Erik W. Stanley

Erik W. Stanley serves as Assistant Professor of Law at Liberty University School of Law where he teaches in the area of civil procedure, constitutional law, and nonprofit law. He graduated with a J.D. from Temple University School of Law and with an M.Div. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.

Professor Stanley began his legal career at Liberty Counsel where he advanced to Chief Counsel and litigated numerous cases involving religious liberty issues across the United States. He was part of the legal team in the United States Supreme Court case of McCreary County v. ACLU. He later served as Senior Counsel and the Director of the Center for Christian Ministries at Alliance Defending Freedom where he was the lead attorney, leading litigation and strategic initiatives to protect the constitutional rights of churches and ministries. While at ADF, Prof. Stanley was second chair in the United States Supreme Court case of Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer. Following his work at ADF, Prof. Stanley achieved partnership at Provident Law where he focused his practice on representing churches and nonprofit organizations.

During the course of his legal career, Prof. Stanley served on a panel of legal experts advising the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability Legal Commission tasked with reviewing tax code treatment of churches and religious organizations and making recommendations to Congress. He also has presented continuing legal education courses regarding the legal issues facing churches and nonprofit organizations, and has appeared in numerous local and national print, radio, and television media sources. Prof. Stanley is licensed to practice law in Virginia, Florida, and Arizona and is admitted to the bar of the United States Supreme Court, every federal circuit court of appeal, and numerous federal district courts.