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Vermont Law and Graduate School

Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) is a private law and public policy graduate school in South Royalton, Vermont. It is the only ABA-accredited law school in the state. It 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 the school's 2018 ABA-required disclosures, 61.5% of the Class of 2018 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.[4]

Vermont Law and Graduate School
Vermont Law School seal
MottoLex pro urbe et orbe ("Law for the Community and the World")
Established1972; 52 years ago (1972)
School typePrivate law school
DeanRodney A. Smolla, President Beth McCormack, Dean
LocationSouth Royalton, Vermont, United States
43°49′18″N 72°31′16″W / 43.8218°N 72.5210°W / 43.8218; -72.5210
Enrollment464 (J.D.)[1]
Faculty109
USNWR ranking168th (tie) (2024)[2]
Bar pass rate77.6% (2020)[3]
Websitewww.vermontlaw.edu/

History

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Debevoise Hall

Vermont Law School was founded in 1972 by Anthony Doria[5] 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. Doria resigned as dean of the school in 1974, after it emerged that he had been convicted of embezzlement by a Pennsylvania court in 1958, though the charges were later vacated.[6] 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.[7]

Solomon Amendment

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From 1982 until 2011, Vermont Law School was one of two law schools in the U.S. to decline to receive federal funding under the Solomon Amendment. That statute passed by Congress required colleges and universities to allow military recruitment on campus or risk losing federal funding.[8] 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, and lost. Following the repeal of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' in 2011, the school has allowed military recruitment on campus.

Recent history

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In 2018, the law school controversially stripped tenure from 75% of its faculty, citing financial exigencies.[9] Vermont Law School was subsequently added to a list of sanctioned institutions by the American Association of University Professors for "serious departures by the administration and/or governing board from generally accepted standards of college and university government".[10]

In 2022, the school added additional graduate programs and rebranded as the Vermont Law and Graduate School.[11][12] It also added a hybrid JD program.[13]

Academics

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Vermont Law School also offers an Accelerated Juris Doctor program that allows JD students to graduate in just two years (as opposed to the traditional three-year JD program), through the completion of two full-time academic semesters during the summer.[14]

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 American Legal Studies, Environmental Law, Food and Agriculture Law, and in Energy Law

There is also a Master of Environmental Law and Policy (MELP), Master of Energy Regulation and Law (MERL), and Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy (MFALP).

In 2022, the ABA's Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar determined VLGS had failed to significantly comply with Standard 316, which was revised in 2019 to provide that at least 75% of an accredited law school's graduates who took a bar exam must pass one within two years of graduation.[15] Graduates in 2019 had a 67.54% bar pass rate.[15] However, VLGS had an 82.84% pass rate in 2018, and the school described the 2019 results as an anomaly.[15] The ABA determined the school was back in compliance by March of 2023.[16]

Joint programs

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The Law School has partnered with different domestic and international universities to offer dual-degree programs. Domestic schools include: Yale School of the Environment (JD/Master of Environmental Management),[17][18] 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

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The Julien and Virginia Cornell Library opened in 1991.[19] The library contains over 250,000 print volumes, including primary and secondary legal materials focusing on state, national, and international law.[20] 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."[21]

Campus

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Abbott House
 
Center for Legal Services and campus bookstore

Vermont Law and Graduate School's 13-acre (5.3 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 Debevoise Hall, 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 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.[22] Debevoise Hall continues to serve as classroom space and now also houses administration offices, the Environmental Law Center, and the Yates Common Room.[7]

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.[19]

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.[23] As of January 2021, South Royalton does not have a stoplight.

In January 2020, VLGS opened a new satellite office in Burlington, which hosts the school's immigration law clinic and additional admissions office.[24]

Centers, institutes, clinics, and programs

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Law centers and research institutes

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  • Environmental Law Center — 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.[25] 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 Systems (CAFS) — 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. VLGS 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. CAFS also publishes a variety of resources on food and agriculture policy topics.[26]
  • Institute for Energy & the Environment — 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.[27] The Institute's research team is selected from top students in the energy and environmental programs at Vermont Law School.[28] The Institute maintains the IEE blog focused on current events and research.
  • Environmental Tax Policy Institute — 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 Institute — 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

