Vermont Law School (VLS) is a private, American Bar Associationâ€'accredited law school located in South Royalton, Vermont. The school has one of the United States' leading programs in environmental law, and has maintained consistently high ranking in Environmental Law by U.S. News and World Report. The Law School offers several degrees, including Juris Doctor (JD), Master of Laws (LLM) in Environmental Law, Master of Environmental Law and Policy (MELP), Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy (MFALP), Master of Energy Regulation and Law (MERL), and dual degrees with a diverse range of institutions. According to Vermont Law School's 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 54.5% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.
Campus
Vermont Law School's 13-acre (5.3Â ha) campus is located in South Royalton in central Vermont. The campus is set just above the broad banks of the White River.
The oldest and centermost classroom building on the campus is the town's original schoolhouse, built in 1892. In 2005 the former town schoolhouse (the original Law School building in 1973) was renovated and renamed Debevoise Hall, after one of the first deans of the Law School, Thomas M. Debevoise. Practicing what it preaches, the Law School emphasized environmental concerns in the renovation, as well as historical preservation and design efficiency. Debevoise Hall was the only LEED Silver Certified renovation building project in the state of Vermont. Debevoise Hall continues to serve as classroom space and now also houses administration offices, the Environmental Law Center, and the Yates Common Room.
The James L. and Evelena S. Oakes Hall building was constructed and dedicated in 1998. Oakes Hall incorporates "green building" techniques along with the latest classroom technology.
Jonathon Chase, the late former dean of the Law School, liked to joke that South Royalton was the only town in America "with a law school and no stop light." Vermont Law School holds the distinction of being the law school farthest from a traffic light, at 27 miles (43Â km). As of September 2016, South Royalton does not have a stoplight.
History
Vermont Law School was founded in 1972 by the late Dr. Anthony Doria and held its first classes in the summer of 1973 with 113 students in what was then known as the old South Royalton schoolhouse. In December 1973, VLS was certified by the Vermont State Board of Education as an institution of higher learning. Provisional ABA approval came in February 1975, and a full complement of classes were offered in the fall of 1975. The Law School's charter class graduated in spring 1976. Full approval by the ABA came in 1978, and the Law School was accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) in 1980. VLS became a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) in 1981.
Solomon Amendment
Vermont Law School was one of two law schools in the U.S. to refuse cooperation with the Solomon Amendment, a statute passed by Congress requiring colleges and universities to allow military recruitment on campus or risk losing federal funding. The school is also part of FAIR Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, a consortium of 38 law schools and law faculties that challenged the Solomon Amendment in Rumsfeld v. FAIR. Following the repeal of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' in 2011, all law schools in the country now cooperate with the Solomon Amendment.
Academics
As well as the Juris Doctor (JD), the Law School offers several degrees and joint-degrees, as well as degrees with other universities. Degrees include Master of Laws (LLM) in Environmental Law, Master of Laws (LLM) in American Legal Studies, Master of Laws (LLM) in Food and Agriculture Law, and Master of Laws (LLM) in Energy Law; Master of Environmental Law and Policy (MELP), Master of Energy Regulation and Law (MERL), and Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy (MFALP).
The Law School has partnered with different domestic and international universities to offer dual-degree programs. Domestic schools include: Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (JD/Master of Environmental Management), Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth (MELP/Master of Business Administration), the University of Vermont Rubenstein School of Natural Resources (MELP/Master of Science in Natural Resources), Thunderbird School of Global Management (JD/Masters of Business Administration), the University of South Carolina (MELP/JD), University of South Dakota (MELP/JD), and Northeastern University School of Law (MELP/JD). International universities include the University of Cambridge (JD/master of philosophy), Cergy-Pontoise University (France), and the University of Seville (Spain).
Julien and Virginia Cornell Library
The Julien and Virginia Cornell Library opened in 1991. The library contains over 250,000 print volumes, including primary and secondary legal materials focusing on state, national, and international law. The library also possesses a collection of microforms including congressional documents, state session laws, and briefs. The library's electronic collection includes access to LexisNexis and Westlaw and other online gateways and databases, as well as a large catalog of full-text electronic journals and books and databases offering primary legal materials.
Vermont Law School maintains "an extensive interdisciplinary environmental collection, including journals, monographs, electronic resources, and other material related to the study of the environment and environmental law and policy."
Centers, institutes, clinics, and programs
Law Centers and Research Institutes
- Environmental Law Centerâ€"The Environmental Law Center (ELC) began in 1978 with eight master's degree students. As noted, the ELC's program is consistently top-ranked by U.S.News & World Report. The ELC confers both the Master of Environmental Law and Policy (MELP) and Master of Laws in Environmental Law (LLM) degrees. The Class of 2008 included 87 students receiving these master's degrees.
- Center for Agriculture and Food Systemsâ€"The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) has a dual mission: to train the next generation of food and agriculture advocates and entrepreneurs, and to create innovative legal tools supporting the new food movement. CAFS trains students through a comprehensive array of residential and distance learning courses and a Food and Agriculture Clinic. VLS offers a JD Certificate in Food and Agriculture, and both Master's and LLM degrees in Food and Agriculture Law and Policy. CAFS' diverse course offerings, law clinic and degree options make it the most comprehensive sustainable food, agriculture, and environmental law graduate program in the country.
