News

March 4, 2013

VLS joins Chinese pollution activist in DC –

February 26, 2013

Summer Media Fellows 2013 –

February 24, 2013

VLS Students Win National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition – Vermont Law School (VLS) announced today its student team secured first place in a prestigious national competition for environmental law --the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition (NELMCC) held at Pace Law School in White Plains, NY from February 21-23, 2013.

February 15, 2013

VLS Opens New Fitness Center – Vermont Law School held a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday to celebrate the grand opening of its new fitness center for students, faculty, and staff. The project is the culmination of student efforts that begin in 2008 and involved significant work by the VLS Class of 2011 to secure a contemporary gym on campus.

February 13, 2013

Drone Strikes, Targeted Killings to be Examined at VLS Conference – On the heels of the Senate confirmation hearing for CIA nominee John O. Brennan, which marked the first extensive public discussion on the use of drones for targeted killing , Vermont Law School (VLS) announced today a major conference to address drone strikes, targeted killing, and other elements of modern warfare.

February 10, 2013

VLS Students Attend LegalTech 2013 in NYC – More than a half-dozen Vermont Law School (VLS) students traveled to New York City in late January to attend the LegalTech 2013, an important technology event held annually that now attracts more than 12,000 attendees.

February 6, 2013

Public Lecture on Land Use Planners And Climate Change – As part of an annual lecture series, Vermont Law School will host a nationally distinguished land use planner, Robert. L. Liberty from Portland State University, to deliver a lecture on the critical role that land use planner play in addressing climate change.

January 31, 2013

President & Dean Mihaly’s Response to New York Times Story – I would like to share some thoughts regarding today's story in the New York Times. It repeats what we have been saying at Vermont Law School for months: all law schools should get smaller. VLS is doing it sooner than many and with intentionality so we can concentrate on our future -making an excellent school even better.

January 30, 2013

VLS Clinic Wins Lengthy Fight Over LNG Terminal in Maine – A seven-year battle over a proposal to build a liquefied natural gas terminal (LNG) in Maine, led by Vermont Law School's Environmental and Natural Resources Legal Clinic (ENRLC), has resulted in an unqualified victory for the ENRLC and its clients, members of the Passamaquoddy tribe.

January 14, 2013

Hanna Recap of the Entergy/Vermont Yankee Oral Arguments in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals – Constitutional law expert Cheryl Hanna, a professor at Vermont Law School, attended the oral arguments in Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, LLC et al. v. Shumlin et al. before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City on Jan. 14, 2013, and provided this post-argument analysis.

November 28, 2012

National Media Report on Vermont Law's Plan to Become Leaner, Stronger – Vermont Law School's plan to restructure has drawn nationwide media attention recently as law schools and the legal profession seek to adapt to the rapidly changing legal landscape.

October 29, 2012

VLS Inaugurates New President and Dean Marc Mihaly – At his inauguration Friday, Vermont Law School President and Dean Marc Mihaly pledged to continue VLS's tradition of teaching leadership, knowledge and morality, but also to expand its efforts to combine school and work, to offer diverse graduate degrees and to internationalize, so that students are better prepared to succeed in a rapidly changing legal landscape.

October 25, 2012

Environmental Clinic Prevails in Natural Gas Pipeline Battle in Puerto Rico – Vermont Law School's Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic recently prevailed in its two-year battle against a proposed 92-mile natural gas pipeline that threatened fragile ecosystems in Puerto Rico.

September 28, 2012

U.S. Deputy Agriculture Secretary Lauds VLS Initiative to Improve Nation's Food System – Agriculture is hip -- from rural cornfields and college campuses to Capitol Hill cocktail parties and committee hearings. That was the word Friday from Kathleen Merrigan, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who told Vermont Law School's inaugural Conference on Agriculture and Food Systems that public interest in farming and food will continue to grow as Americans confront the challenge of feeding themselves without polluting their air, waters and landscape.

September 24, 2012

New Video Highlights U.S.-China Partnership for Environmental Law – The U.S.-China Partnership for Environmental Law at Vermont Law School recently posted a new video highlighting its accomplishments in helping China to address the unprecedented environmental and public health problems that have accompanied the nation's rapid economic expansion.

