Student News Feed

Brown '12 Profiled in CLEO Newsletter

Vermont Law School — 09 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST

Vermont Law School student Kendra Brown '12 recently was profiled in the CLEO (Council on Legal Education Opportunity) Newsletter.

She serves as regional chair of the Northeast Region of the National Black Law Students and has had numerous honors while at VLS, including a Vermont Law School Merit Scholarship, the NBLSA Sandy Brown Memorial Scholarship, the VLS Merit Scholarship and the VLS David Firestone Scholarship for Campus Involvement.

Read the profile.

Christensen '12 Examines Detroit Urban Agriculture

Vermont Law School — 01 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST

In a recent article in the Drake Journal of Agricultural Law, Vermont Law School student Dana Christensen '12 explores urban agriculture, focusing on Detroit as an example of a grassroots movement that shifts how the community thinks about food.

The article is titled "Securing the Momentum: Could a Homestead Act Help Sustain Detroit Urban Agriculture?"

"Food security, employment opportunities, answers to urban blight, and health problems -- urban agriculture has many reasons to deserve the buzz it has lately received," Christensen wrote. "Long before 'going green' entered the larger societal and business consciousness, many American cities enacted zoning provisions for agriculture before the current industrial agricultural system took hold. Indeed, the rise of urban agriculture coincides with economic depressions in modern history, when state and local governments promoted community gardens to counteract poverty and its attendant social unrest.

"But the most recent manifestation of urban agriculture is unique; it is a movement driven by social justice as well as necessity, incorporating an ethic of environmental sustainability and community building to address the problems of the postindustrial city, including unemployment, food access, and vacant land issues. Detroit exhibits a prime example of urban agriculture as a grassroots movement that shifts how the community thinks about food, where it comes from, and who controls it. Most importantly, Detroit's urban agriculture movement has stimulated the idea of access to healthful affordable food as a human right. With the recovery from the auto industry's deterioration -- where economic decisions affecting the lives of millions of people were decided by a privileged few -- decades of white flight, and other detrimental factors, it is no surprise that urban agriculture in Detroit transcends the middle-class values of environmental sensitivity in favor of the economic justice of empowering those who stayed and persevered in Detroit when others left."

Kaifala '13 Urges Africans to Invest in Education

Vermont Law School — 25 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EST

A recent article in PolicyMic by Vermont Law School student Joseph Kaifala '13 called for African leaders to greatly increase investment in their nations' education systems.

"Unless education takes a place second to none in all African countries, the continent will continue to lag behind in human development," the article said. "All African countries must therefore provide free and compulsory education at least at the elementary and fundamental stages, as required by the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

Kaifala is executive director of the Jeneba Project, a nonprofit group dedicated to improving education for children in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

Read the article titled "Africa Must Invest in Education to Overcome Poverty."

Media Report on VT Law School's Irene Relief Efforts

Vermont Law School — 08 Sep 2011 04:00:00 EST

The Associated Press, National Law Journal, Vermont Public Radio, Valley News, WCAX, FOX 44, VTDigger.org and other media reported on Vermont Law School's relief efforts for homeowners, farmers, schools and others hit by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Irene.

Ry Meyer '13 clears debris from South Royalton School.

Hundreds of VLS students, staff and faculty volunteered at tasks ranging from shoveling mud out of houses and collecting donations of cash, clothes and household items to helping residents fill out FEMA applications. VLS also established a relief fund to help its students, staff and faculty whose homes were damaged or destroyed by the storm.

VLS's classes started two days late because of an electricity, telephone and Internet outage caused by the storm. Floodwaters caused an estimated $500,000 in damage on campus to two buildings, three riverside parking lots, the outdoor classroom and Internet servers.

Read reports by the AP, whose story was carried by the Boston Globe and other news outlets nationwide, as well as the NLJ, VPR and Valley News.

Jeff Fucci '14, Carissa Wong '12, Peter Dysart '14 and Molly Gray '14 (left to right) helped South Royalton residents.

Federal Judges Rules in Favor of Blind VT Law School Student

Vermont Law School — 03 Aug 2011 04:00:00 EST

A federal judge ruled Aug. 2 in favor of Dee Jones '12, a blind Vermont Law School student, in her lawsuit against the National Conference of Bar Examiners and a national legal testing firm.

Jones won a preliminary injunction from the court saying the Bar Examiners had to allow her to use a computer, so she could use two types of software that have allowed her to maintain a high B average in law school.

