Christian Legal Society / CLS 
The information on this page was last updated 2/3/2025. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
Christian Legal Society ("CLS") is a national network of attorneys, judges, law students, professors, and lay people, with local chapters of attorneys and law students located in almost every state. CLS helps lawyers to integrate their faith in Christ with their professional responsibilities and reaches and teaches law students across the country to obey Jesus' age-old command "to do justice with the love of God." (Luke 11:42). CLS sponsors local and national conferences for attorneys and law students. It also has established the Center for Law and Religious Freedom to protect and promote the inalienable and constitutional rights of free exercise of religion and sanctity of human life. It provides consultant services, researches current issues, publishes a quarterly journal, and provides strategic litigation support at appellant and trial court levels.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Christian Legal Society
8001 Braddock Avenue
Suite 302
Springfield, VA 22151
Website: christianlegalsociety.org
Phone: (703) 642-1070
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 366101090
CEO/President: David Nammo
Chairman: Jeffrey Palmer
Board size: 19
Founder: Paul Barnard and Henry Luke Brinks
Ruling year: 1991
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 12/31
Member of ECFA: Yes
Member of ECFA since: 1982
Purpose
Christian Legal Society (CLS), founded in 1961, seeks to fulfill God's command found in Micah 6:8 by bringing glory to God by inspiring, encouraging, and equipping Christian attorneys and law students, both individually and in community, to proclaim, love, and serve Jesus Christ through the study and practice of law, through the provision of legal assistance to the poor and needy, and through the defense of the inalienable rights to life and religious freedom.
Mission statement
CLS Objectives
To proclaim Jesus as Lord through all we do;
To defend the religious freedom of all Americans through the legislatures and courts;
To defend the religious freedom of students to gather on their campuses as Christian organizations;
To promote justice for the poor, religious freedom, sanctity of human life, and biblical conflict resolution;
To encourage Christian attorneys to view law as a ministry and help them integrate faith and their legal practice;
To provide Christian attorneys a means of society and fellowship;
To encourage and disciple Christian law professors and students;
To provide a forum for discussing issues related to Christianity and the law;
To encourage attorneys and law students to serve the poor and needy.
Statement of faith
Christian Legal Society's Statement of Faith is:
One God, eternally existent in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
The Deity of our Lord, Jesus Christ, God's only Son, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary; His vicarious death for our sins through which we receive eternal life; His bodily resurrection and personal return.
The presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the work of regeneration.
The Bible as the inspired Word of God.
Donor confidence score
Transparency grade
A
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Advocacy
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 558 of 1118 | 13 of 38 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 638 of 1119 | 19 of 38 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 264 of 1119 | 10 of 38 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 768 of 1118 | 22 of 38 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 9% | 9% | 8% | 7% | 9% | 11% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 7% | 6% | 6% | 6% | 7% | 7% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 96% | 67% | 75% | 76% | 75% | 66% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 8% | 8% | 8% | 8% | 7% | 7% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 4% | 33% | 25% | 24% | 25% | 34% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 80% | 85% | 86% | 85% | 82% | 86% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 95% | 80% | 80% | 73% | 92% | 95% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 76% | 69% | 68% | 62% | 75% | 82% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 5% | 20% | 20% | 27% | 8% | 5% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 8% | 15% | 16% | 25% | 7% | 6% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 10% | 7% | 7% | 7% | 11% | 7% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.98 | 0.61 | 0.61 | 0.63 | 0.68 | 1.19 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.31 | 1.01 | 1.02 | 1.03 | 1.03 | 1.02 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.73 | 0.62 | 0.62 | 0.65 | 0.70 | 1.21 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 16.14 | 116.44 | 181.95 | 122.15 | 8.64 | 110.53 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.06 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.12 | 0.01 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 6.22 | 19.20 | 19.31 | 18.42 | 15.14 | 9.83 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 20% | 3% | 3% | 4% | 22% | 3% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 69% | 158% | 160% | 153% | 114% | 81% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Cash | $2,457,648 | $2,060,586 | $2,488,850 | $1,585,039 | $961,709 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $1,139,426 | $813,590 | $696,177 | $835,721 | $728,479 |
| Short-term investments | $809,018 | $722,405 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $4,406,092 | $3,596,581 | $3,185,027 | $2,420,760 | $1,690,188 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $27,527 | $48,044 | $73,124 | $69,866 | $22,891 |
| Other long-term assets | $6,849 | $6,849 | $6,849 | $6,849 | $8,138 |
| Total long-term assets | $34,376 | $54,893 | $79,973 | $76,715 | $31,029 |
