Lawyer Training Opportunities
Regent Law’s professional formation combines traditional legal study with hands-on training and ethical formation in the context of a Christian worldview. Our graduates enter the legal field as fully integrated lawyers with a thorough knowledge of the law, skills to put their knowledge to use, and personal wellness necessary to succeed.
Faculty Mentors
Students receive mentoring from full-time faculty in the context of academic advising, as well as in other mentoring relationships. Mentoring arises from shared interests, faculty members’ practice expertise, and/or other personal and professional connections.
As experienced lawyers, faculty members impart an understanding of how to successfully engage in law practice. Mentors provide students with personal/spiritual coaching and discipling, academic advising, and career planning. Mentors meet frequently with students individually and in mentor groups.
Lawyer Mentor
Drawn from the local legal community, Regent alumni, and Christian lawyers around the country, a mentor is available to every student who requests one. These mentors are practicing lawyers who have volunteered to provide guidance to Regent law students. Usually, these mentor assignments are based on the student’s practice area of interest, geography (where the student intends to practice law), or both. Lawyer mentors are available to meet frequently and work with students, providing practical skills orientation, career coaching, and spiritual, professional, and ethical formation.
Serving as a mentor is one of the most meaningful ways Regent Law alumni can give back. By walking alongside a Regent Law student, you’ll have the opportunity to share your professional journey, encourage a student who is just beginning theirs, and offer practical insights that can shape their career path.
We’ll connect you with a student who has expressed interest in your area of practice or geographic location, creating a natural foundation for conversation and guidance. Whether it’s answering questions about classes, offering advice on internships, or simply being a source of encouragement, your presence can make a lasting impact on a student’s law school experience.
Your investment of time and wisdom not only strengthens the Regent Law community but also helps equip the next generation of Christian lawyers to pursue excellence with integrity.
If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please fill out the information below. After the 1L Career Services Orientation in October, we will connect you with your student. Thank you.
Starting law school can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. Through the Alumni Mentorship Program, you’ll be paired with a Regent Law graduate practicing in an area of law or a geographic location you’re interested in.
Your mentor can offer encouragement, share real-world insights, and help you think through career decisions as you begin your journey. From tips on classes and study strategies to advice on internships and long-term goals, having someone who has walked the path before you can make a world of difference.
Take advantage of this opportunity to build a relationship with a Regent alumnus who is invested in your success—not just as a student, but as a future lawyer called to make an impact.
Practiskills Curriculum
More than one-third of the courses offered in the law school feature the PractiSkills component. Not only do these courses teach students about the law, but they also train students how to practice law in that subject area. For example, our course in Civil Procedure includes practical lawyer training in drafting pleadings and engaging in discovery (depositions, interrogatories, etc.). Similarly, tax courses teach students what tax lawyers actually do for their clients. Review a list of current PractiSkills courses.
Practice Skills Portfolio
Students who choose to do so will compile a portfolio of practice documents and skills in his or her chosen area of practice. For example, a student who plans to engage in civil litigation practice may develop a portfolio of documents including a complaint, standard discovery requests, common motions, and a trial notebook, along with courtroom skills, all tailored to the student’s intended state of practice. A student entering business/transactional practice could graduate with a portfolio of Articles of Incorporation, merger agreements, securities forms, etc., and skills in negotiating business deals. Other practice portfolios can cover business law, estate planning, criminal defense/prosecution, and real estate transaction practice. Students may design their own multi-practice or specialty portfolios under the guidance of a faculty mentor.
Field Placement
Every student, upon request, may engage in a field placement for academic credit. Students will work in the law offices of a prosecutor, public defender, nonprofit or for-profit in-house counsel, or private practice attorney. The students’ work is overseen by a full-time law faculty member. Field placements may occur during the summer, or if the student is local, during an academic semester.
Third-Year Apprenticeship
Select third-year students may be placed in an Apprenticeship Program. For one semester, the student will work and study as an apprentice under a carefully selected Christian attorney, either in the local Hampton Roads area, or in the city/region where the student intends to practice law. The student will simultaneously take online course work. The apprenticeship will be carefully monitored by a full-time law faculty member and will include professional/ethical formation, as well as skills training.
Professional Formation
The curriculum emphasizes moral character, Christian formation, ethical decision making, and discipleship regarding what it means to be an integrated lawyer. Our Center for Professional Formation develops students’ professional identities, producing lawyers who have an understanding of the nature and purpose of the legal profession and are committed to the ethical practice of law.
Legal Workplace Skills
Students receive training in the life skills necessary to engage successfully in the business of law practice, including collaborative work skills, business models, basic accounting principles, and staff/employee management.
Cutting-Edge Technological Competence
Students will receive instruction in core law office technology, and in other current cyber technologies used in the practice of law, including e-discovery, e-filing, cloud storage, and computing.
Success Story
“Thanks to receiving practical legal skills training and a meaningful internship, I was able to hit the ground running in my first year of practice — confidently speaking to clients, identifying legal issues, and obtaining solutions. Regent Law set me up for success.“
— John Kaptan, J.D., Class of 2019, Senior Associate Attorney, HANGER Law