J. Reuben Clark Society

Mission and Purposes

1. The Law Society's mission statement is as follows: "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."
2. In fulfilling its mission statement, the Law Society is guided by the philosophy, personal example, and values of its namesake, J. Reuben Clark, Jr. Those values include: (1) public service, (2) loyalty to the rule of law, and (3) appreciation for the religious dimension in society and in a lawyer's personal life.
3. To accomplish its mission, the Law Society will (1) promote the formation of attorney and student chapters around the world that meet regularly to further the values and objectives of the Law Society; (2) encourage its members to regard the practice of law as a public trust from which compensation may be accepted but as to which service to the courts, clients and society will always be paramount; (3) promote and protect the rule of law; and (4) strengthen chapters through publications, conferences, events, and other efforts.
4. The Law Society assists the Law School in fulfilling its educational and professional mission. As the Law School operates under the legal umbrella of BYU, it shall operate within the scope of and be governed by the constitution of BYU.
5. The Law Society is included under the general BYU tax-exempt status. This inclusion was established by the decision of the President's Council on 25 October 1993. Accordingly, the Law Society and its chapters need to comply with BYU's Political Neutrality Policy, all other BYU policies that pertain to BYU's nonprofit, tax-exempt status, and federal 501(c)(3) guidelines, which together require strict neutrality regarding partisan political activities, and which also place certain restrictions on lobbying and other political activities. Law Society members are welcomed and encouraged to engage in the political process as individuals or as members of another group. The Law Society and its chapters, by virtue of their organization, are affiliated with BYU, which would imply that they represent or speak for BYU if they were to endorse political positions. Thus, it is inappropriate for the Law Society or any of its members or chapters to use the name of the Society or the name of BYU to endorse a political activity that BYU has not chosen to endorse itself. The Law Society, while affiliated with and supported by the Law School, is not an alumni association. The Law Society is open to graduates (hereinafter referred to as "attorneys") and law students from all law schools.