Vermont Law and Graduate School

Moot Court Simulation
2025-05-14 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual
Join us as we present a moot court debate simulation featuring a team of current students who have represented VLGS at national competitions. In order to be considered for one of VLGS’s moot court teams, students must demonstrate excellent oral and written advocacy skills during their performance in our Advanced Appellate Advocacy class.

After the simulated debate, the students will highlight their experiences in Advanced Appellate Advocacy, as well as their time on moot court teams. There will also be a Q&A session at the end of the event.

Commencement 2025: Cultural Celebration
2025-05-15 17:30 - 19:00 | Debevoise Back Lawn at Vermont Law and Graduate School, 164 Chelsea Street, South Royalton, Vermont
Join us for a Cultural Celebration to honor graduating members of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA), Latin American Law Students Association (LALSA), Black Law Students Association (BLSA), and Native American Law Students Association (NALSA).

This event will take place both in person and virtually. To tune into the livestream, please click the button below.

Learn more about all the Commencement festivities by clicking here.

Commencement 2025: Honorary Degree Lecture
2025-05-16 15:30 - 16:30 | Oakes Hall, Room 012, 164 Chelsea Street, South Royalton, Vermont, 05068, United States
Julia Olson, co-executive director and chief legal counsel for Our Children’s Trust, will present, “Children’s Climate Rights: Foundation of Democracy.”

Olson founded Our Children’s Trust in 2010 to empower young people to secure their climate rights, protect their futures, and save our planet. In August 2023, they made history with Held v. State of Montana, the first children’s constitutional climate trial resulting in a landmark win for youth. In June 2024, with Navahine v. Hawai‘i Department of Transportation, Our Children’s Trust achieved the first settlement agreement of a youth-led constitutional climate case directed at decarbonizing transportation.

Today, Olson directs the organization’s cutting-edge legal strategy and has served as lead counsel on the pathbreaking federal cases, Juliana v. United States and Genesis v. EPA. Olson has received numerous awards, including the Kerry Rydberg Award for Environmental Activism (2017), Rose-Walters Prize for Global Activism (2018), Katharine & George Alexander Law Prize (2022), and Berkeley Law’s Environmental Leadership Award (2024). In 2023, TIME100 Climate called her one of the world’s most influential leaders driving climate action. Olson received her JD from University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, and her BA from University of Colorado.

You can also tune into the livestream by clicking here.

We look forward to seeing you!

Commencement 2025: Awards Ceremony
2025-05-16 17:00 - 18:00 | Chase Community Center, 164 Chelsea St., South Royalton, VT, 05068
Join us as we recognize a few exceptional students from the Class of 2025 for their outstanding service, stewardship, and leadership.

This event will take place both in person and virtually. To tune into the livestream, please click the button below.

Learn more about all the Commencement festivities by clicking here.

VLGS Commencement Ceremony
2025-05-17 10:00 - 12:00 | Royalton Town Green, 194 Chelsea St., South Royalton, Vermont, 05068
Vermont Law and Graduate School’s 49th Commencement Ceremony is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at 10 a.m. on the Royalton Town Green.

A reception that includes food, champagne, and a steel drum band will take place immediately after the ceremony on the Debevoise Hall Back Lawn. The reception is free and open to all graduates and their families.

To tune into the livestream, please click here.

JD Employment Results for VLGS Alumni
2025-05-21 18:00 - 19:00 | Virtual
Join us for a review of employment results for our alumni, and to hear what kinds of career opportunities are available to VLGS graduates. Several of our alumni will be participating in the discussion to share their experiences in the job market post-graduation.

The Maverick Lloyd School for the Environment with Director Christophe Courchesne
2025-05-28 18:00 - 19:00 | Virtual
We will be joined by Christophe Courchesne, associate professor and director of the Environmental Advocacy Clinic (EAC) at Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS), to discuss the Maverick Lloyd School for the Environment and its relationship to the EAC.

Professor Courchesne has litigated environmental cases for nearly two decades. Before joining VLGS in 2022, he was deputy chief of the Energy and Environment Bureau and assistant attorney general at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, leading work on the climate crisis, federal policy, environmental and racial justice, and clean energy.

Hot Topics | Advancing Environmental Justice in a Chaotic Time
2025-05-29 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join us online for this summer’s Hot Topics in Environmental Law Summer Lecture Series, brought to you by the Environmental Law Center at VLGS. The series is free and open to the public. In addition to featuring live Q&A with the audience, each installment is eligible for Vermont Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit.