September 20, 2012

“Is There Still a War on Terror?” Asks Human Rights Activist Gabor Rona ’78 – Gabor Rona '78, the international legal director of Human Rights First, returned Sept. 13 to Vermont Law School, where he met with students, faculty, staff and the public to discuss "the most challenging legal topics of our time: human rights and counterterrorism."

August 1, 2012

New Yorker Cartoonist Draws Former Dean Shields – New Yorker cartoonist Ed Koren captured former VLS Dean Jeff Shields in a portrait that hangs in the Cornell Library.

August 1, 2012

Dean Mihaly Discusses Future of VLS, Legal Education with Vermont Public Radio – In an interview with Vermont Public Radio, Vermont Law School President and Dean Marc Mihaly, who took office on Aug. 1, discusses the opportunities and challenges facing Vermont Law School and legal education as a whole.

July 16, 2012

Fiertz Family Donates 100,000 Dollars to VLS for Poverty Law Services – Alden Fiertz has given $100,000 to strengthen the social justice partnership between Vermont Law School's South Royalton Legal Clinic (SRLC) and the Upper Valley Haven, which provide a range of services to needy families.

July 9, 2012

Vermont Law School Raises Record 18.4 Million in Capital Campaign – Vermont Law School President and Dean Jeff Shields Dean and Matt Rizzo, executive director of VLS's Office of Institutional Advancement, on Tuesday announced the successful completion of the largest capital campaign in the school's history.

June 29, 2012

Rio Conference Favors Economic Development Over Environmental Justice, International Law Experts Say – Speaking at Vermont Law School where they recently spent two weeks at the Environmental Law Center's Summer Session, two of the world's most renowned international environmental law experts expressed their disappointment with the recent the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.

June 29, 2012

Professor Cheryl Hanna Explains Supreme Court Health Law Ruling – Vermont Law School Professor Cheryl Hanna provided Vermont Public Radio and other media with insight into the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision on President Obama's health care overhaul law.

June 13, 2012

Chinese Judges to Study Environmental Law at VLS – South Royalton is different from New York City, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, but the little village and the big cities do share one trait -- they're often the four places that Chinese lawyers, judges and law students visit when they come to the United States to learn about environmental rule of law.

June 13, 2012

VLS Selects New Summer Media Fellows – Journalists from the Los Angeles Times, Associated Press and High Country News have been selected as Vermont Law School's 2012 Summer Media Fellows.

June 13, 2012

Professor Michael McCann Analyzes Sandusky, Clemens, NFL Concussions Legal Battles – Vermont Law School Professor Michael McCann has been busy lately providing the national media with insight into two major trials and a lawsuit in the world of sports.

May 31, 2012

Op-Ed by Professor Oliver Goodenough: If You Don't Tax the Wealthy Enough, They Get Lazy – A few weeks ago, I spent some time in the village "watering hole," decompressing a bit with some friends over a beer or two. It was a little later in the evening, when philosophy has replaced thirst in our thinking and when we understand that everything we say to each other is remarkably wise and penetrating.

May 31, 2012

Op-Ed by Professor Jackie Gardina: Educating Effective Lawyers – The California State Bar is considering whether to impose a practical skills requirement for admission.

May 22, 2012

"Be Problem Solvers," Speakers Urge VLS Graduates – Vermont Law School's newest alumni should dedicate themselves to being problem solvers who serve the public good in a rapidly changing world, two prominent speakers told members of the class of 2012 during VLS's 37th commencement weekend.

May 21, 2012

New Clinical Building to Improve Free Legal Services for Public – Vermont Law School cut the ribbon Friday on its new Center for Legal Services, an historic landmark that underwent a $3.5 million renovation to create a vibrant new home for VLS's largest pro bono clinics.

May 8, 2012

China Fellow Moser Discusses True Costs of Conservation – A recent editorial by media personality John Stossel about the costs of environmental protection prompted a response in the Huffington Post from Adam Moser, a China Environment Fellow and Energy Law Fellow at Vermont Law School's U.S.-China Partnership for Environmental Law.