| Total assets | $4,440,468 | $3,651,474 | $3,265,000 | $2,497,475 | $1,721,217 |
| Liabilities | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $31,586 | $17,882 | $18,525 | $14,893 | $10,181 |
| Other current liabilities | $6,255 | $1,885 | $7,550 | $265,286 | $5,110 |
| Total current liabilities | $37,841 | $19,767 | $26,075 | $280,179 | $15,291 |
| Debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $80,041 | $73,458 | $94,686 | $279,909 | $44,837 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $80,041 | $73,458 | $94,686 | $279,909 | $44,837 |
| Total liabilities | $117,882 | $93,225 | $120,761 | $560,088 | $60,128 |
| Net assets | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Without donor restrictions | $1,379,627 | $1,201,113 | $1,354,421 | $612,317 | $948,010 |
| With donor restrictions | $2,942,959 | $2,357,136 | $1,789,818 | $1,325,070 | $713,079 |
| Net assets | $4,322,586 | $3,558,249 | $3,144,239 | $1,937,387 | $1,661,089 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Total contributions | $2,265,449 | $2,072,095 | $2,145,776 | $1,380,214 | $1,420,619 |
| Program service revenue | $380,106 | $354,123 | $295,236 | $42,753 | $292,536 |
| Membership dues | $382,321 | $341,931 | $370,992 | $370,311 | $361,280 |
| Investment income | $91,485 | $6,828 | $11,709 | $6,817 | $1,733 |
| Other revenue | $279,910 | $5,335 | $5,500 | $39,469 | $75,108 |
| Total other revenue | $1,133,822 | $708,217 | $683,437 | $459,350 | $730,657 |
| Total revenue | $3,399,271 | $2,780,312 | $2,829,213 | $1,839,564 | $2,151,276 |
| Expenses | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Program services | $2,332,905 | $1,904,287 | $1,758,912 | $1,387,940 | $1,754,954 |
| Management and general | $188,249 | $150,837 | $137,646 | $181,807 | $137,557 |
| Fundraising | $208,349 | $167,960 | $160,912 | $126,697 | $151,100 |
| Total expenses | $2,729,503 | $2,223,084 | $2,057,470 | $1,696,444 | $2,043,611 |
| Change in net assets | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $669,768 | $557,228 | $771,743 | $143,120 | $107,665 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $669,768 | $557,228 | $771,743 | $143,120 | $107,665 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| David Nammo | Executive Director & CEO | $158,820 |
Compensation data as of: 12/31/2023
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 2/3/2025. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
It all began with a late-night conversation in 1959. Following a time of prayer while both were attending an American Bar Association national convention, Paul Barnard and Henry Luke Brinks talked about the need for a national association of Christian lawyers. Former Wheaton College classmates, Barnard, a law professor at Stetson University in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Brinks, an attorney in the Chicago firm of Bryon, Hume, Groen and Clement, had arrived independently at the same conclusion: Christian lawyers had no network for sharing their problems and finding fellowship. Pastors and church groups did not know how to locate Christian lawyers who were willing and able to offer legal counsel from a Christian perspective. Christian doctors had the Christian Medical Society to assist them to integrate their faith and profession, so why not form a Christian "legal society?"
The founding "Chicago chapter" filed the Articles of Incorporation for Christian Legal Society on October 19, 1961. On February 3, 1962 CLS held its first board of director's meeting at 38 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois, at which time the first CLS by-laws were adopted and the first twenty-one "members of the corporation" and the first five "officers of the corporation" were elected "subject to their acceptance and submission of properly executed applications."[1]
The five original purposes of the Christian Legal Society, as stated in the formal paperwork, were remarkably similar to the nine purposes now listed in CLS' current Vision and Mission Statement:
- To provide a means of society among Christian lawyers.
- To clarify and promote the concept of the Christian lawyer.
- To encourage and aid deserving young students in preparing for the legal profession.
- To provide a forum for the discussion of problems relating to Christianity and law.
- To cooperate with bar associations and other organizations in asserting and maintaining high standards of legal ethics.
Program accomplishments
Christian Legal Society accomplishments and programs include some of the following:
Membership Ministries: Facilitates a means of society, fellowship and nurturing among Christian lawyers, judges, law professors and students, helping them to view law vocationally as an opportunity for Christian witness, service and ministry.
Conferences: Sponsors local and national conferences for attorneys and law students.
Center for Law and Religious Freedom: Protects and promotes the inalienable and constitutional rights of free exercise of religion and sanctity of human life, provides consultative services, researches current issues, publishes a quarterly journal, and provides strategic litigation support at appellant and trial court levels.
Public Ministries: Promotes the training and certification of Christian lawyers in Biblical reconciliation techniques and conflict resolution. Encourages members to provide legal aid, both individually and through local chapters, in active cooperation with social service providers like the International Union of Gospel Missions, the Salvation Army or Catholic Social Services.
Law Student Ministries: Establishes CLS-affiliated student chapters at law schools and CLS-affiliated student chapters at law schools and colleges throughout the United States. Provides mentors and resources to foster spiritual growth, outreach through public service, and integration of legal practice and Christian faith.