youth Homes, which is now part of the Emily Griffith Center. Most recently, he has developed Courtside Ministries, a prayer-based organization he founded to provide support for those in the legal system. Since its founding in 2009, the ministry has expanded to Chicago and hopes to expand to other cities around the country. He and his wife Julie have four children and three grandchildren. 

Brent McBurney has had the opportunity to travel the world meeting and encouraging Christian lawyers and other legal professions through serving as President and CEO of Advocates International. Prior to joining AI, Brent served the Body of Christ through CLS where he was Director of Legal Aid Ministries, Director of Attorney Ministries and Editor-in-Chief of The Christian Lawyer magazine. He also served as a trial attorney for the US Department of Justice in Washington, DC and as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert H. Hodges, Jr. on the US Court of Federal Claims. He has considerable ministry experience and is a regular volunteer at a Christian legal aid clinic in DC. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have two children.

Jeanne McMains has been a practicing attorney in the areas of estate planning and charitable giving since 1995. After owning her own law firm and practicing with a large Midwest law firm, Ms. McMains currently serves as Vice President of Gift Planning with National Christian Foundation where she assists families nationwide with their charitable gift planning and estate planning needs. Throughout her career, she has served as a presenter for several financial institutions including Fidelity Investments, Merrill Lynch, and Morgan Stanley; she is also a featured speaker for numerous ministries and organizations. Ms. McMains obtained her law degree from Indiana University and her undergraduate degree from Purdue University. 

Susan McPherson is an attorney with Wallace, Jordan, Ratliff and Brandt, LLC in Birmingham, Alabama where she focuses on appellate litigation. After her first three years of private practice, she worked for over four years as a staff attorney with Justices on the Alabama Supreme Court and with the Presiding Judge of the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals; she returned to private practice in 2011. Since 2008, she has been an adjunct professor at her alma mater, Cumberland School of Law. Susan currently serves on the Board of Alabama Lawyers for the Unborn Children, Inc. and is a member of Lake Crest Presbyterian Church. She suffers from chronic daily headaches and attests that the power of Christ is made perfect in her weakness.

Honorable G. David Miller graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1979, followed by graduation from Creighton University Law School in 1982. He served on active duty first in the Marine Corps and then as a Judge Advocate with the Air Force until 1988. After leaving active duty, he practiced law in Colorado Springs and around the country, conducting civil litigation with a specialty in healthcare law concerning emergency organ transplantation. In 2002, He was appointed to the State District bench of the Fourth Judicial District in Colorado where he first served as the Presiding Civil Law Judge handling the civil litigation, dependency and neglect, and criminal dockets relating to crimes against children. He currently serves as Chief Juvenile Judge. 

Chester H. (Skip) Morgan, II is a retired Air Force colonel who received his commission through the US Air Force Academy (USAFA), where he was a distinguished graduate. After earning a M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy he served as an intelligence officer in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Awarded a scholarship from the Air Force, Skip graduated with high honors from the University of Texas School of Law. Skip spent the remainder of his 30-year USAF career as a judge advocate; he also served on the bench of the Air Force’s highest court and as the Head of the Faculty Department of Law at USAFA. Since retiring, he has engaged in a diverse solo practice, Morgan Legal Offices, P.C., specializing in wills, trusts, and estate planning, along with representing active duty and veterans in medical and disability proceedings. He and his wife have five children and six grandchildren. The two oldest sons just returned from tours in Afghanistan. 

Synthia Morris is in solo practice in Colorado Springs, specializing in family, guardianship, mental health law and homeowners’ rights in foreclosures. Ms. Morris is a graduate of Texas Tech University School of Law. She received a M.S. in Health Care Administration from Trinity University; a B.A. in business administration from the University of North Texas; and an A.A. from Tarrant County Junior College. Ms. Morris is currently the President of the Colorado Springs CLS Chapter and a member of the Board of Directors for Mission Medical Clinic. She has served on the 2012 CLS Conference Planning Committee, volunteers on two judicial taskforces, and is a judge for the Optimist Youth Oratorical Contest.

Len Munsil is the President of Arizona Christian University. He has an accomplished record as a public policy expert, a conservative organizational entrepreneur, a lawyer, a journalist, and a writer. In 2006 Mr. Munsil won the Republican primary for Governor of Arizona, receiving more than 51% of the vote in a four-way primary but losing to incumbent Janet Napolitano in the general election. As founding President and General Counsel for The Center for Arizona Policy, he presided over CAP’s rapid growth into one of the most powerful state public policy organizations in the US. For his work, he received national awards and recognition from groups like the American Family Association and Focus on the Family. He and his wife have eight children. 

Kimberlee D. Norris is partner at Love & Norris and Founder and Director of MinistrySafe. She earned a B.S. in Journalism from Texas A&M and a J.D. from Baylor School of Law, where she was a member of the Baylor Law Review. She is admitted to practice before the US Supreme Court and the US District Courts for the Northern, Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas. She is a member of the Tarrant County Bar Association and a Fellow of the Tarrant County Bar Foundation. She has been chosen by her peers as one of Tarrant County’s “Top Attorneys” and was featured on the cover of Texas Lawyer in an article discussing sexual abuse litigation in Texas. Ms. Norris is a frequent guest lecturer at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. 