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  • Environmental Advocacy Clinic — The Environmental Advocacy Clinic assists major conservation organizations and local community groups to promote access to justice on important environmental and natural resources issues.[29] In 2019, the National Wildlife Federation selected the Environmental Advocacy Clinic to represent the Federation on its national legal advocacy work.[30]
  • Environmental Justice Clinic — Launched in 2019, the Environmental Justice Clinic became one of the only law clinics specifically devoted to environmental justice, providing legal services to low income communities and communities of color fighting the unjust distribution of pollution sources within those areas.[31]
  • Energy Clinic—Started in 2014, the Energy Clinic is one of the only law clinics in the United States focused on promoting climate justice and renewable energy. The Energy Clinic provides opportunities for students to progressively develop the knowledge, skills, and values integral to the field of energy law and policy, while helping clients meet local energy needs with reliable, clean, and affordable resources.[32]
  • Food and Agriculture Clinic — Students in the Food and Agriculture Clinic collaborate with local, regional, national, and international partners, and engage in law and policy work that addresses challenges related to food and land justice, public health, the economy, food security, and animal welfare.[33]
  • South Royalton Legal Clinic — The South Royalton Legal Clinic serves Vermont residents who are unable to afford counsel and who need assistance with issues such as bankruptcy, children's rights, disability, domestic violence, family law, housing, immigration, veterans issues and wills.[34]
  • Legislative Clinic — In the Legislative Clinic, students to work under the supervision of attorneys supporting the work of the Vermont General Assembly. Under the supervision of the Vermont Legislative Council, students work on bills, amendments, and related research projects. They observe floor debates, attend committee hearings, and participate in hearings as needed by the committees.[35]
  • Immigration Clinic — Expanded alongside the opening of the Burlington satellite office in 2020, this clinic offers assistance to Vermonters on issues of immigration law.[36]
  • General Practice Program — 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 — 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

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According to Vermont Law School's official 2018 ABA-required disclosures, 61.5% of the Class of 2018 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.[4] 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.[37]

Tuition and financial aid

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JD tuition for 2018-19 is $48,254.[38] 67.4% percent of students receive some sort of scholarship.[1]

Publications

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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

