Distinguished Summer Scholars

Vermont Law School invites leaders in the fields of environmental, energy, agriculture, and international environmental law to serve as Distinguished Summer Scholars in residency during the VLS Summer Session. Each Distinguished Summer Scholar delivers a public lecture, participates in informal social events on campus, and is available to meet with students individually. These distinguished visitors are a significant intellectual resource for our summer students and also offer valuable networking opportunities.

The 2013 Distinguished Scholars:

Environmental Law Scholar:

Victor B. Flatt, Thomas F. and Elizabeth Taft Distinguished Professor in Environmental Law & Director, Center for Law, Environment, Adaption, and Resources, University of North Carolina School of Law

Professor Flatt is one of the nation’s leading thinkers and policy innovators in the field of climate change adaptation. Flatt teaches courses in environmental law, natural resources, interagency environmental cooperation, international environmental law, climate change, and the practice of carbon trading. His scholarship has focused on the administration and enforcement of environmental and natural resource statutes, particularly the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, and NEPA. He received his BA in Chemistry and Mathematics, magna cum laude, from Vanderbilt University, where he was a Harold Stirling Vanderbilt Scholar. He received his JD, cum laude and Order of the Coif, from Northwestern University School of Law, where he was a John Henry Wigmore Scholar.

Energy Law Scholar:

Alexandra B. Klass, Julius E. Davis Professor of Law, University of Minnesota Law School

Professor Klass’s recent work focuses on the challenges involved in promoting renewable energy development and, in particular, in transmitting renewable energy to market in a cost-effective and environmentally sound manner. She teaches and writes in the areas of energy law, environmental law, natural resources law, tort law and property law. Professor Klass was named the Stanley V. Kinyon Teacher of the Year for 2009-2010, and she served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Minnesota from 2010-2012. Professor Klass received her BA degree in political science and French with distinction from the University of Michigan in 1988, and her JD cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1992, where she was an articles editor for the Wisconsin Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif.

Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Scholar:

Robin Kundis Craig, William H. Leary Professor of Law, University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law

Professor Craig is nationally recognized for her work in all things water. Her work in water quality, water law, and ocean management connects with food security in the form of improving fisheries management and the use of marine protected areas to rebuild fish hatcheries. Professor Craig is currently exploring whether “sustainable aquaculture/sustainable mariculture” continues to make sense as a food security goal. She received her BA from Pomona College in 1985, her M.A. from the Johns Hopkins University in 1986, her PhD from the University of CA in 1993, and her JD from Lewis & Clark School of Law in 1996.

International Environmental Law Scholar:

Antonio A. “Tony” Oposa Jr., Counselor-at-Environmental-Law from the Philippines; President of The Law of Nature Foundation

One of Asia's leading voices in international environmental law, Tony Oposa is internationally renowned for bringing a landmark case—described in the book Taking Back Eden: Eight Environmental Cases that Changed the World—that led the Philippine Supreme Court to recognize the principle of inter-generational responsibility, the idea that the present generation has a responsibility to protect the environment for future generations. His areas of advocacy today include water issues and climate change. He holds a law degree from the University of the Philippines and an LLM from Harvard Law School. His current writing project explores the Economics of Conservation, Protection, and Restoration: “a 180-degree mind-shift from the existing paradigm of the economics of (relentless) extraction and (over) consumption . . . to economics as if life matters.”