L. Martin Nussbaum is a partner at Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons. He is the founder and Co-chair of its Religious Institutions Group. His practice focuses on representing and advocating for churches, denominations, religious schools, and other ministries around the country. For fifteen years, Mr. Nussbaum served as a member of CLS' Center for Law and Religious Freedom's case selection committee. He is a consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Religious Liberty Committee; editor of The First Freedom; webmaster of RJ&L Religious Liberty Archive; and a frequent author and speaker on religious freedom and religious institution issues. He is a Colorado Super Lawyer® and is listed in Best Lawyers in America®.

Terry O’Malley currently owns and manages a three attorney criminal defense firm in Denver, Colorado. He has been practicing criminal law litigation for 21 years. He is admitted to practice in Colorado and his home state of Kansas. Mr. O’Malley earned a bachelor of science in finance from Colorado State University in 1983. After graduating college, he worked with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship as a college campus staff worker until beginning law school at the University of Kansas in 1988. Mr. O’Malley is a member of the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar Association and the Christian Legal Society National and Denver Chapter.

Wendy L. Patrick is a San Diego County Deputy District Attorney named by her peers as one of the Top Ten criminal attorneys in San Diego by the San Diego Daily Transcript and one of San Diego’s Super Lawyers. She has completed over 150 trials and works in the Sex Crimes and Stalking Division. Ms. Patrick is Chair of the California State Bar’s Standing Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct and a published author. She teaches ethics both nationally and internationally and has been featured as a media topic area expert. She recently completed her Ph.D. from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. She is active in ministry and public service; she holds a M.Div. and a Certified Biblical Counseling Certificate. 

Leslie Ruiter is a partner and the leader of the IP team at Stokes Lawrence PS in Seattle. Leslie practices in the areas of copyright, trademark, and software protection, and also handles IP litigation in the Federal Courts and contested matters before the US Patent and Trademark Office, the Trademark Trial & Appeals Board and the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. Leslie is a certified Rule 39.1 Mediator and member of the International Trademark Association Panel of Neutrals. Leslie graduated from Calvin College (BA), Emory University School of Law (JD) and Emory’s Candler School of Theology (MTS). Leslie is a wife, a mom and neutral to three boys, a part-time musician and writer, and a sailor.

Michael A. Scaperlanda is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Associate Director of the Law Center at Oklahoma University College of Law. After graduating from the University of Texas School of Law with High Honors in 1984, Professor Scaperlanda spent one year clerking for the Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court and four years practicing law in Washington, D.C. and Austin, Texas. Since joining the OU faculty in 1989, he has served as Special Assistant to University President, Faculty Fellow in the Norman Campus Provost’s office, Associate Dean for Research, and as Chair of numerous committees. In recognition of his scholarly accomplishments, he was named the Gene and Elaine Edwards Family Chair in Law in 2000. 

David Schlachter is an experienced mediator and arbitrator, currently serving the Christian community in the area of conflict resolutions services and consulting. He is the co-founder of Crossroads Resolution Group LLC which provides services related to conflict resolution in leadership and organizational operations. He focuses on applying God’s Word to transform the challenge of unresolved conflicts and mishandled differences into healthy relationships and solutions that benefit individuals, the organization and those watching. He is a Certified Christian Conciliator and attorney, serving as a Vice President for Peacemaker Ministries, directing The Institute for Christian Conciliation from 2005-2012. He and his wife live in Portland, OR. 

H. Robert Showers, Jr. formed Simms Showers LLP, originally a Baltimore, Maryland-based law firm, in 2002 as a principal partner and heads the Northern Virginia/D.C. Metropolitan office. His practice focuses on civil and commercial litigation and nonprofit, tax exempt and business law. Before going into private practice, Mr. Showers acted as Deputy Assistant Attorney General and served as Executive Director of the National Obscenity Enforcement Unit, later called the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, within the US Department of Justice. He also served as Special Assistant to the US Attorney General and as Assistant US Attorney in Raleigh, N.C. He has started and run several nonprofits and has lectured nationwide.   

Craig Shultz earned his J.D., cum laude, from Washburn University School of Law in 1978. He is in the private practice of law in Wichita, Kansas, focusing primarily in the area of plaintiffs’ personal injury, medical malpractice, and criminal defense. He and his wife Rita have three grown children, one of whom, Michael, practices with him. He is a member of the Christian Legal Society, recently serving as President (2008-2010) and is an active member of the Wichita Chapter of CLS and the all-volunteer Christian Legal Aid program in Wichita. He is a Fellow in both the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.

Dr. Bruce Sidebotham founded Operation Reveille, a ministry through Missions to Unreached Peoples that focuses on helping service personnel with cross-cultural relationships and ministry. He also teaches part-time for the Army at the US Army Chaplain Center and School. For one year (2008-2009), he served as Army chaplain to dozens of small teams advising and training Iraqi security forces. He also taught English language in the department of teacher training at a university in Indonesia for seven years (1989-1996).

