Second-year University of St. Thomas School of Law students Kyle Devich ’24 and Zachary Liebl have been selected for the competitive Blackstone Legal Fellowship program. The summer program for Christian law students includes lectures given by esteemed legal professionals and professional development opportunities, while also giving students time to participate in a legal internship. Upon completion, students are invited to become Blackstone Fellows through which they receive career coaching, mentorship and connect with other Fellows.
“I applied for the Blackstone Legal Fellowship because I deeply resonate with the goal of the program – to connect Christian law students with others from around the country and to allow them to receive formation on how to integrate their practice of law and their Christian faith,” said Devich.
Liebl had similar reasons for applying to the program.
“My faith is very important to me and when I heard about the Blackstone Legal Fellowship, I was excited about the opportunity to connect with Christian attorneys and law students who were similarly passionate about their faith and the practice of law,” said Liebl. “On top of that, the opportunity to participate in a national program such as Blackstone was both exciting and attractive.”
In June, Devich and Liebl will travel out of state for two weeks of classroom instruction, followed by a legal internship. Devich is a law clerk with the First Judicial District Public Defender’s Office in Hastings, Minnesota, and Liebl will be a legal intern for the Alliance Defending Freedom in Virginia. Both are looking forward to the legal training they will receive and the exposure to different career paths, in addition to the relationships they will build.
“I hope that participating in Blackstone will teach me to live an authentic Christian life as an attorney,” said Liebl. “I also expect the connections and network I build through this fellowship will help me discern in which area of law to practice and how best to advocate for positive change and justice.”
“A huge part of this program is meeting other lawyers and law school students who have similar values,” said Devich. “I am hoping that this fellowship will open doors to potential career paths or opportunities for work in the future. I am also hoping this fellowship will allow me to better discern what area of law I want to end up working in.”
The Blackstone Legal Fellowship was established in 2000 with 200 law students from across the country chosen to participate each year through a rigorous recruitment and selection process. There are more than 3,000 Blackstone Fellows throughout the United States and around the world.
