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Semester in Practice

Photo of Jessica Werber in Washington D.C.

Overview

For more than twenty-five years, Vermont Law School has offered students an opportunity to spend a full semester off campus in a governmental, public interest, or private legal setting under the direct supervision of an experienced attorney or judge. The Semester in Practice's hallmark is the care that goes into matching each student with a mentor who will best serve a student's individual educational goals.

During the semester preceding enrollment, faculty work closely with students in selecting both a site and a mentor whose guidance will ultimately determine the quality of a student's SiP experience. This one-on-one relationship provides a unique opportunity for students to develop a deeper understanding of both substantive law and that mysterious combination of skills and acumen essential to the practice of law. As a national law school, Vermont Law School's SiP program is designed to meet the needs of students who will practice all over the world.

Vermont Law School was one of the first law schools in the nation to design a semester-long practicum. Today, when other law schools consider adding a practicum-based course to their curriculum, they call us to find out what we do.

Read Some of Our Students' SiP Stories

 

Photo of Trey Martin.Attorney General's Office, Montpelier, Vermont

Trey Martin '08 signed up for the SiP because he saw it as a way to connect with the legal market in Vermont, which can be difficult to break into. His experience turned out to be far richer than he anticipated.

Photo of Sincere Richards.Nicor Advanced Energy LLC, Chicago, Illinois

Having spent the previous summer working with the public defender in Nashville, Sincere Richards '09 wanted to learn more about transactional law-contracts, negotiations, mergers and acquisitions. The SiP program matched Richards with Koby Bailey, an attorney with Nicor Advanced Energy LLC, a diversified utility company headquartered in Chicago.

Photo of Jessica Werber.Linowes and Blocher LLP, Bethesda, Maryland

Jessica Werber '07 had several goals for her SiP experience: to improve her research and writing skills, gain greater substantive knowledge in an area of environmental law, learn how a law firm worked as a business, and, incidentally, scope out the Washington, D.C. area, where she thought she might like to practice.

Photo of Debra Doby.Maritime New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand

Debra Doby '09 has traveled far to pursue her multiple interests in maritime law, international law, and indigenous peoples. The perfect point of intersection? New Zealand!