Jones is scheduled Friday to take the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam, the legal ethics exam all lawyers must take before they practice in Vermont and most other states.

Read the judge's order.

Read AP's story in The New York Times.

Watch WCAX's story.

Samantha Fow '12 Analyzes "Vermont Yankee Experiment"

Vermont Law School — 02 Aug 2011 04:00:00 EST

Using the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant as an example, Vermont Law School student Samantha Fow '12 recently looked at the potential benefits of increased state-level nuclear regulation as well as the potential drawbacks of such a policy without federal cooperation.

Fow analyzes whether the current disposition of nuclear policy in America would allow Vermont to regulate the Vermont Yankee according to the state‘s best interests, focusing in particular on the current litigation brought against the state by the power plant‘s private corporate owners, Entergy.

"The Vermont Legislature has attempted to insulate the state from harm that could result from the continued operation of an aging nuclear facility. However, the state has struggled with a private nuclear operator‘s non-compliance with certain aspects of Vermont‘s regulatory scheme and a lack of enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance. Without a change in federal policy, state nuclear regulators may have difficulties actively regulating the nuclear power plants within their borders. State regulation of nuclear power has grown substantially more sophisticated since 1954, and the time is ripe for the additional legislation contemplated by the Atomic Energy Act that would bolster state authority in this field."

Read the full article.

Tyler Ward '13 Hosts Chinese Energy Visitors

Vermont Law School — 27 Jul 2011 04:00:00 EST

Tyler Ward '13 recently hosted a trip for three U.S.-China Partnership for Environmental Law visitors to his home state of Kentucky.

Understanding that they have an interest in energy development in the United States, Ward organized a trip for a professor and student from Renmin University of China Law School and a professor from China University of Political Science and Law to visit a natural gas production company, a mountaintop removal mining site, a liquid nitrogen production facility and a mining equipment manufacturing company. Ward also introduced the visitors to his father, who is the top administrator of the county where the facilities are located.

"The Chinese visitors found the trip extremely interesting," said Assistant Professor Siu Tip Lam, who is the Partnership's program director. "They were very impressed with Tyler's efforts and grateful that they had such an opportunity here in the US. Tyler really made their experience in the US a memorable one."

In National Defense Magazine, VLS Global Energy Fellow Zhen Zhang Calls for Cohesive Cybersecurity Policy For Electric Grid

Vermont Law School — 14 Jul 2011 04:00:00 EST

Zhen Zhang, a global energy fellow at Vermont Law School's Institute for Energy and the Environment, called for a cohesive cybersecurity policy for the electric grid in the August issue of National Defense Magazine.

Zhang, an attorney specializing in energy and environmental law, is interested in international energy policy, carbon cap and trade, demand side management tools and reliability standards for the electric system.

National Media Report on Blind VLS Student's Lawsuit Against Bar Examiners

Vermont Law School — 08 Jul 2011 04:00:00 EST

The Washington Post and other media outlets nationwide reported on Vermont Law School student Dee Jones' '12 lawsuit against the National Conference of Bar Examiners and the Act Inc. testing company.

Jones, who is blind, says they aren't providing the accommodations she needs to take the the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, the legal ethics exam all lawyers must take before they practice in Vermont and most other states.

Those accommodations - two pieces of computer software that help the visually impaired read - enable Jones to work at her best and have been key to the high B average she's maintained as a law student, she told the AP.

Read the AP story.

Roman Sidortsov '08 Discusses Climate Change in Huffington Post Op-Ed

Vermont Law School — 13 Jun 2011 04:00:00 EST

Roman Sidortsov '08 and two co-authors wrote an op-ed in The Huffington Post on June 13 in which they discussed climate change and the vastly different positions of the pope and the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The op-ed was linked to by The Wall Street Journal.

Sidortsov is a Senior Global Energy Fellow at the Institute for Energy and the Environment at Vermont Law School, where he is pursuing an LLM degree in environmental law.

Read the op-ed in The Huffington Post.

Driscoll '11 Wins Ethics Award

Vermont Law School — 03 May 2011 04:00:00 EST

Amy Driscoll '11 recently received a Law Students Ethics Award from the Northeast chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel.

Vermont Law School's Amy Driscoll '11 (back row, third from left) .

The chapter created the awards program to recognize and encourage the ethical practice of law at the earliest stages of a young lawyer's professional career, and at the same time to shine a spotlight on ethics more generally, demonstrating that the legal community values lawyers who are guided by ethical principles.

