J. Reuben Clark Law Society
![]() | |
Abbreviation | JRCLS |
---|---|
Type | Voluntary association |
Legal status | Association |
Purpose | Religious conviction, Public service, Professionalism |
Headquarters | Provo, Utah, United States |
Region served | Worldwide |
Membership | attorneys, lawyers, law school graduates or law school students who support the mission of the Society |
Chair of the Society | Jeremiah Morgan |
Affiliations | J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University |
Website | jrcls.org |
The J. Reuben Clark Law Society is an organization of lawyers and law school students consisting of over 65 professional and 125 student chapters throughout the world. Named in honor of J. Reuben Clark the former Ambassador to Mexico and Under Secretary of State, the society's membership is primarily Mormon, although there is no requirement that members be a part of the LDS Church. Alumni and students of the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University are de facto members of the Society.
The society's mission statement declares: "We affirm the strength brought to the law by a lawyer's personal religious conviction. We strive through public service and professional excellence to promote fairness and virtue founded upon the rule of law."
The organization currently claims as members 14 circuit court of appeals judges, 18 U.S. district court judges, four United States Attorneys, six U.S. Senators, including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, nine U.S. Representatives, 17 Fortune 500 corporate counselors, more than 85 state judges (including of state supreme courts), and thousands of practicing attorneys and law students.
The society holds an annual conference for students and attorneys, typically in the middle of February. The 2006 conference was held in Washington, D.C. and featured the Attorney General of the United States as well as a panel of distinguished U.S. Supreme Court advocates. The 2007 conference was held at Pepperdine Law School in Malibu, California. The 2008 conference was held at Arizona State University. The 2009 conference was held at Harvard Law School. The 2010 conference was held in Salt Lake City, Utah. The 2011 conference was held in Dallas, Texas. The 2012 conference was held at Stanford Law School. The 2013 conference was held in Washington, DC. The 2014 conference was held in Kansas City, Missouri.
JRCLS Chairs
- Ralph Hardy, Jr. (1988-1992)
- Gary Anderson (1992-1994)
- Charles E. ("Bud") Jones, Jr. (1994-1997)
- Ralph R. Mabey (1997-1999)
- R. Marshall Tanner (1999-2001)
- William F. Atkin (2001-2003)
- Lew W. Cramer (2003-2005)
- Joseph I. Bentley (2005-2007)
- Brent J. Belnap (2007-2009)
- Nancy Van Slooten (2009-2011)
- Doug Bush (2011-2013)
- Jeremiah Morgan (2013-present)
Notable Members
- E. Gordon Gee - President of West Virginia University, former president of Ohio State University and Brown University, former chancellor of Vanderbilt University
- Orrin Hatch - President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate
- Harry Reid - U.S. Senate Minority Leader
- Hannah Clayson Smith - Senior Counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty
- Kevin J. Worthen - President of Brigham Young University
- Michael K. Young - President of Texas A&M University, former president of University of Washington and University of Utah