"Our human vocation is to reproduce on earth at every level, in the church and in society,
the movement of mutual love that exists from all eternity within God the Trinity." 

                                                                                                 – Met. Kallistos Ware

Vision

We envision a national fellowship of attorneys transformed by the Orthodox faith, a stronger Orthodox Church, and a society impacted by the love of Christ.

Mission

Our mission is to inspire Orthodox attorneys to live out their lives and careers fully for Christ, to serve and fortify the Orthodox Church, and to make a positive impact on our nation and the world.

Core values

• Christ-centered: We seek to have Christ at the heart of all we do.
• Pan-Orthodox: We seek to work together with people of all Orthodox jurisdictions for the benefit of the entire Orthodox Church.
• Service-oriented: We seek to serve the Orthodox Church, the Orthodox legal community, and the world around us.
• Fellowship-based: We seek to build strong personal relationships with each other and those we serve.
• Non-partisan: We seek to do everything without favoring any jurisdictions or ideologies, but with regard to the entire Orthodox Church and all those whom we serve.

Purposes

The Orthodox Christian Attorney Network (OCAN) is a national, pan-Orthodox organization that seeks to serve the Orthodox legal community, the Orthodox Church, and our communities and nation.

1. Service to the Orthodox legal community

Through national conferences and local/regional gatherings, OCAN seeks to bring together Orthodox attorneys and law students to build long-lasting professional and personal relationships with multiple purposes:

• Spiritual – We seek to come alongside and help attorneys integrate the Orthodox faith with the practice of law, and develop both peer and mentoring relationships to spur each other on in this regard.
• Educational – We seek to provide educational resources on a variety of topics of benefit to Orthodox attorneys, such as serving the Church, legal ethics, law and mental health, and many others.
• Professional – We seek to create a national network of Orthodox attorneys to facilitate professional connections.
• Social – We seek to be a fellowship for creating personal relationships with other attorneys who share our common Orthodox faith.

2. Service to the Orthodox Church

Many Orthodox attorneys are called upon to provide legal advice and assistance to their parishes, jurisdictions, and Orthodox ministries, whether formally or informally. Often they do so without any experience or training in the legal areas of need.  OCAN seeks to:

• Provide training and resources to attorneys on legal issues commonly faced by parishes, jurisdictions, and other Orthodox ministry organizations. We will do this through conferences, webinars, trainings, and an online library of shared resources.
• Encourage, recruit, and train a pool of attorneys who can be called upon to provide pro bono services to Orthodox jurisdictions, parishes, and other ministries.

3. Service to the community and nation

Part of our obligation as Christians is to love our neighbors and serve others. OCAN seeks to encourage Orthodox attorneys and help facilitate service to our communities and society at large on matters such as:

• Assistance to the needy – Only about 20% of low-income people with legal problems can find affordable help. OCAN can help encourage and train attorneys to provide pro bono services to those need.
• Religious freedom – Churches and other religious entities are facing increasing legal threats. OCAN can help encourage and train attorneys to engage in the defense of religious liberties.
• Servant leadership – Attorneys are often called to leadership positions in many sectors of society. OCAN seeks to inspire and train attorneys to be better leaders and servants within their communities.