Alan Sears

Alan Sears serves as Founder of Alliance Defending Freedom. As the first president, CEO, and general counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom, Sears led all strategic initiatives from 1993-2017. He built an international team committed to a comprehensive legal strategy that includes training, funding, and legal advocacy—resulting in important roles in 52 landmark victories at the U.S. Supreme Court.

The National Law Journal reported, “ADF’s undefeated record at the Supreme Court in the last five years is unmatched by any other litigant that has argued at least four cases, according to an analysis by Empirical SCOTUS. ADF has argued nine times before the high court in the last seven years and won every time, including twice last year.”

Beginning with the launch of ADF in 1994, Sears provided strategic leadership in the recruiting and training of over 2,000 lawyers from 44 countries through the one-of-a-kind Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Academy. These attorneys have reported more than $210 million in pro- bono/dedicated time. Sears’ visionary efforts also resulted in the graduation of more than 2,100 outstanding law students—representing 227 schools and 21 countries—from the world-class Blackstone Legal Fellowship leadership-training program. ADF has offices in Mexico City, Brussels, Geneva, London, Strasbourg, and Vienna, an affiliate in New Delhi, and at the United Nations in New York and Geneva and has won 14 cases at the International Court of Human Rights.

He served in numerous positions within the Reagan and Bush administrations for the Departments of Justice and Interior. A graduate of the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law and the University of Kentucky, Sears has continued his education with professional instruction at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Harvard Law School, Harvard Business School, Pepperdine University, and most recently earned a certificate in Catholic Social Doctrine from the Catholic University of America.

He has received many awards and honors. In 2017, Pope Francis knighted Alan Sears and his wife, Paula, into the Order of St. Gregory the Great, the highest honor that the Pope bestows upon laity.

In addition, he served for almost a combined 30 years with various local Parish and Diocese of Phoenix entities and school boards as well as chairing Catholic Education Arizona.

Sears has appeared on hundreds of radio and television programs and has been profiled extensively by The New York TimesThe Washington PostThe Washington TimesThe Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Arizona Republic, and National Catholic Register. He has co-authored several books including The Soul of an American President: The Untold Story of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Faith with Craig Osten.

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