The Austin Fellowship is a group of current and aspiring legal professionals that seeks to engage the American legal culture with orthodox Christian convictions. This mission is thoroughly captured in the Preamble to the Fellowship's Constitution:

THE AUSTIN FELLOWSHIP exists to educate and develop a community of attorneys centered around an orthodox Christian world-view, who, through their careers, will seek to:

ENGAGE the American legal culture with that world-view, seeking to restore in the American legal system the once-dominant conviction that America's laws are grounded in objective truth and divine revelation;

DEVELOP strategies to catalyze a renaissance in the American legal system by re-establishing the rule of law found in America's common law heritage in conformity with biblical and natural law principles and, in so doing, to promote the renewal of American culture; and

IMPLEMENT these strategies from positions of leadership and influence within the legal profession to bring about needed change in America's legal system.

In the fall of 2002, a charter group of approximately 30 law students and attorneys met in Washington, D.C. to discuss the formation of a group of current and aspiring legal professionals that would seek to engage the American legal culture from an orthodox Christian worldview. These individuals expressed the desire to: 1) provide a forum and network for like-minded legal professionals to discuss cultural issues from an orthodox Christian perspective and how to implement and affect change accordingly; and 2) develop the group by recruiting like-minded legal professionals and training Christian law students.

Out of this meeting came the Austin Fellowship. The name "Austin" is the Anglicized name for St. Augustine of Hippo, the famous Latin Church Father. In his famous work City of God, Augustine described the timeless culture war that exists between two ethereal "cities" that seek our allegiance: the City of Man (populated by individuals who love themselves and hold God in contempt), and the City of God (populated by individuals who love God and hold themselves in contempt). The Fellows - like Augustine - believe the Christian's role in the midst of this "antithesis" is to seek to be an agent of change in American legal culture by proclaiming the message of God's timeless truths. 
 

Currently, there are 39 Fellows in the United States and internationally. Fellows reside in widely diverse places such as Washington, D.C., Nebraska, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Alabama, Texas, and Missouri. They pursue equally diverse career paths in judicial clerkships, non-profit organizations, public-interest law firms, higher education, state Attorney General offices, the United States Department of Justice, the United States Department of Defense, the United States Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the private sector.

The Austin Fellowship is led by a Chief Executive Officer, Eric Kniffin, and Board of Directors, comprised of seven Fellows. The Fellowship has formed several committees to help enact its goals:

Events Committee: Maintains the Fellowship's website and contact directory, and plans conferences and reunions.

Financial Committee: Responsible for formulating an annual budget and fund-raising.

Membership Committee: Oversees the Fellowship's recruiting,
nomination, and application process.