This session, “Advancing Environmental Justice in a Chaotic Time,” will be presented by Marianne Engelman-Lado from New York University School of Law.

Tune into the livestream by clicking the button below.

Hot Topics | Toxic Sewage Sludge: How the Biosolid Fertilizer Industry is Poisoning Farm Animals
2025-06-03 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join us online for this summer’s Hot Topics in Environmental Law Summer Lecture Series, brought to you by the Environmental Law Center at VLGS. The series is free and open to the public. In addition to featuring live Q&A with the audience, each installment is eligible for Vermont Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit.

This session, “Toxic Sewage Sludge: How the Biosolid Fertilizer Industry is Poisoning Farm Animals,” will be presented by Marin Scotten, VLGS Animal Law Media Fellow.

Using human biosolids, also known as sewage sludge, as farmland fertilizer has been hailed as a climate-friendly and efficient way to fertilize crops and dispose of waste. But a growing body of research now suggests sewage sludge application—which is largely unregulated and controlled by just a handful of companies—is contaminating food and water with PFAS, poisoning farm animals and creating major public health risks.

Tune into the livestream by clicking the button below.

Managing Law School Debt with the Director of Financial Aid
2025-06-03 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Join us for a presentation with Melissa Erickson, director of Financial Aid. Melissa will share advice on saving money before, during, and after law school, as well as information on how to navigate VLGS’s financial aid portal.

Mock Lecture on Criminal Law with Professor Anna Saxman JD'85
2025-06-04 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Join us to experience a class at Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) with a mock lecture on the subject of Criminal Law delivered by professor Anna Saxman JD’85.

Anna Saxman graduated magna cum laude from VLGS, and was the articles editor of the Vermont Law Review. Following graduation, she clerked with Justice Louis Peck of the Vermont Supreme Court. She was an associate attorney with Langrock Sperry until she joined the Defender General’s Office, where she is an appellate defender, the director of training, and the deputy defender general. Professor Saxman currently teaches in the Criminal Law Clinic. She has taught at VLGS since 1995 and has taught Criminal Law, Current Issues in Constitutional Law, Mental Health Law, Evidence Labs, and Criminal Practice and Procedure.

Hot Topics | Sustaining Environmental Justice
2025-06-05 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join us online for this summer’s Hot Topics in Environmental Law Summer Lecture Series, brought to you by the Environmental Law Center at VLGS. The series is free and open to the public. In addition to featuring live Q&A with the audience, each installment is eligible for Vermont Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit.

This session, “Sustaining Environmental Justice,” will be presented by Sharmila Murthy from Northeastern University School of Law.

Tune into the livestream by clicking the button below.

Seal and Heal: The Path to Expungement Made Simple
2025-06-09 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Having a criminal record, even for minor offenses, can follow someone for their entire life, affecting employability, housing prospects, and even personal relationships. Fortunately, expungement and sealing are mechanisms under Vermont law whereby most misdemeanors and some felonies can be removed from public records, effectively giving the convicted person a fresh start.

Join us to learn about expungement and sealing under Vermont law, including determining what can and cannot be expunged or sealed, what the process looks like, and resources to assist you along the way. Hosted by the Veterans Legal Assistance Project at Vermont Law and Graduate School, this lunch and learn session will take place virtually.

To register, please click the link below or email communications@vermontlaw.edu. The event link will be shared with all registrants prior to the webinar.

Hot Topics | Access to Beaches and Other Public Lands: Past, Present, and Future
2025-06-10 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join us online for this summer’s Hot Topics in Environmental Law Summer Lecture Series, brought to you by the Environmental Law Center at VLGS. The series is free and open to the public. In addition to featuring live Q&A with the audience, each installment is eligible for Vermont Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit.

This session, “Access to Beaches and Other Public Lands: Past, Present, and Future,” will be presented by Josh Eagle from the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law.

Tune into the livestream by clicking the button below.

Hot Topics | Our Plastic Problem and What the Law Can Do About It
2025-06-12 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join us online for this summer’s Hot Topics in Environmental Law Summer Lecture Series, brought to you by the Environmental Law Center at VLGS. The series is free and open to the public. In addition to featuring live Q&A with the audience, each installment is eligible for Vermont Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit.

This session, “Our Plastic Problem and What the Law Can Do About It,” will be presented by Sarah Morath from Wake Forest Law.

Tune into the livestream by clicking the button below.