April 27, 2012

Sen. Leahy Wins $3.9 M for VLS, ISC to Continue Environmental Work in China – Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has rescued $3.9 million to continue the work of Vermont Law School's U.S.-China Partnership for Environmental Law and another pioneering Vermont organization that are helping to nurture the emergence of environmental advocacy in China.

April 25, 2012

After Irene: VPR Reports on VJEL Symposium – Tropical Storm Irene may be past, but its impact on Vermont continues to reverberate as government officials, property owners, conversationists, anglers and others look for better ways to manage rivers and floodwaters in the Green Mountain state.

April 4, 2012

Sports Industry Leaders to Advise Sports Law Institute – Vermont Law School's Sports Law Institute recently announced its Board of Advisors, which includes some of America's top sports industry leaders, and the start of a Blue Chips program designed to give students the core skills, hands-on experience and research opportunities needed to succeed in the sports world.

March 28, 2012

Wynona Ward '98 Profiled in Documentary Film – BYUtv aired a short documentary recently about Vermont Law School alumnus Wynona Ward '98 and the nonprofit legal group she founded, Have Justice--Will Travel, which advocates for battered, low-income women and children in Vermont.

February 15, 2012

MacDonough '98 Named U.S. Senate's First Female Parliamentarian – Elizabeth MacDonough '98 recently became the first woman selected as chief parliamentarian in the U.S. Senate since the post was created in 1935.

February 14, 2012

VLS Faculty Discuss: Why Law School, Why Vermont Law School – At a time of widespread change in the legal job market, legal education and how the law is practiced, Vermont Law School's new video "Why Law School, Why Vermont Law School" features members of the VLS faculty discussing the life-long benefits of earning a JD.

January 27, 2012

U.S.-China Partnership Receives Grant to Promote Environmental, Public Health – Vermont Law School's U.S.-China Partnership for Environmental Law, in collaboration with Sweden's Faculty of Law at Uppsala University, recently received a $40,000 grant to fund a joint conference with Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, in September.

January 27, 2012

National Media Discuss Vermont Yankee Court Ruling With VT Law School Experts – The New York Times and other media nationwide sought out Vermont Law School faculty experts for insight into a federal court's recent ruling on the fate of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.

January 18, 2012

Failure Isn’t An Option, MLK Day Speaker Tells VT Law School – Some of America's founding fathers owned slaves, but their pursuit of equality, justice and a "more perfect union" remains relevant today, Vermont Law School's Martin Luther King, Jr., Day speaker said Tuesday.

December 16, 2011

National Media Report on VT Law School's Top 10 Environmental Watch List – The New York Times was among the many media nationwide that reported on the Dec. 12 launch of Vermont Law School's second annual Top 10 Environmental Watch List.

December 16, 2011

Is the Durban Platform a Suicide Pact? – Vermont Law School Professor Pat Parenteau, whose expertise includes climate change, wrote the following commentary on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Durban, South Africa, which concluded Dec. 11, 2011.

December 2, 2011

Justice for All: VT Law School Supports Poverty Law Coalition, Fellowships – Continuing its tradition of supporting access to justice for all, Vermont Law School and VLS's South Royalton Legal Clinic recently helped host a reception for the Vermont Poverty Law Fellowships program and Vermont Access to Justice Coalition.

November 30, 2011

ENRLC Weighs In On Nitric Acid Rulemaking – Vermont Law School's Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic (ENRLC) recently submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency on the agency's proposed revision of its outdated air pollution standards for nitric acid plants.

November 4, 2011

Speth Unveils Blueprint For "New America" – The road to the apocalypse isn't necessarily a dead end. So says Vermont Law School Professor Gus Speth, a founder of the modern environmental movement who in a recent lecture series at VLS brutally indicted what he called an American plutocracy dominated by greed, money and power. But at his third and final lecture on Nov. 3, Speth concluded it isn't too late for a populist uprising to install a democracy fueled by a sustainable economy, peace, income equality, justice and respect for the environment.

October 7, 2011

VT Law School Professor Calls For "Revolution," New Political and Economic Order – Gus Speth loves his country. He also thinks it's dying and that a revolution is the only way to save it. "There's still hope, but it's time for civil disobedience," the Vermont Law School professor said. Speth, a founder of the modern environmental movement, declared his passion for the United States on Thursday at the start of his three-part lecture series titled "America, Rising to Its Dream: Charting Passage from Today's Decline to Tomorrow's Rebirth." But he also declared the United States an empire rotting from within, plagued by worsening rates of poverty, disease, infant mortality, crime, poor student performance, pollution and nearly every other index of well being.

