Koffel | Brininger | Nesbitt takes pride in uplifting the next generation of movers and shakers. That’s why the firm first created its Moral Responsibility and the Application of Law Scholarship. The scholarship drives applicants to think critically about the legal system and the role certain players uphold within it.
This year, the scholarship’s $2,500 reward goes to Johns Hopkins student Omar Reyes. Reyes addresses the legal system from an immigrant’s perspective.
His video emphasizes his belief that attorneys must prioritize an objective truth over private ambitions if they want to make the system more accessible to clients who’ve been failed by the system before.
Our Columbus criminal defense lawyers applaud Reyes’ efforts to tackle this scholarship’s complicated question and hope that the scholarship will help him complete the upcoming semester with less financial stress.
Reyes Asks: How Do We Define Justice?
Reyes opens his scholarship essay with a poignant question: how does the legal system define justice? The definition varies from person to person–can the judicial system really advocate for “justice for all” when perspectives on justice are so frequently changing?
It’s a difficult question to pose and a harder one to answer, considering the way the criminal circuit has evolved since the founding of the United States.
The Bureau of Justice emphasizes that understandings of the law have dramatically branched, as illustrated by charts created by the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice in 1967.
Reyes argues that different parties’ understandings of justice become most evident when onlookers consider how lawyers behave in court. Reyes specifically asks his audience whether lawyers should be mouthpieces for certain sides of an argument or if they should uphold what he refers to as an “objective truth.”
What Roles Should Attorneys Play in the Judicial System?
Reyes’ questions about lawyers’ conduct sparks a larger discussion among his audience as he dares listeners to question how prosecutors and defense attorneys might define an objective truth. The statement also begs the question: what should the court do as understandings of the law change?
Reyes’ ability to pull these questions out of his audience reflects his insights and struck a chord with Koffel | Brininger | Nesbitt’s scholarship selection committee, leading the team to award him its scholarship.
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Perspectives Brought About by Personal Experience
Reyes’ perspectives on the judicial system come from generational experience. In his video, he speaks briefly about his grandparents. His grandparents lost access to all of their savings due to a real estate scheme and then refused to engage with the legal system due to mistrust of lawyers and judges.
It’s in light of these losses and his grandparents’ lack of faith in the system that Reyes demands more clarity from the judicial system. He emphasizes that he believes lawyers shouldn’t have their relationships with clients corrupted by overarching personal goals but that they should instead adhere to that aforementioned “objective truth.”
If the system ever does adopt a more client-forward approach to justice, Reyes hopes that it will restore at-risk communities’ lost faith. He also hopes that a changed system will provide recourse to parties who’ve had their trust violated by a circuit that he believes hasn’t appropriately reacted to fraud cases.
Reyes’ Goals for the Future
Reyes is currently studying Economics and Molecular & Cellular Biology at Johns Hopkins. He says that the combination of studies allows him to break down the logistics of healthcare accessibility while also understanding what scientific discoveries promote certain scientific advancements.
Reyes’ dual degree allows him to make waves after graduating. In his own words, he “plan[s] to work in a career that combines finance and healthcare.
Whether through venture capital, finance, or entrepreneurship, I want to drive investments into technologies that improve patient outcomes and redefine the future of medicine.”
He hopes that his investments in the healthcare industry will eventually make essential treatments more efficient and financially accessible.
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About the Moral Responsibility and the Application of Law Scholarship
The Moral Responsibility and the Application of Law Scholarship asks students to think critically about the nature of the judicial system. Koffel | Brininger | Nesbitt wants applicants to consider how attorneys work within the civil and criminal systems while also asking themselves what moral responsibilities attorneys have to their clients.
Koffel | Brininger | Nesbitt invites undergraduate and graduate students across all fields to apply for this scholarship. Each year’s winner will receive $2,500 to dedicate toward their continuing education.
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Congratulations, Omar Reyes
Reyes speaks passionately about his hopes for the judicial system. The team with Koffel | Brininger | Nesbitt does not doubt that his passion will serve him well as he wraps up his undergraduate career.
Our criminal defense lawyers once again applaud his eloquence and wish him the best of luck with the semesters to come.
Students interested in applying for the Moral Responsibility and the Application of Law Scholarship can keep an eye on the Koffel | Brininger | Nesbitt website. Applications are now open, with the deadline closing on August 15, 2025.
Call or text 614-884-1100 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