June Admissions Open House
2025-06-14 09:30 - 15:00 | Yates Common Room at Vermont Law and Graduate School, 164 Chelsea Street, South Royalton, Vermont, 05068, United States
Attending this dynamic event is the perfect way to envision life as a Vermont Law and Graduate School student. Throughout the day, you will get an in-depth look at the many opportunities available and how VLGS can help you reach your goals.

In addition to being greeted by our amazing faculty, staff, and students, you’ll be guided through a tour of campus, experience a class lecture, and enjoy a delicious lunch.

Please register by clicking the button below.

Hot Topics | A Dog is a Chimp is a Mouse is a Rabbit? How Charismatic Species Shape Lab Animal Welfare Laws and Policies
2025-06-17 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join us online for this summer’s Hot Topics in Environmental Law Summer Lecture Series, brought to you by the Environmental Law Center at VLGS. The series is free and open to the public. In addition to featuring live Q&A with the audience, each installment is eligible for Vermont Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit.

This session, “A Dog is a Chimp is a Mouse is a Rabbit? How Charismatic Species Shape Law Animal Welfare Laws and Policies,” will be presented by Larry Carbone.

In this talk, Carbone will explore the effect of using charismatic species (such as dogs, primates, and rabbits) to advance welfare reforms. Do new laws and practices crafted to accommodate interests of one species have a ripple effect that improves the lot of other animals? Or do special protections for one type of animal come at the expense of others? Carbone shows how both outcomes have occurred through the years, and argues that activists should be mindful of arguments that elevate species we care about at the expense of those without a human constituency advocating for their interests.

Tune into the livestream by clicking the button below.

How to Apply to Law School
2025-06-18 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Join two of our Admissions team members as they share tips and tricks on how to make your law school application as strong as it can be. There will be time for Q&A to address your individual application questions.

Hot Topics | The Radioactive Shadow Workers of the Oil and Gas Industry: An Environmental Journalism Perspective
2025-06-24 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join us online for the Hot Topics in Environmental Law Summer Lecture Series, brought to you by the Environmental Law Center at VLGS. The series is free and open to the public. In addition to featuring live Q&A with the audience, each installment is eligible for Vermont Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit.

This session, “The Radioactive Shadow Workers of the Oil and Gas Industry: An Environmental Journalism Perspective,” will be presented by Julia Sklar, science journalist and a VLGS Environmental Media Fellow.

Tune into the livestream by clicking the button below.

Restorative Justice and Public Policy at Vermont Law and Graduate School
2025-06-24 16:00 - 17:00 | Virtual
Join Stephen Pimpare, director of our Master of Public Policy program, and Quixada Moore-Vissing, interim director of our Center for Justice Reform, for an insightful session designed for social workers. We’ll explore how training in restorative justice and public policy can deepen your impact as a social worker, as well as highlight the programs we offer at VLGS.

Hot Topics | Challenges of Barcelona's Waste Tax in Light of the New European Requirement for Pay-As-You-Throw Systems
2025-06-26 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join us online for the Hot Topics in Environmental Law Summer Lecture Series, brought to you by the Environmental Law Center at VLGS. The series is free and open to the public. In addition to featuring live Q&A with the audience, each installment is eligible for Vermont Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit.

This session, “Challenges of Barcelona’s Waste Tax in Light of the New European Requirement for Pay-As-You-Throw Systems,” will be presented by Rodolfo Boix from Pompeu Fabra University.

Tune into the livestream by clicking the button below.

Thermal Energy Networks Webinar
2025-06-26 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Join us for a webinar on the new Thermal Energy Networks: A Legislative Guidebook—a resource for states, cities, and utilities advancing neighborhood-scale clean heating and cooling.

Heating and cooling buildings makes up 43% of U.S. energy use. To cut emissions, states are passing laws to enable thermal energy networks (TENs): water-filled pipe systems that deliver heating and cooling without combustion. Eight states have already passed TENs legislation, and more are following suit.

Hosted by Vermont Law and Graduate School’s Institute for Energy and the Environment and the Building Decarbonization Coalition, this webinar will introduce the guidebook and key lessons from recent TENs laws. We will discuss:

What are TENs, and why enable them?

How can legislation ensure TENs are equitable, affordable, and effective?

What is needed for a system-wide transition to clean heating and cooling?