October 7, 2011

In Memoriam: the Vermont Law School Gazebo – Vermont Law School's iconic gazebo, which was swept away by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Irene, was memorialized in words, photos and video in a blog post by TruexCullins, the Burlington architectural and interior design firm that created the gazebo.

September 29, 2011

Second Environmental Colloquium Draws Global Scholars – Some of the world's most prominent environmental law and policy researchers met Oct. 23 for Vermont Law School's second annual Colloquium for Environmental Scholarship to gather feedback on their works in progress.

September 27, 2011

Prof. Hanna Picks U.S. Supreme Court Cases Vermonters Should Watch – The first Monday in October marks the first day of oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court. So far, the Court has granted about half of its usual 80 or so cases that it will decide by June of 2012. And while there is no case yet on the docket that has originated in Vermont, there are many cases that may be of interest to Vermonters either because the outcome could impact our state or because the case is just super interesting.

September 15, 2011

VT Law School's Response to Irene Exceeds "Highest Expectations" – When the White River raged on Sunday, Aug. 28, it literally changed the landscape of Vermont Law School and nearby communities. Uprooted trees were scattered across fields; farms were transformed into mud pits; floodwaters swirled through homes; roads collapsed; and bridges were broken. Yet while Tropical Storm Irene caused much damage, it also strengthened the foundation of a community as VLS students, faculty, staff and alumni responded with an outpouring of donations, manual labor and legal aid to help their neighbors recover.

August 23, 2011

Vermont Law Professor Gus Speth Walks the Talk –

July 15, 2011

Supreme Court Ruling on AEP v. CT: While Round One Was Promising, Round Two Left Much To Be Desired – Judge Peter Hall of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit joined Vermont Law School professors Pat Parenteau and John Echeverria for a panel discussion June 30 at VLS, where they analyzed the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in American Electrical Power v. Connecticut.

July 14, 2011

NPR's Richard Harris: On the Frontlines of Gulf Oil Spill, Japan's Nuclear Crisis – Of the many news scenes where NPR science correspondent Richard Harris has reported from around the world for three decades, few were as prominent as the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in April 2010 and Japan's nuclear crisis this year.

July 8, 2011

Prof. Cheryl Hanna: Vermont Likely To Foot Legal Bill in Vermont Yankee Lawsuit – In her latest addition to Vermont Law School's faculty commentary blog on the lawsuit over the controversial Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, Professor Cheryl Hanna wrote: "So, it is my prediction that if Vermont ever tries to enforce Act 74, even if it prevails in its lawsuit with Entergy, it is Vermont's taxpayers, not the Louisiana corporation's shareholders, who will ultimately foot the bill."

June 24, 2011

Prof. Don Kreis: "Belly Buttons and Blarney" in Vermont Yankee Lawsuit Hearing – In his latest addition to Vermont Law School's faculty commentary blog on the federal lawsuit over the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, Assistant Professor Don Kreis wrote: "John Herron, CEO of Entergy's nuclear operations, seems affable enough. He drew a laugh in U.S. District Court in Brattleboro on Thursday when he referred to a 'belly button count' as a folksy synonym for the number of people working at his company's Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant."

June 23, 2011

Vermonters Must Work Together to Revitalize Brownfields, Markowitz Says – Vermont's government, businesses and local communities must work together to redevelop the state's many brownfields, Vermont' Secretary of Natural Resources Deb Markowitz told a Vermont Law School conference on June 23.

June 23, 2011

U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down Another Vermont Law On First Amendment Grounds – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Sorrell v. IMS Health, striking down Vermont's prescription confidentiality law as a violation of the First Amendment. The opinion should warrant great attention as its implications for the First Amendment and corporate speech could be sweeping.

June 6, 2011

"Story of Stuff" Author Annie Leonard Receives Honorary Degree – Annie Leonard, the author of "The Story of Stuff," received an honorary degree at Vermont Law School's 36th commencement on May 21 in recognition of her nearly two decades investigating and organizing on environmental health and justice issues.

