Brigham Young University – J. Reuben Clark Law School has launched a new Religious Liberty Clinic, which will welcome its first students during Winter Semester 2027.
The clinic will provide students hands-on experience drafting appellate briefs in religious freedom cases while preparing them to become skilled advocates, legal writers and constitutional litigators.
Applications for the clinic will be open to second- and third-year law students who have completed prerequisite coursework in religious liberty law.
The clinic’s primary mission is educational, giving students the opportunity to work on real cases for real clients while developing the research, writing and advocacy skills that define outstanding lawyers.
Through supervised experiential learning, students will collaborate with clients, co-counsel and other stakeholders, receive feedback on draft briefs and contribute to appellate litigation involving some of the nation’s most important constitutional questions. The program will function as a professional practice environment, helping students develop the skills, judgment and habits of effective lawyers.
Kelsey Baer Flores, associate professor of law, will serve as the director of the Religious Liberty Clinic. Professor Flores helped establish Harvard Law School’s Religious Freedom Clinic before joining the BYU Law faculty. The clinic will focus on amicus curiae, or “friend of the court,” briefs filed in state and federal appellate courts, including the U.S. Courts of Appeals and U.S. Supreme Court. Students will work on behalf of religious organizations and coalitions representing a variety of faith traditions and religious minority communities.
The clinic will focus on amicus advocacy, allowing students to contribute unique perspectives on important legal issues while developing advanced appellate writing skills.
“Religious liberty cases raise some of the most important constitutional questions,” said Professor Flores. “Students in this clinic won’t just study those questions. They’ll engage with them through meaningful client work, appellate advocacy and legal writing that prepares them for practice. I want students to have their fingerprints all over the briefs we file, gaining the practical experience, judgment and writing skills that prepare them to become strong advocates while serving clients of many faith traditions.”
The clinic places BYU Law among a small group of leading law schools, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford and University of Texas, which offer dedicated religious liberty clinics.