Speakers:

Lawrence Garber, Interim Associate Director of Policy Acceleration, Building Decarbonization CoalitionEduardo Nicolás Otero Bakai, Global Energy Fellow, Institute for Energy and the EnvironmentModerator: Ana Maria (Ania) Camargo Cortes, Associate Director, Thermal Networks, Building Decarbonization CoalitionHost: Mark James, Interim Director of the Institute for Energy and the Environment

Alumni Weekend 2025
2025-06-27 00:00 - 2025-06-29 23:59 | VLGS Campus, 164 Chelsea Street, South Royalton, Vermont, 05068
Join other Swans in South Royalton, Vermont, this summer for an exciting weekend of events! All alumni are invited to attend, regardless of your graduation year, and we’ll have special celebrations for class years ending in 0s and 5s.

For more information, including the registration link, please click here.

We can’t wait to see you!

Legal Writing Lecture with Dean McCormack
2025-07-01 18:00 - 19:00 | Virtual
The admissions team invites you to a webinar featuring Dean Beth McCormack, who will lead an insightful lecture focused on legal writing.

Dean McCormack has been the law school dean since January 2021, and she is the first woman to hold that position in the school’s history. She initially joined the VLGS faculty in 2011, teaching Legal Writing I and II, among a variety of other subjects.

Business Contracts: Basics and In Practice
2025-07-02 16:00 - 18:00 | Virtual
Who needs contracts, and why? In this educational webinar, the Vermont Small Business Law Center at Vermont Law and Graduate School will explain how to use contracts to get “on the same page” as your customers, clients, or suppliers, and how contracts can prevent harm to your business if something goes wrong. We will cover contract basics, practical practices, and how to handle disputes. Learn when and why to put things in writing, how contracts can help you set and manage expectations in your professional relationships, and what to do if things fall apart. Come ready with your questions as there will be plenty of time for Q&A.

Hot Topics | Federal Environmental Law After Trump II
2025-07-08 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join us online for the Hot Topics in Environmental Law Summer Lecture Series, brought to you by the Environmental Law Center at VLGS. The series is free and open to the public. In addition to featuring live Q&A with the audience, each installment is eligible for Vermont Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit.

This session, “Federal Environmental Law After Trump II” will be presented by Sean Donahue of Donahue, Goldberg & Herzog, and Robert Percival from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.

Tune into the livestream by clicking the button below.

Hot Topics | A Just Transition for Whom? Understanding the Opportunities and Limitations of a Just Energy Transition
2025-07-10 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join us online for the Hot Topics in Environmental Law Summer Lecture Series, brought to you by the Environmental Law Center at VLGS. The series is free and open to the public. In addition to featuring live Q&A with the audience, each installment is eligible for Vermont Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit.

This session, “A Just Transition for Whom? Understanding the Opportunities and Limitations of a Just Energy Transition,” will be presented by Mijin Cha from University of California Santa Cruz and the VLGS Distinguished Energy Law Summer Scholar.

Tune into the livestream by clicking the button below.

Hot Topics | Universal Ownership, Systematic Stewardship: Whatever You Call It, Where Do We Stand?
2025-07-15 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join us online for the Hot Topics in Environmental Law Summer Lecture Series, brought to you by the Environmental Law Center at VLGS. The series is free and open to the public. In addition to featuring live Q&A with the audience, each installment is eligible for Vermont Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit.

This session, “Universal Ownership, Systematic Stewardship: Whatever You Call It, Where Do We Stand?”, will be presented by Madison Condon from Boston University School of Law and the VLGS Distinguished Climate Law Summer Scholar.

Tune into the livestream by clicking the button below.

Hot Topics | One Big Beautiful Bill and How it Will Disrupt the Clean Energy Transition
2025-07-17 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join us online for the Hot Topics in Environmental Law Summer Lecture Series, brought to you by the Environmental Law Center at VLGS. The series is free and open to the public. In addition to featuring live Q&A with the audience, each installment is eligible for Vermont Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit.

This session will be presented by Valerie Volcovici from Thomson Reuters and a VLGS Environmental Media Fellow.

Tune into the livestream by clicking the button below.

Hot Topics | Someone
2025-07-22 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join us online for the Hot Topics in Environmental Law Summer Lecture Series, brought to you by the Environmental Law Center at VLGS. The series is free and open to the public. In addition to featuring live Q&A with the audience, each installment is eligible for Vermont Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit.

This session will be presented by Kristen Stilt from Harvard Law School and a VLGS Distinguished Animal Law Summer Scholar.

An assumed division between human and nonhuman animals (and most of nature) has long been baked into most of Western culture and law. As effects of the Anthropocene bring humans and animals in closer and more frequent contact, increasingly in emergency and catastrophic situations, we are beginning to see more signs of awareness that humans and animals are not only ecologically but profoundly interdependent—and that each animal should not be categorized something, but as someone.

Tune into the livestream by clicking the button below.
