Vermont Law and Graduate School

Raising Growth Capital Beyond Vermont
2026-04-30 11:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual
Hosted by the Vermont Small Business Law Center, this two-hour webinar with live Q&A is designed for Vermont small businesses looking to raise larger amounts of capital and grow beyond local markets and lenders. The session focuses on national-scale capital options such as angel investment and venture capital, as well as alternative methods of fundraising.

Our team of experts will break down how outside investment works, what investor expect, and how capital decisions can affect ownership, control, and the long-term direction of your business. You will also learn common pitfalls to avoid as you scale and how to prepare your business for serious investment conversations.

Sponsored by the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), this program is ideal for entrepreneurs seeking growth-oriented capital and a clearer understanding of the legal landscape around raising national-level investment capital. Bring your questions and join the conversation.

This virtual event is free, but registration is required.

This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SSBCI-21031-0036 awarded to Vermont State Colleges/Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Graduate Admissions Office Hour Session
2026-04-29 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-04-16 18:00 - 19:00 | Virtual
Drop in and chat with a graduate admissions counselor from 6 to 7 p.m. ET. Get answers to your most pressing graduate school questions.

*This event is geared toward prospective master’s/LLM/certificate students.

The NextGen Bar Exam
2026-04-22 18:00 - 19:00 | Virtual
Reserve your spot for this informational session on the NextGen Bar Exam. Learn about what’s changing, how to prepare for this new exam, and the resources available at Vermont Law and Graduate School.

Please register in advance by clicking here.

*This event is geared toward prospective JD students.

Graduate Admissions Office Hour Session
2026-04-22 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-04-08 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-04-01 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Drop in and chat with a graduate admissions counselor from 1 to 2 p.m. ET. Get answers to your most pressing graduate school questions.

*This event is geared toward prospective master’s/LLM/certificate students.

Intersectionality in Environmental Law Symposium
2026-04-18 08:00 - 17:00 | Chase Community Center, 164 Chelsea St., South Royalton, VT, 05068
The Environmental Justice Law Society, Energy Law Society, Environmental Law Society, Food and Agriculture Law Society, and Animal Law Society at Vermont Law and Graduate School proudly present the Intersectionality in Environmental Law Symposium.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

All times are listed below in ET.

Saturday, April 18

8 to 8:45 a.m. – Registration and Breakfast

8:45 to 9 a.m. – Introductory Remarks

9 to 9:30 a.m. – Morning Keynote: Dr. Zeyneb Magavi, HEET

9:35 to 11:05 a.m. – “Electrification in 2026 and Beyond” Moderated by Kirt Mayland LLM’05, Visiting Professor in the Institute for Energy and the Environment and Energy Clinic

Molly Armus JD’14, Friends of the Earth

Patrick Marass JD’17, Bernstein Shur

Austin Scarborough JD’21, Young/Sommer LLC

Veronica Ung-Kono JD/MERL’21, Environmental Defense Fund

Mark Zankel, Revision Energy

11:20 a.m. to 12 p.m. – “New England Resilience” Moderated by Christophe Courchesne, Director of the Environmental Law Center and Environmental Advocacy Clinic

Dr. Jamison Ervin, United Nations Nature for Development Programme

Jon Groveman, Vermont Natural Resources Council

Dr. Sarah H. Kelly, Dartmouth College

12 to 12:45 p.m. – Lunch

12:45 to 1 p.m. – Introductory Remarks

1 to 1:30 p.m. – Afternoon Keynote: Dr. Teresa Mares, University of Vermont

1:35 to 2:45 p.m. – “Cultivating Community – Migrant Farmworkers Across the Upper Valley” Moderated by Emma Scott, Director of the Food and Agriculture Clinic

Dr. Teresa Mares, University of Vermont

Douglas Moody, Dartmouth College

3 to 3:55 p.m. – “Harvesting Equity – Legal Frameworks of Migrant Farmworkers”

Moderated by Laurie Beyranevand JD’03, Director of the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems

Maya McCann-Som, Central West Justice Center

Claudia Quintero, Central West Justice Center

Hannah Wolf, FarmSTAND

3:55 to 4 p.m. – Closing Remarks

4 to 5 p.m. – Cocktail Hour

This event will take place in-person, and an online option will also be provided upon registering. Continuing legal education (CLE) credits are available for practicing attorneys.

Mock Torts Lecture
2026-04-15 18:00 - 19:00 | Virtual
Join Stephanie Clark, vice dean for students and professor of law, for a mock torts lecture:

Welcome to Torts! You may be asking, “what is a tort?” It is definitely different than a “torte,” though I can imagine a scenario where a tort is committed with a torte! Intrigued? Then please join us for this mock class where you will be introduced to torts, complete with an example of a legal tort committed with a torte, and learn why Torts is a foundational first year (1L) law course. I hope to see you there!

Please register in advance by clicking here.

*This event is geared toward prospective JD students.