June 3, 2011

Oceans Expert Calls for Ban on Shark Finning – Teeth, yes. Charisma, no. A magnetic personality probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think of sharks, especially the great white shark, but the oceans' top predators have long held a morbid curiosity for humans. And it's that public fascination that conservationists are using to try to stop shark finning, the brutal practice of cutting off their fins to make shark fin soup, an oceans expert told a Vermont Law School audience on June 2.

May 25, 2011

Democracy Now! Host Urges VLS Grads to be "Sword or Shield" – Amy Goodman, host and executive producer of Democracy Now!, urged Vermont Law School graduates at the school's 36th commencement on May 21 to join the forces fighting for truth, justice and openness.

May 13, 2011

Society of American Law Teachers Opposes Efforts to Derail Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Law – Vermont Law School Professor Jackie Gardina wrote the following statement from the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT) on May 12 in response to the House Armed Services Committee's amendment that would make the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" law more difficult.

April 27, 2011

U.S. Supreme Court Skeptical About Vermont's Physician Data Mining Law – A lawyer is only as good as the law that the Legislature hands her, and it was clear after yesterday's U.S. Supreme Court argument in Sorrell v. IMS Health Inc. that Vermont Assistant Attorney General Bridget Asay had a not-so-good law to defend

April 19, 2011

When Taxes Are Good for Us – The government's near miss with a shutdown last week and the follow-up speech by President Obama are the latest episodes in our public conversation about the proper role of government and taxes.

April 13, 2011

Anatomy of Social Change: Repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" – In December, Congress approved and President Obama signed into law the "Don't Ask Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010."

April 7, 2011

Quest for Rule of Law Motivates Arab Uprisings, Says Former New York Times Bureau Chief – The uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East have put many autocratic Arab governments in the unusual position of fearing their people rather than instilling fear in them, a former New York Times foreign bureau chief told a Vermont Law School audience on April 6.

April 1, 2011

Ocean Conference Explores Multiple Uses of Marine Resources – Once considered limitless-by ancient mariners and modern industrialists alike-the oceans' natural resources face growing pressures that can only be reconciled by a comprehensive use plan that balances conservation, energy development, fishing and other demands.

March 23, 2011

Vermont Supreme Court Hears Arguments at VLS – At the Vermont Supreme Court's annual session at Vermont Law School on March 23, teams of lawyers argued seven cases involving issues of criminal procedure, evidence, property, torts, environmental law, administrative law and constitutional law.

March 2, 2011

China, U.S. Must Cooperate to Reduce Global Warming, VJEL Panelists Say – China and the United States have vastly different legal systems, but the world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gases must work together to strengthen the Asian giant's environmental laws and to bolster each other's investments in renewable energy.

February 18, 2011

Climate Change Makes Humankind's Survival Uncertain, McKibben Says – Bill McKibben, one of America's foremost environmental advocates, had a mixed message for the standing-room crowd Feb. 17 at the seventh annual Norman Williams Distinguished Lecture in Land Use Planning and the Law at Vermont Law School.

February 16, 2011

Gov. Shumlin Taps VLS for Another Top Government Post – For the third time since taking office, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin has appointed a Vermont Law School faculty or staff member to a top post in his administration.

February 11, 2011

Capital Punishment Violates Human Rights, Panelists Say – James Harlow was shackled when he entered court, but at 6 feet, 5 inches and 300 pounds of muscle, he made the many officers in the courtroom tense.

January 27, 2011

What's For Supper? Vermont Law School Explores How the World Eats – What Americans have on their plates these days is increasingly coming from opposite sides of the food spectrum. Over the past decade, production and consumption of both genetically modified food and organic food have risen steadily in the Untied States-as have the complex legal issues surrounding these trends.

Two Vermont Law School Students Win Helton Fellowship –

Williams Lecturer Discusses What's Driving New York City's Unprecedented Rezonings – Like much in land use politics, the results of Professor Vicki Been's comprehensive study of New York City's unprecedented rezoning effort were complicated. But one conclusion was clear: Land use decision-making should be more transparent and tied to city- and region-wide consequences.