The award, which includes a $1,000 scholarship, is given to 11 students, one from each of the participating local law schools, who have demonstrated an early commitment to ethics through their work in a clinical program representing their first real clients.

The Association of Corporate Counsel is the world's largest organization serving the professional and business interests of attorneys who practice in the legal departments of corporations, associations and other private-sector organizations around the globe.

Silverman '12 Featured in Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Blog

Vermont Law School — 21 Apr 2011 04:00:00 EST

Vermont Law School student Allie Silverman '12, a Schweitzer Fellow, is featured in the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship's blog for her work to promote energy efficiency. She led the Energy Efficiency Day of Action in South Royalton on April 23, 2011, to exchange less efficient incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescent light bulbs and to make affordable and low-income housing more energy efficient.

Kaifala Among Finalists for In Service Award

Vermont Law School — 07 Mar 2011 05:00:00 EST

Joseph Kaifala '13, who founded the Jeneba Project, is among 15 finalists for the Students In Service Awards for his educational and medical aid work in post-civil war Sierra Leone. Vote for Kaifala and read more about the Students In Service Awards. The final scholarship winners will be recognized at the 14th annual Continuums of Service Conference on April 28.

Lyness, Lewis Selected for JAG Internships

Vermont Law School — 14 Feb 2011 05:00:00 EST

You might think the U.S. Department of Defense primarily knows Vermont Law School as one of only two law schools in the nation that bar military recruiters from campus because of the "don't ask, don't tell" law. But Pentagon officials also know VLS as the source of highly qualified students for summer internships and graduates for post-law school jobs in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, the judicial branch of the U.S. armed forces.

Each year, VLS typically has one to three students enter the JAG Corps' summer internship program and another one to two VLS graduates enlist as JAG officers. That's about 1 percent of each graduating class, which is the national average for all U.S. law schools. The JAG Corps also periodically sends officers to take classes at VLS. Those figures haven't been affected by VLS's stance on the "don't ask, don't tell" law, which prohibits openly gay men and women from serving in the U.S. military. The law's repeal is slated to go into effect later this year.

The JAG Corps in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard are involved in a broad range of cases in military justice, contract law, international law and other branches of the law.

"The JAG corps provides very high-quality training, together with a lot of responsibility in a hurry, for VLS students and graduates," said Professor Steve Dycus, an internationally recognized authority on national security law. "Our students are also attracted by this unique opportunity to use their legal skills to serve the nation. There is no higher professional calling."

Mike Lyness '12 and Erica Lewis '12, who both support VLS's position on "don't ask, don't tell" were among 50 legal internship candidates accepted for the Army JAG Corps this summer out of 1,600 applicants. Lyness, 25, who grew up on a farm in New Jersey, graduated from Lafayette College. He enrolled at VLS because of an interest in environmental law enforcement, but he's since become interested in a JAG career. He decided to apply for a JAG internship after taking Dycus' national security law class and meeting Jake Rouchka '10 and Cole Flannery ‘11, who had been accepted into the Army JAG Corps.

Lyness, who likely will be stationed in Washington state this summer, said he's honored to have been selected for the JAG internship - and that his and Lewis' selection is another sign that the Defense Department continues to recognize the quality of VLS students and alumni. "I give VLS credit for taking such a firm stance on ‘don't ask, don't tell' even though it's come at a cost," he said.

Lewis, 27, graduated from the University of Southern Florida and chose VLS because of the U.S.-China Partnership in Environmental Law. After her JAG internship this summer, she'll be an intern for the Beijing Arbitration Commission in the fall. The Florida resident would like to practice international and operational law and also is interested in dispute resolution. She's considering a career in international diplomacy and human rights but said the JAG Corps is a highly respected institution.

"I feel the military will be able to make good use of my background in Spanish, Mandarin and Italian," said Lewis, who likely will be based in South Korea this summer. "I like the idea of working for the military because it is necessary to the functioning of our democratic system and essential to ensure national security as well as promote our interests abroad. I hope to gain valuable insight into military life that enables me to make a well-informed decision if I decide to apply to be a career officer."

Like Lyness, Lewis supports VLS's stance on the "don't ask, don't tell" law. "I am proud of VLS for holding firm in its non-discrimination policy. DADT is a law that can stand only as long as the American people allow it to stand."

