Integrating Faith
in Legal Practice
3:10 PM • Rosenwald Classroom
In the introduction to his book The Lawyer’s Calling: Christian Faith and Legal Practice, Law Professor Joseph Allegretti describes meeting a student at Yale Divinity School who had previously practiced law. When describing the reason for her career change, she confessed, “a Christian can’t be a lawyer.” Indeed, many people share this perspective. In the American adversary system of justice, where a lawyer’s primary responsibility is to defend the rights of his client to the best of his abilities, how does one live out personal convictions about truth and justice? How should a Christian be faithful to both God and the law, particularly when it seems like the two conflict?
Moderator
Charles Clark D’11
Former Editor-in-Chief, The Dartmouth Apologia
Charles Clark is a member of the class of 2011 at Dartmouth College. He studies Classical Archaeology and English. He is also the former editor-in-chief of the Dartmouth Apologia. This fall, he will be attending law school.
Panelists
John Harrington, JD D’80
Attorney, Sulloway & Hollis P.L.L.C.
John R. Harrington joined the law firm of Solloway & Hollis in 1988 and has concentrated his practice in the areas of business, probate, and bankruptcy litigation. He has a particular interest in cases involving novel legal theories and the management and analysis of complex business and financial documents.
Mr. Harrington has successfully tried a variety of cases, including contract, fraud, products liability, and adverse possession cases in superior and federal district courts, and will contest and parental rights cases in probate courts. He has successfully argued appeals in the New Hampshire Supreme Court and the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, as well as bankruptcy appeals in the US District Courts for New Hampshire and Vermont.
Mr. Harrington received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College in 1980, and his J.D. from Harvard Law School. Prior to joining Sulloway & Hollis, he practiced law in New York City.
Steve Whiting, JD D’74
Attorney, Whiting Law Firm P.A.
Stephen Whiting graduated from Dartmouth College (magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa) in 1974, and earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1978. Upon graduation from law school he moved to Maine, passed the bar exam that summer, and has been practicing in Portland ever since. He is admitted to practice in all Maine State courts, and before the Federal District Court of Maine, the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, and the US Supreme Court. He is the Maine State Director for the American Center for Law and Justice, and is a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association and the Maine Trial Lawyers Association.
Steve resides in Scarborough, ME with his wife, Patty, and their four children. They attend the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Westbrook.