VITA Program: Free Tax Preparation
2026-04-14 16:00 - 20:00, 2026-04-11 09:00 - 12:00, 2026-04-09 16:00 - 20:00, 2026-03-14 09:00 - 12:00, 2026-03-12 16:00 - 20:00 | By Appointment Only
Vermont Law and Graduate School is once again hosting a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site.

Volunteers will prepare and electronically file federal and state tax returns, free of charge, for qualifying low-to-moderate income and elderly taxpayers whose family income in 2025 was $69,000 or less.

Filings will be done by appointment only and can be scheduled by calling 802-831-1363. Participants will be asked to show proof of identity per IRS regulations. A self-service filing station—complete with a laptop and necessary software—will also be available by appointment.

Note: IRS regulations require verification of all taxpayers’ identities. Those participating in these tax preparation services (and their spouse, if filing a joint return) will be asked to show proof of identity (e.g., driver’s license, employer ID, school ID, birth certificate, military ID, or passport). It is also necessary to show a social security card, an ITIN card or letter, or an SSA letter for each individual who will be listed on the return. Taxpayers who cannot substantiate their identity will be asked to seek professional tax assistance elsewhere.

CAFS Lunch and Learn: Urban Agriculture and Local Policy
2026-04-14 12:00 - 13:00 | Yates Common Room at Vermont Law and Graduate School, 164 Chelsea Street, South Royalton, Vermont, 05068, United States
Join us for a Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) Lunch and Learn highlighting our Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Policy Project. Visiting Assistant Professor Liz Turner will share insights from “Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production: A Guide to Local Policy,” a CAFS resource developed through her research as a CAFS fellow. She will be joined by students to discuss what’s next for the project and how it has shaped her VLGS course, “Law and Policy of Urban Agriculture.”

Lunch will be provided for in-person attendees. To join virtually via Microsoft Teams, please click here.

21st Annual Norman Williams Distinguished Lecture in Land Use Planning and the Law: "Local Greens: Cities and Climate Change"
2026-04-07 17:00 - 18:00 | Oakes Hall, Room 012, 164 Chelsea Street, South Royalton, Vermont, 05068, United States
The Environmental Law Center at Vermont Law and Graduate School invites you to hear from Katrina M. Wyman, Wilf Family Professor of Property Law and Director of the Environmental and Energy Law LLM Program at NYU School of Law.

With a federal government hostile to efforts to address climate change, state and local governments provide the main opportunity to advance climate policy. Wyman will discuss the potential for local governments to address climate change in the current moment, drawing on her recent book “Local Greens,” co-authored with Danielle Spiegel-Feld. She will focus on the incentives that cities have to deploy their authority over land use and the built environment to promote decarbonization and limit the harms from climate risks such as flooding and fires. Using New York City as a case study, she also will highlight the challenges that cities face in tackling climate change. While cities are far from the ideal level of government to confront climate change, given the enormity of the challenge, we cannot forsake any government’s contribution, no matter how big or small.

As the Wilf Family Professor of Property Law at NYU School of Law, Wyman teaches and researches in the areas of Property, Environmental Law, and Natural Resources Law, among other subjects. Wyman is faculty director of NYU Law’s Frank J. Guarini Center on Environmental, Energy, and Law Use Law, and faculty director of the law school’s LLM program in Environmental and Energy Law. Her recent research has addressed a range of topics, including the role of cities in environmental law in the U.S. and abroad, and the development of novel forms of property. Wyman was awarded the Podell Distinguished Teaching Award in 2020. She has a BA, MA, and LLB from the University of Toronto, and an LLM from Yale Law School.

This event will take place in person on the VLGS campus and virtually. Click here to view the livestream.

VITA Program: Free Tax Preparation
2026-04-07 16:00 - 20:00, 2026-04-04 09:00 - 12:00, 2026-04-02 16:00 - 20:00, 2026-03-31 16:00 - 20:00, 2026-03-28 09:00 - 12:00, 2026-03-26 16:00 - 20:00 | By Appointment Only
Vermont Law and Graduate School is once again hosting a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site.

Volunteers will prepare and electronically file federal and state tax returns, free of charge, for qualifying low-to-moderate income and elderly taxpayers whose family income in 2025 was $69,000 or less.

Filings will be done by appointment only in Oakes Hall and can be scheduled by calling 802-831-1363. Participants will be asked to show proof of identity per IRS regulations. A self-service filing station—complete with a laptop and necessary software—will also be available by appointment.

Note: IRS regulations require verification of all taxpayers’ identities. Those participating in these tax preparation services (and their spouse, if filing a joint return) will be asked to show proof of identity (e.g., driver’s license, employer ID, school ID, birth certificate, military ID, or passport). It is also necessary to show a social security card, an ITIN card or letter, or an SSA letter for each individual who will be listed on the return. Taxpayers who cannot substantiate their identity will be asked to seek professional tax assistance elsewhere.

