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Academics

Introducing the Center for Justice Reform

Academics: Restorative Justice

A new way to think about harm, conflict, and crime

The current criminal justice system is financially and ethically untenable. Plagued by the unsustainable cost of incarceration, high recidivism rates, the devastating impact on children of incarcerating parents, the burden and collateral consequences of a criminal conviction, a “school to prison” pipeline borne out of excessively harsh academic disciplinary measures, and racial, economic, and geographic inequalities, our communities need alternatives to the traditional criminal justice model.

Taylor Smith MELP '14 recently traveled to Poland to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference, an opportunity that led to an article in the Huffington Post and the experience of a lifetime.

Academics: International Policy

CLIMATE CHANGE AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Taylor Smith MELP '14 recently traveled to Poland to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference, an opportunity that led to an article in the Huffington Post and the experience of a lifetime.

 

Welcome to the Legal Writing Program

Academics: Legal Writing Program

Writing at the Highest Level

Vermont Law students have a national reputation for exceptional legal writing skills. Over the past five years, they've won the top legal writing prize in the nation three times, including in 2014.

Academics

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At Vermont Law School, learning is geared toward purpose and action.

VLS academic programs combine a solid foundation in law and policy with focus in one or several areas of specialization. Practical, real-world experience gained through work in legal clinics and externships enables students to hone their expertise and match their talents to their passions.

Learning happens everywhere: on campus—in classrooms, conference rooms, the library, and in dinner seminars—and off campus in—courtrooms, client offices, town meetings, mediation sessions, depositions, and legislative hearing rooms. It's a learning environment driven by students who are more intent on collaboration than on competition.

Vermont Law School’s academic programs are designed to transform legal expertise and skills into tools of consequence. Faculty members, renowned legal scholars and practitioners, deliver an extensive course catalog that features the most environmental law courses of any law school in the United States. The top-ranked Environmental Law Center prepares students for leadership through practice in specialized institutes and clinics. International programs allow students to broaden their understanding of global policy and law, and test the waters of legal practice outside the U.S. And the Julien and Virginia Cornell Library, one of the nation’s best environmental law resources, supports students and faculty as they learn and practice.

Juris Doctor candidates
Juris Doctor
Earning a Juris Doctor from Vermont Law and Graduate School indicates dedication and commitment, not just to the legal profession, but to making an impact through the law.
students walk to campus on a snowy day
Master's Degrees
A Master's degree from Vermont Law and Graduate School is about more than legal theory. By studying advocacy, regulations, legislation, and markets, you'll acquire the tools needed to create a more sustainable world.
Masters of Laws (LLM) Degree
LLM Degrees
Post-JD students find unparalleled opportunities for intensive study in Vermont Law and Graduate School's Masters of Laws (LLM) programs.
Specializations, Vermont Law School
Specializations
Whether your passion is sustainable food and agriculture, the environment, sports law, or traditional legal practice, you will graduate from Vermont Law with the specialized skills and knowledge that you'll need to succeed.
Concentrations, Vermont Law School
Concentrations
Vermont Law School students may pursue specialized concentrations in Business Law, Climate Law, Energy Law, International and Comparative Law, Land Use Law, and more.
Online Learning (Distance Learning), Vermont Law School academics
Online Learning
Earn a law degree online with VLS or take courses as a non-degree seeking student.