Welcome to the website of the Orthodox Christian Attorney Network! We're a fellowship of Orthodox Christian attorneys and law students from across the United States who share a desire to build relationships and learn to serve our Lord through the legal profession.

 

We are pleased to announce that after six years as an informal group, OCAN has now been formally established as a nonprofit corporation and we're ready to take OCAN's ministry to a higher level.

 

OCAN is not just another professional association. We'd like to help make your legal career a part of your life journey in Christ. As St. Paul said, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17).

 

We invite you to join us for what we hope will be a career-transforming journey. Check out our website to learn more about our history, mission, and purposes.

 

Sign up below to receive OCAN news. We look forward to connecting with you!

  • Where is the Orthodox Voice in American Legal Discourse?
    02/19/25
    Metropolitan Philip (Saliba) wrote in 1984, “During the first one thousand years of her existence, the Church was courageous enough to respond to the challenges of her time. Many local councils
  • Reflections on Theophany and a New Year with OCAN
    01/16/25
    Our natural inclination may be to compartmentalize our lives: Sundays are for church and God; the rest of the week is for work. However, the mystery of holy water—the sanctification of the most
  • This Season of Thankfulness
    12/16/24
    It’s that time of year, again, when we reflect on our professional successes and lessons learned and prepare for a fresh start in the new year. Similarly, we are provided an opportunity to ponde
  • At the Foot of Death on Election Night
    11/17/24
    On election night 2024, my perspective changed. On election night, I was reminded of what matters most. I was reminded, once again, of why I am a Christian...
  • Faith, Law, & Human Dignity
    09/11/24
    "If, as an attorney or technician within the fields of law or administration in modern society, an Orthodox Christian does not transmit the Orthodox vision, he will then himself be assimilated to the
  • Our “Priestly” Role as Lawyers
    08/13/24
    In the Orthodox Church, we’re often tempted to think that only clergy do “work” for the Lord. But this is not only false, it’s a shirking of our duties as Christians to serve t
  • Churches: Beware of Copyright Trolls
    07/10/24
    A well-meaning volunteer finds a photo of happy volunteers on the web to accompany the priest’s article on service to others.  The article is posted on the church website to edify the faith
  • What’s in a name? 
    07/09/24
    As Orthodox Christians, names mean something to us.  As attorneys, definitions matter. What about our name, “Orthodox Christian Attorneys Network”? What do each of the words mean and
Orthodox Christians and the Rights Revolution in America

Orthodox Christians and the Rights Revolution in America

Rev. Dr. Anthony Roeber

Thursday, February 27, 2025

12:00 pm ET/9:00 am PT

 

So much of American law and policy is predicated on the concept of “rights,” derived primarily from western thought. Does our Orthodox tradition have anything to contribute to the American conversation on this topic?  

Fr. Anthony’s presentation will provide an overview of the objective and content of his book, Orthodox Christians and the Rights Revolution in AmericaHis book engages the difficult question of how Eastern Orthodox people have selectively used some modern notions of rights but rejected other aspects of modern secular liberal thought. At the same time, it alerts the Orthodox to their inherited notions of “rights,” sometimes referred to as “prerogatives,” “honors,” “privileges,” and so on that remain contested both among hierarchs and in controversies between clergy and laity that have at times resulted in lawsuits in secular courts. Fr. Anthony attempts to provide a way to distinguish various kinds of rights claims before engaging the Orthodox chronological engagement with internal and external rights claims in North America. He then grounds these issues in the global context of Orthodox debates over rights and compares Orthodox North American assessments with Catholic and Protestant approaches.

Rev. Dr. A. G. Roeber
Rev. Dr. A. G. Roeber
Rev. Dr. A. G. Roeber

Speaker: The Rev. Dr. A. G. Roeber, Emeritus Professor of Early Modern History and Religious Studies, Penn State University, is currently Professor of Church History, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. Born in Paonia, Colorado, he began his graduate work at the University of Denver and completed his Ph.D. at Brown University. He has taught at various universities in North America and in Germany. His  Palatines, Liberty, and Property was the 1993 co-winner of the American Historical Association’s John H. Dunning Prize for the best book on any aspect of American history in a two-year period. He is a past president of the Orthodox Theological Society in America and most recently Co-author of  Changing Churches (2012); co-editor, Oxford Handbook of Early Modern Theology (2016) author, Mixed Marriages: An Orthodox History (2018); editor, Human v. Religious Rights? (2020), and author, Orthodox Christians and the Rights Revolution (2024).

 

Please RSVP for this Zoom event with the link below and share this with anyone who might be interested. 

Confidentiality of Confession 

IN THE ORTHODOX CANONICAL TRADITION,

AND ITS LEGAL CHALLENGES

 

In a majority of U.S. states, clergy are considered mandatory reporters of child abuse. Generally, such laws have carved out an exception for information clergy learns during Confession. In recent years however, multiple states have removed, or made efforts to remove, this exception. This webinar will explore the canonical support and rationale for the confidentiality of Confession in the Orthodox tradition. An understanding of this will allow an evaluation and hopefully a response to these legal challenges.

Adn. Justin Bosl
Adn. Justin Bosl
Adn. Justin Bosl

Speaker: Archdeacon Justin Bosl earned his J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law after studying philosophy at Franciscan University of Steubenville. For nearly 19 years he was a trial lawyer and shareholder at Kazan, McClain, Satterley & Greenwood in Oakland, California representing injured workers and consumers in toxic tort litigation. In 2023, he resigned from the firm to focus full-time on serving the Church. He graduated from the diaconate program at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and holds a M.Div. from the Antiochian House of Studies. He is currently enrolled in the Th.M. program at Holy Cross. He serves as the Archdeacon of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco as well as the chair of the Metropolis Legal Committee and serves on a variety of boards and committees for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops. He and his wife have four children and live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

If you missed the webinar or wish to share it with others, click below for the recording and presentation slides.

Confessions Webinar Video Recording

Confessions Webinar Slides

KEEP IN TOUCH

Sign up for our newsletter to learn about upcoming OCAN activities and stay informed on the work being done to serve Orthodox attorneys, the Orthodox Church, and our world.

SUPPORT OCAN

Your support is crucial for laying a solid foundation for our ministry as we inspire Orthodox attorneys to live out their lives and careers fully for Christ, serve the Orthodox Church, and make a positive impact on our nation and the world.

Founders' Circle Campaign 

 Thank you to all who contributed toward our Founder's Circle Campaign in our inaugural year in 2024! We're grateful for your support of OCAN's mission.

       “The emergence of the Orthodox Christian Attorney Network is a long-awaited and happy development for Orthodox Christianity in the United States. Creating this national pan-Orthodox professional community will clearly enhance the presence of Orthodox Christianity in the legal and judicial systems of our culture, and reinforce the principles and values of our holy faith among an important and underserved portion of our faithful. Having Orthodox Christian leaders in the legal community will doubtless enhance the quality of legal thinking in the United States, and provide a much-needed support system for faithful lawyers around the country. We look forward to the many blessings that will emerge within and because of OCAN.”  

- Eric S. Namee, Managing Member, Hinkle Law Firm and President, Virginia H. Farah Foundation

The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. All content on this site is for general informational purposes only and should not be relied upon without seeking legal advice from one’s own attorney. Use of this website does not create an attorney-client relationship between the reader and OCAN or any authors. All liability with respect to actions taken or not taken based on the content of this site are expressly disclaimed. 

© 2024 Orthodox Christian Attorney Network


Contact Us