VLS Students Support Equal Rights for Gays

Vermont Law School — 29 Oct 2010 04:00:00 EST

In a front-page article Oct. 10, the Valley News talked to Blake Johnson '12 and other members of the VLS Alliance about their efforts to promote equal rights for gays and lesbians. The Alliance organized a community vigil to recognize the difficulty of coming out and the recent suicides of gay youths across the country.

Dana Christensen Moderates Planning Law Panel

Vermont Law School — 01 Oct 2010 04:00:00 EST

Dana Christensen 2L recently moderated a Planning Law panel at a federal legislative briefing in Washington, D.C., that was sponsored by the American Planning Association. Christensen oriented the panel to urban agricultural practices.

Miller, Tillman Present Constitution Day Workshop

Vermont Law School — 20 Sep 2010 04:00:00 EST

Monica Miller 2L and Dalayna Tillman 2L presented a workshop on Constitution Day for middle school students at the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation in Plymouth Notch. Miller and Tillman presented differing points of view on the constitutionality of the National Day of Prayer. The Coolidge Foundation preserves the 30th president's legacy and provides information through a website and by request to teachers, students, scholars, the media and the general public.

Buckey Pens Article for NH Bar Association News

Vermont Law School — 15 Sep 2010 04:00:00 EST

Jay Buckey '11 co-wrote an article titled "New Lawyers Column: Time Is Always Money?" for the New Hampshire Bar Association News section. The article discussed the long-term value of lawyers giving away their time. Read the article.

Blake Johnson '12 Wins National LGBT Bar Association Seat

Vermont Law School — 01 Sep 2010 04:00:00 EST

Blake Johnson '12 was elected as national student co-chair at the National LGBT Bar Association Conference, also known as "Lavender Law", on Aug. 28-29 in Miami. He will serve a two-year term as a voting member on the National LGBT Bar Association Board, where he will advocate for the LGBT Bar at the American Bar Association level. He will attend at least three LGBT Bar/ABA Bar meetings per year and teleconference to other meetings and will have a working role in the LGBT Bar's 2011 conference in West Hollywood, Calif. Johnson said the seven VLS students who attended the 2010 conference made up one of the larger law school presences at the event. He said they likely will see second-summer interviews and employment in various job markets as a result of their stellar performance. Johnson also is VLS Alliance co-chair and a VLS Class senator for 2010-2011. Read more about the National LGBT Bar Association.

Sara Phillips to Start LLM Program at McGill

Vermont Law School — 24 Jun 2010 04:00:00 EST

Sara Phillips '10, who spent the spring 2009 semester at McGill University and then a semester in practice in Cordoba, Argentina, working with Canadian MP John McKay, will start the LLM program at McGill in fall 2010. She plans to research the overlap of corporate social responsibility, environmental law and women's rights.

Codi Raymond Motivated by Community Service

Vermont Law School — 14 Jun 2010 04:00:00 EST

In a June article in the Denver Bar Association's monthly publication, The Docket, Codi Raymond '10 wrote that her years working for the DBA's Metro Volunteer Lawyers inspired her to attend VLS and join the Mascoma Legal Resource Center. Raymond's classmate, Lise Daniels '10, started the legal services clinic for low-income residents in the Mascoma Valley in New Hampshire. Read the article.

Merrill Bent a Finalist in Ms. JD Fellowship Program

Vermont Law School — 25 May 2010 04:00:00 EST

Merrill Bent '11 was a finalist for the first Ms.JD Fellowship program, which selected 20 of the most promising second-year women law students in the country and will provide them with one-on-one career mentorship from the nation's most accomplished female attorneys.

ENRLC Files Brief in Wetlands Case

Vermont Law School — 18 May 2010 04:00:00 EST

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a ruling May 12 in Columbia Venture v. Dewberry & Davis affirming the decision of the district court and agreeing with the arguments made by the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic in an amicus brief submitted on behalf of the Association of State Wetland Managers. A consulting firm had recommended that the Federal Emergency Management Agency designate a certain area of South Carolina as floodplains. FEMA's actions based on this recommendation disrupted a local developer's plans for turning the area into a housing development. The developer sued the consulting firm under state law for professional malpractice, civil conspiracy, injurious falsehood and violation of the South Carolina's Unfair Trade Practices Act. The main issue on appeal was whether the state law claims were preempted by the federal floodplains protection law. An ENRLC student, Lydia Fiedler '09, wrote the amicus brief, which explained that this was not a close case but one that easily fit within the scope of well established jurisprudence on conflict preemption. The goal of the ENRLC and ASWM was to protect consultants from this kind of litigation, so that they can make sound technical and scientific recommendations to FEMA without fear of being sued. This, in turn, will help promote better oversight and management of development activities in floodplains and wetland areas.