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Notable alumni

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Vermont Law School ABA §509 Disclosures" (PDF). Vermont Law School. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  2. ^ "Vermont Law School". U.S. News & World Report – Best Law Schools. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  3. ^ "VLS Bar Passage Data" (PDF). Vermont Law School. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Employment Statistics". Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  5. ^ M. D. Drysdale (October 17, 2013). "Law School Founder Doria Is Dead". The White River Valley Herald. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  6. ^ "Warped Sense of Issues". Rutland Herald. August 4, 1980. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Vermont Law School (2009). "Vermont Law School – History and Mission". Retrieved April 27, 2009.
  8. ^ Zezima, Katie (June 29, 2008). "Law School Pays the Price in 'Don't Ask' Rule Protest, New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
  9. ^ "AAUP investigation finds Vermont Law School violated shared governance when it stripped tenure from most faculty". www.insidehighered.com. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  10. ^ "Sanctioned Institutions". AAUP. July 21, 2006. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  11. ^ D'Auria, Peter (June 21, 2022). "Vermont Law School to rebrand, add master's degree programs". VTDigger. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  12. ^ "Vermont Law School to Change Name, Become Graduate Institution as Part of Major Restructuring, Expansion-driven Growth Plan". Vermont Law School. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  13. ^ "Vermont Law and Graduate School". Vermont Law and Graduate School. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  14. ^ "Accelerated Juris Doctor (AJD) | Vermont Law School". www.vermontlaw.edu. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  15. ^ a b c "3 law schools dinged for low bar pass rates". Stephanie Francis Ward, ABA Journal, December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  16. ^ "3 law schools dinged on bar pass rates see improvement; another back in compliance with diversity standard". Stephanie Francis Ward, ABA Journal, March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  17. ^ Yale School of the Environment: Master's Programs
  18. ^ Bosselmann, Klauss (2010). Berkshire Encyclopedia of Sustainability Vol. 3: Law and Politics of Sustainability. Berkshire Publishing Group. p. 147. ISBN 978-1-933782-14-0.
  19. ^ a b "Id".
  20. ^ School, Vermont. "Vermont Law School". Vermont Law School. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  21. ^ Library Information (2008). "Information about Julien and Virginia Library: Collections". Archived from the original (webpage) on December 22, 2007. Retrieved April 4, 2008.
  22. ^ "U.S. Green Building Council". Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  23. ^ Nemethy, Andrew (The New York Times) (May 15, 1988). "Off the Beaten Track to Study Law – The New York Times". Retrieved April 27, 2009.
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  25. ^ "2023 Best Environmental Law Programs". Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  26. ^ "Reports and Issue Briefs". Vermont Law School. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  27. ^ "Dworkin's Leadership at VLS Wins National Recognition". The Herald of Randolph. December 4, 2008.
  28. ^ The Associated Press (April 5, 2010). "Vermont Law School gets $450K for smart grid study". BusinessWeek. Archived from the original on April 8, 2010.
  29. ^ "Environmental Advocacy Clinic | Vermont Law School". www.vermontlaw.edu. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  30. ^ "Vermont Law School Selected by National Wildlife Federation to Partner on Environmental Advocacy Clinic | Vermont Law School". www.vermontlaw.edu. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  31. ^ "Environmental Justice Clinic | Vermont Law School". www.vermontlaw.edu. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  32. ^ "Energy Clinic | Vermont Law School". www.vermontlaw.edu. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  33. ^ "Food and Agriculture Clinic | Vermont Law School". www.vermontlaw.edu. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  34. ^ "South Royalton Legal Clinic | Vermont Law School". www.vermontlaw.edu. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  35. ^ "Legislative Clinic | Vermont Law School". www.vermontlaw.edu. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  36. ^ "Vermont Law School Announces New Location and Expanded Access to Legal Services in Burlington | Vermont Law School". www.vermontlaw.edu. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  37. ^ "Unemployment Score".
  38. ^ "VLS Tuition & Financial Aid". Vermont Law School. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  39. ^ "Representative Susan Buckholz". legislature.vermont.gov. State of Vermont. Archived from the original on May 23, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  40. ^ "Faculty Biography, Stephen Dycus". Vermont Law.edu. South Royalton, VT: Vermont Law and Graduate School. 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  41. ^ Hutchinson, Dennis J. (Autumn 2002). "Remembering Grant Gilmore" (PDF). The Green Bag. Washington, DC: Green Bag Press. p. 70.
  42. ^ "John W. Hennessey, Jr., March 25, 1925 - January 11, 2018". J Hennessey.org. January 31, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  43. ^ Russell, Jenna (February 21, 2023). "In Vermont, a School and Artist Fight Over Murals of Slavery". The New York Times. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  44. ^ Courtmanche, John (December 2, 2017). "Trustees Establish Environmental Professorship to Honor Jonathan Lash Presidency". Hampshire.edu. Amherst, MA: Hampshire College. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  45. ^ "Visiting Hall of Fame Professor Michael McCann Teaches MC Law Summer Classes". Mississippi College News. Clinton, MS: Mississippi College. May 18, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  46. ^ "Animal Rights Champion Steven Wise Discusses Nonhuman Rights Project April 21 at Vermont Law School". Vermont Law.edu. South Royalton, VT: Vermont Law and Graduate School. April 1, 2016.
  47. ^ "Deborah \Arnie\ Arnesen". Harvard University Institute of Politics. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
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  50. ^ "Biography, Sen. John Cavanaugh Jr". Nebraska Legislature.gov. Lincoln, NE: Nebraska Legislature. 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  51. ^ "Biography, Honorable Karen R. Carroll". Vermont Court System. Montpelier, VT: Vermont Judiciary. 2017.
  52. ^ "Faculty Directory, Thomas K. Clancy". Law.Olemiss.edu. University, MS: University of Mississippi. 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  53. ^ Westberg, Carol, ed. (Fall 2009). "Tom Clancy '80: Where Society and the Individual Intersect". Loquitur. South Royalton, VT: Vermont Law School. p. 22 – via Issuu.
  54. ^ Jensen, Lori (October 25, 2019). "Speaker Biography, William D. Cohen". VTACDL Fall Continuing Legal Education. Essex Junction, VT: Vermont Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
  55. ^ "Shumlin taps Judge Harold Eaton for high court". Washington Times. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  56. ^ "Amanda Gourgue". Meeting Revolution. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  57. ^ "Biography, Vincent Illuzzi". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  58. ^ "Adam Lee". Ballotpedia. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  59. ^ "Biography, Chris Mathias, J.D., Ph.D." HCM Strategists.com. Austin, TX: HCM Strategists. 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  60. ^ Elizabeth MacDonough – Vermont Law School Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine. Vermontlaw.edu. Retrieved on 2014-04-12.
  61. ^ Vermont Senate (2019). "Biography, Senator Dick McCormack". legislature.vermont.gov. Montpelier, VT: Vermont General Assembly. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  62. ^ "Faculty Roster, The Governor's Academy" (PDF). The Governor's Academy.org. Byfield, MA: The Governor's Academy. August 23, 2017. p. 4. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  63. ^ "Biography, Charles A. Murphy's". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  64. ^ Barsch, Sky (June 21, 2021). "Alumni Highlight: Tamara Toles O'Laughlin, JD/MELP '09". VLGS Blog. South Royalton, VT: Vermont Law and Graduate School. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  65. ^ The Federal Reporter, Volume 751. Eagan, Minnesota: West Publishing. 1985. p. 104.
  66. ^ "Vermont Law School Begins its 5th Year". Bennington Banner. September 12, 1977. p. 3. Retrieved April 25, 2015. The president of the board of trustees, Sterry R. Waterman, senior judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, was also awarded the juris doctor degree. Although he had studied at three law schools prior to his long legal career and has several honorary degrees, he had not previously received the law degree.
  67. ^ Clark, Anika (October 23, 2020). "Lucy McVitty Weber, Cheshire County House District 1". The Keene Sentinel. Keene, NH.
  68. ^ Civil Government, State of Vermont. Montpelier, VT: Vermont Secretary of State. 2005. p. 355 – via Google Books.
  69. ^ Mearhoff, Sarah; Keays, Alan J.; Weinstein, Ethan (June 22, 2022). "Phil Scott appoints former Administration Secretary Susanne Young to complete attorney general's term". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT.
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