Theresa Lynn Sidebotham is the founder of Telios Law PLLC and practices litigation, religious law, appellate, and special education law. She has experience in commercial litigation, including personal injury, contract, construction, property, and insurance cases. Theresa has also represented Catholic and Protestant organizations in several states in advising and defense litigation. She is an Allied Attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom. She began her career as a judicial law clerk at the Colorado Court of Appeals, then worked at Rothgerber Johnson and Lyons LLP before founding Telios Law. She is one of the founders of Religious Law Network, a free, collaborative website that helps churches and ministries locate religious law attorneys and information about religious law issues.

Bruce Strom is one of the nation’s leading advocates for justice for the poor. A graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, Bruce had a successful career in private practice as the senior partner of a multi-office law practice, litigating cases all the way to the US Supreme Court. In 2000, he began Administer Justice as a part-time information-only clinic in response to training and encouragement from John Robb. In 2002, he left private practice so Administer Justice could be a full-time, full-service organization. Bruce’s wife and twin sons, as well as countless volunteers, are all involved in carrying out the mission to empower the powerless, give hope to the hopeless and show mercy and compassion to those in need. 

Robert W. Thomson focuses his practice in the area of Environmental, Health and Safety law. He is a former chairman of the Environmental, Mineral and Natural Resources Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association; he has advised commercial, industrial, mining and municipal clients and defended their interests in enforcement actions. Since 2007, Mr. Thomson has been ranked among Pennsylvania’s top environmental lawyers in Chambers USA’s America’s Leading Business Lawyers. He received his B.A. from Florida State University and graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University School of Law. Mr. Thomson is an elder in the Presbyterian Church, the father of five, and the grandfather of seven. 

David W. Van Meter practices medical malpractice in Oklahoma City. A BV Martindale-Hubbell^® Peer Review Rated^TM attorney, Mr. Van Meter received his B.S. Combined Science degree in Chemistry and Biology with a Pre-Professional emphasis toward the medical field from Stephen F. Austin State University. He then worked at the OU Health Science Center as a medical researcher until attending the University of Oklahoma College of Law. David is active in his church, Business Development, Civic Committees, and other organizations, including Big Brothers. He is also a motivational speaker and frequently volunteers for Habitat for Humanity. Mr. Van Meter and his wife, Kelly, have quadruplets. The Scripture he relates to his legal work is Deuteronomy 16:20, “Justice, and only justice, shall you pursue.” 

Jeffery J. Ventrella serves Alliance Defending Freedom on the Advisory Cabinet and as the Senior Vice-President of Student Training and Development, which entails designing and implementing the Blackstone Legal Fellowship and Collegiate Academy programs. Prior to joining Alliance Defending Freedom, Mr. Ventrella litigated in Idaho for nearly 15 years. He speaks regularly throughout the US and has lectured on six continents; his professional writings have appeared in legal journals, law reviews, periodicals, and books. He received the B.M.E. magna cum laude from the University of Northern Colorado before attending the University of California, Hastings College of Law. He and his wife, Heather, enjoy the challenge of raising their four active boys and beautiful daughter. 

Sally Wagenmaker is a partner in the firm of Mosher & Wagenmaker, LLC in Chicago. Her practice focuses on providing legal services to churches, other faith-based organizations, and public charities generally. She regularly teaches on nonprofit law topics including governance, employment, and real estate. Both professionally and personally, Ms. Wagenmaker has worked with numerous Christian and community organizations including current service with the Christian Legal Society as a local chapter president and national board member and as a volunteer mediator with the Center for Conflict Resolution. She is a graduate of Emory Law School and the University of Mississippi. 

David L. Willson is the owner of Titan Info Security Group, LLC and a leading authority in cyber security and the law. He is a licensed attorney in NY, CT, and CO, focused on technology and the law, and helping companies lower the risk of a cyber-incident and reducing or eliminating the liability associated with loss or theft of information. David is a retired Army JAG officer. During his 20 years in the Army, he provided legal advice in computer network operations and information security and international law to the DoD and NSA and was the legal advisor for what is now CYBERCOM. He has published many articles, the most recent, “Hacking Back in Self-Defense: Is it Legal; Should It Be?” His speaking engagements include: the FBI ICCS Conference, RSA, CSI, HTCIA, ISSA, FBCINC and others. He holds the CISSP & Security+ certifications and has two LL.M. degrees in International Law and Intellectual Property.  He is a VP of his local ISSA chapter and a member of InfraGard.

John R. Wylie is a partner at Bryan Cave in Colorado Springs, focusing on the legal needs of religious organizations. He led legacy firm Holme Roberts and Owen’s Nonprofit Team for ten years. He has worked since 1983 as general corporate and tax counsel to religious and other nonprofit organizations. His experience includes such activities as obtaining private letter rulings from the IRS, structuring mergers, joint ventures and “strategic alliances” between nonprofit organizations as well as between nonprofits and for-profits, providing counsel regarding the international activities of such organizations and negotiating and closing mergers and major asset transactions.