Dowload a PDF of the brief.

Association of Corporate Counsel Honors Diana Vogel

Vermont Law School — 04 May 2010 04:00:00 EST

Diana Vogel '10 was honored in April by the Northeast Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel for her "outstanding commitment to ethics through conduct." She was nominated by South Royalton Legal Clinic Attorney and Professor Arthur Edersheim, who recounted Vogel's devotion to her clients' legal interests in juvenile and immigration cases.

International Law Students Help Feed Hungry Families

Vermont Law School — 23 Mar 2010 04:00:00 EST

Vermont Law School's International Law Society raised nearly $1,000 on March 15 at its second annual Empty Bowl Benefit in the Chase Community Center. Schools and businesses across Vermont donated handmade bowls and ILS members prepared delicious homemade soups for the event. A donation of $5 for a small bowl or $10 for a large bowl included an all-you-can-eat soup meal. The money raised this year nearly matched the $1,000 that the ILS students raised in last year's inaugural Empty Bowl Benefit. All proceeds went to Heifer International, a nonprofit organization that works with small communities around the world to help stop hunger, and to the Vermont Foodbank, which secures large quantities of food and offers them to member agencies, including community food shelves.

KnittingNite Raises Funds for Kids Place

Vermont Law School — 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

KnittingNite Raises Funds for Kids Place

The Vermont Law School KnittingNite club recently raised $1,243 for Kids Place, a nonprofit group in Randolph. Club members thanked all those who supported their fund raiser, especially Dean Shirley Jefferson, who provided the yarn used to make dozens of scarves, mittens, hats and other items. Kids Place is a supervised visitation and parenting support group that provides a safe setting for children and non-residential parents to visit and maintain family ties. Kids Place was started in 1999 by Wynona Ward '98, who also founded the nonprofit group Have Justice Will Travel to help battered women and children. Kids Place Director Connie Button, who is a former VLS staff member, was amazed at the generosity of the VLS community, said KnittingNite club members Ann Zagare and Christy Asbee. More information is available at casbee@vermontlaw.edu.

Students, Faculty Head to Copenhagen for COP15

Vermont Law School — 30 Nov 2009 21:11:53 EST

Six Vermont Law School students and three faculty members will travel to Copenhagen next week to witness the historic United Nations Climate Change Conference. The VLS delegation has been granted "observer status" for the U.N.'s 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) negotiations, meaning the students and faculty will be eligible to attend the proceedings and participate in conference events. Read the full press release.

Keep on the VLS team's Copenhagen happenings on their blog,VLS in Copenhagen.

Cookson Takes Second Place in 2009 Law Student Writing Competition

Vermont Law School — 12 Nov 2009 17:02:10 EST

Cara Cookson's essay Confronting Our Fear: Legislating Beyond Battered Woman Syndrome and the Law of Self-Defense was selected by the ABA Commission on Domestic Violence as the second place winner in their 2009 Law Student Writing Competition.

Download Confronting Our Fear: Legislating Beyond Battered Woman Syndrome and the Law of Self-Defense

Justin Brown Wins K. William Kolbe Legal Writing Competition

Vermont Law School — 15 Oct 2009 18:22:06 EST

Justin Brown has won a national legal writing contest sponsored by the ABA Section of Public Utility Law. His essay, King Coal's Uncertain Future: An Analysis of the Growing U.S. Coal Moratorium, took first place in the K. William Kolbe Legal Writing Competition.

Lise Daniels Earns Honorable Mention in Pro Bono Publico Award

Vermont Law School — 01 Oct 2009 18:36:24 EST

The Public Service Law Network awarded Schweitzer Fellow Lise Daniels honorable mention in their 15th annual Pro Bono Publico Award for launching the Mascoma Legal Resource Center, a legal assistance clinic that offers rural, low-income individuals legal information and advice. Read more about the award on the Official Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Blog. Also, check out Lise Daniels' student profile.

Eliza Meeker Passes Paris Bar

Vermont Law School — 01 Jul 2009 18:15:33 EST

Eliza Meeker of Washington, D.C., became the first Vermont Law School graduate to pass the Paris Bar exam, thanks to a unique dual-degree program VLS offers in partnership with the University of Cergy-Pontoise, home to one of France's top law schools.

Testing, testing...

Vermont Law School