OCAN History
The idea for a national Orthodox attorneys group was first conceived in 2010 when a group of attorneys met at the Atlanta law office of Bill Marianes to plan for the incorporation of the new Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America.
But it wasn’t until seven years later in 2017 when about 30 Orthodox attorneys gathered for an uplifting first-ever national pan-Orthodox attorney meeting in southern California. Ken Liu, who at the time was on staff of the Christian Legal Society (CLS), invited Orthodox attorneys from around the country and various jurisdictions to meet at the CLS national conference.
Prominent Orthodox leader and attorney Charles Ajalat provided inspiration for creating the group and generously hosted a special dinner at his southern California home to kick off the first event. Everyone had a wonderful time of fellowship and knew they wanted to continue meeting together.
The informal group became the Orthodox Christian Attorney Network (OCAN) and continued to host annual gatherings with engaging speakers such as Stephanos Bibas, U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals judge, and Bishop Maxim Vasiljević of the Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Unfortunately, the annual gatherings were disrupted by the pandemic. Since then, OCAN continued hosting online webinars, panel discussions, and a popular monthly “Women’s Coffee Hour”.
Recognizing the great potential for serving the Orthodox legal community and the Orthodox Church at large, the OCAN steering committee transitioned to become the OCAN Board of Directors and established a formal nonprofit corporation in February 2024.
OCAN Future
There is much potential for what OCAN can do to help attorneys serve each other, the Church, and the world. We’re excited to see what the Lord has in store for us. We invite you to join us and help shape our future!
We welcome you to check out our speaker lists and photos from past OCAN conferences below.
Keynote - “Healing a House Divided: An Orthodox Christian Spiritual Perspective on Equality, Justice, and Unity in Troubled Times”
Hon. Stephanos Bibas, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Introduction & Prayer
Archbishop Michael Dahulich, Orthodox Church in America; Chair, Legal Affairs Committee, Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops
“How the Law Prepares Us to Preach the Gospel”
Steven Christoforou, Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministries, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
