“Every effort adds a little gold to a treasure no power on earth can take away.” (Simone Weil)
Introduction
When law students ask me about the basics of running a student CLS chapter, I tell them the same thing. Start with developing a core group of faithful Christian students who come together on a weekly basis to pray, open the Bible, and consider the meaning of the text and its relation to the legal profession. This could be considered the Community Mandate. Then, once you’ve established a rhythm of communal life, discuss various ways you can serve your legal institutions through various forms of outreach. Ideas such as hosting lectures framed around the interaction between Christianity and law; providing forums for having some fun and escaping the pressure cooker that is legal education. This could be considered the Witness Mandate. And, finally, I advocate for applying the words of Jeremiah 29:7 in finding various ways to “seek the welfare of the city” through various forms of community service. This could be called the Service Mandate. How student chapters embrace each of these mandates is largely up to them. And while I offer ideas and certainly resources for organization, I leave the substance of these mandates to the students given that they are in the best position to know what their group dynamic allows and what their classmates are thinking about.
Service as Calling
With this in mind, I was struck by an interesting April article in ProPublica (here) that profiles the legal trajectory of Andrew Rabinowitz, who served for years as the legal representative in various property management disputes involving one of the many large apartment complexes owned in Baltimore by the Kushner Companies. As can be expected, among his cases were issues where desperate tenants were being evicted; issues involved in collecting unpaid rent; and issues touching on the livability of certain properties, all within the stifling shadow of legal redress. Through this work, Rabinowitz began to develop a reputation for fairness and care, at times giving tenants his phone number and urging them to call if they fell behind on rent so they can work something out. At one point, the judge even referred to Rabinowitz as “the fairest debt collector in town,” invoking perhaps an image of George Bailey in It’s A Wonderful Life. But at the same time, he was a product of a system that too often prioritized wealth over care. Or, maybe more specifically, wealth over restoration. “I honestly felt that if every attorney could have had the same philosophy and treated people fair and put people in the position to take control of their life,” Rabinowitz explains, “then debt collectors wouldn’t be such bad people. They’d be assistants to people paying off their debts.”
After several years representing landlords, he changed sides. He became a defendant for the cause of tenants—understanding not only the systems that prevented so many from paying rent, but also a system that too often favors landlords and creates an undue advantage for those who can afford an attorney. But maybe more importantly, his shift provided comfort and an opportunity to lean into his calling. Before his shift, his partner would find him agitated before trials, sensing the injustice of the disproportion of power that so often comes with the semblance of due process. “It was like a heavyweight sparring featherweights over and over again,” he explained. “That’s just not satisfying.” And, finally, he saw the adoration that people poured onto his parents at their retirement, who had spent their lives serving others through various public institutions. “When I saw all the people who came out, I realized they had so much impact on so many people’s lives,” Rabinowitz said. “And I’m just putting money into rich people’s pockets.”
Once committed to change (or perhaps embraced who he truly was), Rabinowitz’s legal career brought him first to the Baltimore County Office of Maryland Legal Aid, where he often faced-off against his former colleagues. His transition was seen with suspicion at first since so few move from private practice into public-service. But he kept going, making his way to Rising For Justice as director of the organization’s Tenant Justice Program. There, he was able to mentor law students from Georgetown University to the University of the District of Columbia. For me, one of the most profound changes was a simple realization he had: “I want people to have clean housing like mine.”
As I was reading this article in the middle of the CLS Northeast Regional Retreat, a student chapter came to mind that has embodied the Service Mandate perhaps better than any other in the country. A chapter led by students like Gabriel Palau and Camilla Fernandez that, over the past year, has actively served their respective communities through meaningful outreach, spiritual fellowship, and collaborative service. In partnership with the Criminal Law Society, they organized an Angel Tree project to provide toys for children in the Orlando community. Separately, the chapter launched a second Angel Tree initiative to send toys to children in Cuba, expanding the reach of our mission. To further nurture spiritual growth on campus, they hosted weekly devotionals and held a worship night to encourage fellowship and unity among students.
In collaboration with the Caribbean Law School Association, they took part in a community clean-up at the Paramore Park Community Garden in Orlando’s inner city. This service project allowed them to directly support and beautify a neighborhood in need. Finally, the chapter successfully proposed and launched a food pantry initiative to assist students facing food insecurity. This resulted in the creation of a 24/7 “Community Care Cabinet” located in the school’s chapel, offering discreet and constant access to essential resources for students in need.
Conclusion
It is normal for a Christian law student to ask the question of what my faith requires of me in the context of my legal career. It is entirely different to listen to the mandates of God and put to practice those convictions amid the tensions and challenges that comes with attending law school. Many students put aside the development of full Christian integration during law school to pursue the development of a more robust professional identity. My challenge is to use your faith as the mission and purpose for why you went to law school in the first place. My challenge is to ask a deep question that should occupy your mind throughout your entire career: What does faithful stewardship look like in the law? And, finally, my challenge is to look to the example of Rabinowitz in his professional transformation and to the chapter at Barry University Law School, from where, perhaps to no surprise, Rabinowitz graduated.
A special thanks to Gabe Palau for providing me the details of the work the chapter has done all year. He was also a CLS Fellow in 2024.