VLS Emphasizes Commitment to Legal Writing Skills
February 28, 2009
Vermont Law School purchased the Old Schoolhouse in 2008 and completed a full restoration of the historic building that same year. The law school's Legal Writing Program moved into the space in October 2008.
With a fortified faculty and an elegantly restored 1853 schoolhouse to serve as its new home, the Legal Writing Program at Vermont Law School is renewing its commitment to proficiency in legal research and writing.
VLS President and Dean Jeff Shields recently announced the appointment of Johanna Dennis and Brian Porto to serve as associate professors of law in the program.
"Under the direction of Professor Greg Johnson, Vermont Law School's Legal Writing Program has received great attention," Shields said, noting that its three-semester approach integrates training in legal research, writing, and appellate advocacy. "This program is unique in its depth and structure. Its success explains, in part, the consistent positive comments of employers about the writing and advocacy skills of our graduates."
Johnson, a VLS faculty member since 1997, said professors in the program bring a rich array of professional experiences to the classroom, and offer individualized instruction designed to improve every student's writing.
"Effective legal writing is the single most important skill a student can learn in law school, since it is a prerequisite to success in every field of law," Johnson said. "We take the fear and mystery out of legal writing. Students in the program, whatever their writing background, are empowered through interactive, one-on-one work with their professors to master the essentials of effective legal writing."
Dennis joins the VLS faculty from Touro College, Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, on Long Island. She has also taught Legal Writing at Florida A&M University College of Law. She clerked for the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, after graduating in 2005 from Temple University School of Law. Dennis also has a Master of Science in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University School of Arts and Sciences, Advanced Academic Program. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar and a licensed patent attorney who has published articles on patent law.
Porto, who holds a JD from Indiana University and a PhD from Miami University, first came to VLS in 2007 as an assistant professor. He is a practicing attorney and served as judicial clerk to Vermont Supreme Court Justice Denise Johnson; Judge William Garrard if the Indiana Court of Appeals and New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice William Johnson. He previously taught at Yankton College in South Dakota, Macalester College in Minnesota and Norwich University in Vermont. He is also a frequent commentator on Vermont Public Radio.
Last October, the Legal Writing Program moved to its new headquarters in the recently restored Old Schoolhouse, which served as South Royalton's first graded school when it was built in 1853. Located just off the Town Green, the building was in a state of disrepair when VLS purchased it in early 2008 and undertook the historic restoration effort. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Old Schoolhouse further enhances the New England village charm of the VLS campus.
Read more about the Legal Writing Program, its faculty, and the Old Schoolhouse.
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