- Institute for Energy & the Environmentâ€"The Institute for Energy and the Environment (IEE) is a national and international resource for energy law and policy. The institute offers a full course curriculum and a certificate of concentration during the academic year and through its Energy Summer seminars; distributes scholarly, technical, and practical publications; provides forums and conferences for professional education and issue development; and serves as a center for graduate research on energy issues, with an environmental awareness. The Institute’s research team is selected from top students in the energy and environmental programs at Vermont Law School. The Institute maintains the IEE blog focused on current events and research.
- Environmental Tax Policy Instituteâ€"The Institute analyzes ways in which taxation can address environmental problems. As a resource for the public and private sectors, non-governmental organizations, the press and academia, the Institute seeks to better inform the public policy debate about the role of environmental taxes at the local, state and federal levels.
- Land Use Instituteâ€"The Land Use Institute (LUI) addresses intensifying land use law and policy issues at the local, national, and international levels that critically pertain to the development of a sustainable society. These issues include application of smart growth principles, ecological planning, affordable housing, flood hazard mitigation, improving the confluence of energy and land use regulatory decision-making and other permitting processes, and land conservation strategies. LUI works with VLS faculty and students, and other nonprofit legal and professional planning partners, to provide sound and innovative information, experience, and education to advance the practice of land use law and planning. This mission is served through direct support for local and regional planning agencies, forums and conferences for issue development, preparation of legislation affecting critical land use issues, education and training for state and local land use planners and regulators, practical and scholarly publications, and graduate professional teaching.
Clinics and Experiential Programs
- Environmental & Natural Resource Law Clinicâ€"The clinic engages in litigation and advocacy, including: winning a major victory for the endangered gray wolf; protecting wetlands and tributaries; litigating on behalf of individuals threatened by the mining operations of a major, multi-national company; and defending a sacred tribal site. Student clinicians work on behalf of public interest, environmental, and conservation organizations, and learn how to find their way through the complex maze of laws and procedures that regulate economic development and resource extraction activities.
- South Royalton Legal Clinicâ€"The South Royalton Legal Clinic (legal clinic for the area's low-income residents) was established in 1979. In 2007â€"08, the clinic supervised 58 clinicians and work-study students and handled a caseload of 119 cases.
- General Practice Programâ€"The General Practice Program (GPP) was instituted in 1987. The GPP is recipient of the American Bar Association's E. Smythe Gambrell Award for Professionalism, a national award for law schools and other organizations in recognition for advancing professionalism in the practice of law.
- Legal Clinic of Petrozavodsk State University â€" Under the patronage of Vermont School of Law at the Faculty of Petrozavodsk State University opened the first legal clinic in Russia in October 1995, supported by the Council of Judges.
Employment
According to Vermont Law School's official 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 54.5% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation. Vermont Law School's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 29%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2013 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.
Tuition and financial aid
JD tuition for 2015â€"2016 is $46,848. Eighty-eight percent of the entering JD Class of 2014 received a partial merit scholarship.
Publications
Vermont Law School students publish two legal journals, the Vermont Law Review and the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, on a regular basis several times a year in print and online. In addition to regular publication, both journals sponsor annual symposia.
Notable faculty and administrators
- Peter A. Bradford, current professor at Vermont Law School, former member of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Mark Cooper
- Douglas M. Costle, former Dean of Vermont Law School and former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator
- Philip H. Hoff, former Vermont Law School Trustee, 1983â€"1999, Trustee Emeritus since 1999
- Denise R. Johnson, first woman appointed to the Vermont Supreme Court, instructor in legal writing, 1978â€"1980
- Deborah Markowitz, Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, former Vermont Secretary of State, adjunct professor
- James L. Oakes, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Vermont Law School Board of Trustees (1976â€"1994)
- Robert D. Rachlin, Partner in Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC, the state's largest law firm, current professor at Vermont Law School
- Norman Redlich, Warren Commission researcher, VLS Board of Trustees (1977â€"1999)
- Benjamin K. Sovacool, founding Director of the Energy Security & Justice Program at their Institute for Energy and Environment, 2015 American Bar Association Environment, Energy, and Resources Dedication to Diversity and Justice Award
- Gus Speth, current professor at Vermont Law School, co-founder of Natural Resources Defense Council
Notable alumni
- Arnie Arnesen, J.D. 1981, member, New Hampshire House of Representatives (1985â€"1993), Democratic nominee for Governor of New Hampshire, 1992, candidate for United States House of Representatives, 1996
- Sarah E. Buxton, J.D. 2010, member of the Vermont House of Representatives
- Karen Carroll, J.D. 1988, Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court since 2017
- Harold "Duke" Eaton, Jr., J.D. 1980, Vermont Supreme Court Associate Justice (2014â€"present)
- Vincent Illuzzi, J.D. 1978, youngest person ever elected to Vermont State Senate, State Senator 1981â€"2013, Essex County State's Attorney since 1998, unsuccessful 2012 Republican nominee for Vermont Auditor of Accounts
- Elizabeth MacDonough, J.D. 1998, first female and current Parliamentarian of the United States Senate
- Charles A. Murphy, J.D. 1990, member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee
- Sterry R. Waterman, J.D. 1977, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
See also
- List of American institutions of higher education
- List of colleges and universities in Vermont
References
External links
- Vermont Law School official website