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The job market for new lawyers and policy experts has never been more competitive. At Vermont Law and Graduate School, we can help you gain the edge you need in today's legal marketplace. Whether your passion is sustainable food and agriculture, the environment, sports law, or traditional legal practice, you will graduate from Vermont Law confident that you have the specialized skills and knowledge that you'll need to succeed in your chosen field.

Employers who hire Vermont Law and Graduate School alumni know that our graduates can "walk the talk." Alumnus Adam Sowatzka JD/MSEL '97 recalls that when he was a brand-new attorney at the Environmental Protection Agency, he found himself sitting across the table from a team of five corporate lawyers. Despite being one of the youngest and least experienced attorneys in the room, the EPA asked him to lead the case. He says that VLS prepared him to practice law, and the master's program particularly enabled him to hit the ground running. Adam's experience is not the exception among Vermont Law graduates; it's the rule.

Our key areas of specialization are cross-functional and interdisciplinary. You'll find that you can drill down into a piece of domestic energy legislation, or broadly explore the relationship between the law and climate change; draft an award-winning legal brief, or prepare a case for litigation using tomorrow's innovative legal technology; mediate a family matter in the South Royalton Legal Clinic; or advocate for the public interest in China. You will learn from—and alongside—the top minds in your area of specialization, and also gain practical, useful experience you can showcase on your resume.

We can help you specialize in the areas of law and policy that match your passions and talents. Read on to learn how Vermont Law and Graduate School can take you beyond the basic law school curriculum.

Animal law text books
Animal Law Specialization
Become a leader in animal advocacy with a concentration in animal law through the Animal Law and Policy Institute.
Sustainable Entrepreneurship MBA program, UVM's One Year MBA
Business Law Specialization
A targeted suite of classes for students who want to specialize in business. Courses include corporations, bankruptcy, nonprofit management, white collar crime and more.
China & Southeast Asia - Feng Huang
China & Southeast Asia Specialization
As the challenges posed by climate change grow in urgency, the power that massive developing countries like China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Myanmar can leverage to effect change cannot be overstated.
Climate Change Law
Climate Change Law Specialization
In a time of broken global temperature records, increasing natural disasters, emerging U.S. and international law and policy will be key to governing mitigation of and adaptation to climate change.
Criminal Law
Criminal Law Specialization
The certificate in criminal law provides broad-based, comprehensive training and skills needed by students to become prosecutors, defenders, or to practice criminal law in a private firm setting.
Dispute Resolution
Dispute Resolution Specialization
In an increasingly complex world, dispute resolution offers a way to find solutions that allow all parties to move forward without entering a courtroom.
Energy Law
Energy Law Specialization
VLGS courses and clinics consider the relationship between energy and the environment in the context of its legal, scientific, commercial and human implications.
Environmental Law Specialization
Environmental Law Specialization
Vermont Law School offers a multidisciplinary array of environmental courses in law, policy, science, economics, and ethics to students studying for any one of our degrees or certificates.
Food and Agricultural Law Specialization Block
Food and Agricultural Law Specialization
Food is a basic necessity of human life and a unique vehicle for change, as it is intimately tied to human health, the environment, poverty, immigration, animal welfare, law, politics, and culture, on every step of its journey from farm to plate.
International & Comparative Law
International & Comparative Law Specialization
Prepares students for careers with international organizations, NGOs, law firms, multinational enterprises, and government agencies. We offer study experiences that broaden knowledge and skills, add new perspective, and open opportunities.
Legal Writing
Legal Writing Specialization
Words are the fundamental tools with which lawyers and policymakers conduct their business, it is paramount that today's law and policy graduates know how to write the law, not just read cases.
Restorative Justice Specialization, VLS
Restorative Justice Specialization
A specialization in restorative justice provides students another way to look at conflict and conflict avoidance, preparing graduates to become forceful agents for change in law and restorative justice.
Tax Law and Policy
Tax Law and Policy Specialization
We know that improving the environment requires changing the way we run our businesses, use our resources, and act as citizens. But how do we actually make that change occur?