Event in Los Angeles, California - Religious Liberty

Reaching Out to All Faiths

Charlotte Steinfeld is a barrister in London, England.  She received her legal training from the University of Nottingham School of Law.  She is currently serving as chair of the London JRCLS Chapter.  I recently exchanged emails with her. One of the things we discussed was that the Law Society is not just for members of the LDS church. It is for people of faith who have been trained in the law.

After we discussed this point, she shared the following: 

Thank you for highlighting that the Society is for members of faith and not just LDS members.  We have a Jewish member of our Chapter; and a former colleague of mine, that I will be inviting to the Elder Holland event, is Catholic.  I was planning to invite him to join the Chapter.




After taking no more than a few minutes, she sent me the following:

Apologies for another email so soon after the last, but thank you again for highlighting that women (and men) of any faith can be a members of our Society.  I should have been clearer in the fact that you actually reminded me of the fact I was planning to invite my Catholic former collegaue to join our event and the Chapter. 

You have also triggered my memory of a good Muslim friend of mine who was at Law School with me and active in public service in various ways, who may be interested in the Society generally and drawing strength from being a member of a WIL committee.  You have indeed helped to focus my mind on this. 

Interestingly, I today discovered a female LDS lawyer who was really excited to discover our Chapter's existence.  She does not live close to any other members of our Chapter but was keen to meet other LDS lawyers.  I now see how we can help her and our other female members support one another outside of events, even if they are not in close proximity to one another.

A few days later I received this update:

I have now heard back from my Catholic friend, barrister and former colleague at Chambers.  He is happy to join JRCLS, is going to serve on our board in an inter-faith capacity and will be attending our event with Elder Holland.   We only have 2 or 3 non-LDS members of the Chapter out of approximately one hundred.  I have also spoken with the Chair of our Student Chapter and was pleased to hear that the Student Chapter had reached out to non-LDS students at the University of Nottingham last year and had 30 students sign up to be members. We are going to look at ways to foster and promote inter-faith relationships and activity within the Chapter for the future.

Thank you, Charlotte, for setting such a good example for us all.

Attorney Trio Guides Kansas YW

It is perhaps unique in the LDS Church: Not one, not two, but three attorneys serving the Young Women in the Colly Creek Ward, Topeka Kansas Stake. Holly Fisher, first counselor, is a business litigator with Swanson Midgley. Sandra Sharon, second counselor, is an Administrative Law Judge. Angel Zimmerman, Beehive advisor, is managing partner at Valentine, Zimmerman & Zimmerman.

Holly Fisher speaks for the other leaders when she says, "We are blessed to serve in the company of talented, busy women who somehow manage to balance their service in the Gospel with family and work in the most amazing ways." Sandra Sharon believes it is "no coincidence that we have such strong leadership for our young women. We are charged with teaching them that they have skills and talents that are divinely given. Heavenly Father has called them to come forth at this time when they will need to be valiant and strong women--as daughters, wives, mothers--and make profound contributions to their families and communities."