VITA Program: Free Tax Preparation
2026-03-24 16:00 - 20:00, 2026-03-21 09:00 - 12:00, 2026-03-19 16:00 - 20:00, 2026-03-17 16:00 - 20:00 | By Appointment Only
Vermont Law and Graduate School is once again hosting a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site.

Volunteers will prepare and electronically file federal and state tax returns, free of charge, for qualifying low-to-moderate income and elderly taxpayers whose family income in 2025 was $69,000 or less.

Filings will be done by appointment only and can be scheduled by calling 802-831-1363. Participants will be asked to show proof of identity per IRS regulations. A self-service filing station—complete with a laptop and necessary software—will also be available by appointment.

All appointments take place in Oakes Hall. Further details will be provided when you schedule your time slot.

Note: IRS regulations require verification of all taxpayers’ identities. Those participating in these tax preparation services (and their spouse, if filing a joint return) will be asked to show proof of identity (e.g., driver’s license, employer ID, school ID, birth certificate, military ID, or passport). It is also necessary to show a social security card, an ITIN card or letter, or an SSA letter for each individual who will be listed on the return. Taxpayers who cannot substantiate their identity will be asked to seek professional tax assistance elsewhere.

Vermont Journal of Environmental Law Presents: "Sustainable Development Around the Globe"
2026-03-20 15:00 - 2026-03-21 12:30 | Chase Community Center, 164 Chelsea St., South Royalton, VT, 05068
Presented by the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law (VJEL), this year’s symposium, “Sustainable Development Around the Globe” focuses on sustainability practices and their impacts through four key panels. The event will be held in person (Chase Community Center at VLGS) and virtually.

View the Full Agenda

Learn More About the Presenters

The tentative schedule is listed below. All times are listed in ET.

Friday, March 20

Click Here to Tune in Virtually on Friday

3 p.m. – Welcoming Remarks

3:05 p.m. – Keynote Speaker Todd Howland, Interim Director, Environmental Justice Clinic

3:20 p.m. – Break

3:25 p.m. – Panel One: Transparency and Accountability for Sustainable Mining

4:50 p.m. – Break

5 p.m. – Panel Two: Valuing Forests – The Role of Ecosystem Services

6:25 p.m. – Closing Remarks

6:30 p.m. – Happy Hour and Networking

Saturday, March 21

Click Here to Tune in Virtually on Saturday

8:30 a.m. – Breakfast

9 a.m. – Welcoming Remarks

9:05 a.m. – Panel Three: The Role of Governance in Arctic Sustainability

10:30 a.m. – Break

10:40 a.m. – Panel Four: Environmental and Social Impacts of Aquaculture and Possible Mitigation

12:05 p.m. – Closing Remarks

Vermont Supreme Court at VLGS
2026-03-18 09:00 - 11:30 | Oakes Hall, Rooms 109 and 110, 164 Chelsea Street, South Royalton, Vermont, 05068
Join us as the Vermont Supreme Court hears three cases on the Vermont Law and Graduate School campus. For more information from the Vermont Judiciary, please click here.

SCHEDULE:

9 a.m. ET: Hon. James H. Douglas, Special Administrator of the Estate of John Abner Mead* v. The President and Fellows of Middlebury College**

10 a.m. ET: State of Vermont v. Peter Hirzel*

11 a.m. ET: Ian Treadway* v. Green Mountain Power Corporation

11:30 a.m. ET: Q&A for VLGS Students Only

An asterisk (*) indicates the appellant and a double asterisk (**) indicates a cross-appellant.

Please note that Court rules will apply. All cell phones must be silenced and may not be used disruptively during the hearings or to record from the gallery (orally or visually). Security personnel will check any items you bring into the room (including backpacks and purses), which will lengthen the wait time to enter the courtroom. Food and beverages are not allowed. It is recommended that you leave non-essential items at home to expedite this process. Neither the Court, nor VLGS will be responsible for any personal belongings.

Anyone causing disruptive behavior may be removed by security.

Each hearing will be livestreamed and can be viewed by clicking here.

Seal and Heal: An Update on Vermont’s New Expungement and Sealing Laws
2026-03-16 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Effective July 1, 2025, Act 60 updated Vermont laws pertaining to expunging and sealing past convictions in Vermont Courts. This law shifts the focus from expungement, which fully erases any state-maintained record of the conviction, to sealing, which removes the conviction from public record, but maintains a non-public record for use in future prosecutions, if necessary. This change poses both advantages and disadvantages for Vermonters with criminal records seeking a fresh start.

Join VLGS’s Veterans Legal Assistance Project for this educational webinar discussing the processes and procedures for seeking expungement and sealing of Vermont convictions, with a special focus on Act 60 and the changes it has caused to the legal landscape.

Register

Albany Regional Energy Symposium
2026-03-12 09:00 - 15:15 | St. Anne’s Institute, 160 N. Main Avenue, Albany, New York, 12206
Vermont Law and Graduate School invites alumni, students, and members of the broader energy and policy community to join us for the Albany Regional Energy Symposium. This in-person program will explore the evolving challenges and opportunities shaping energy policy and decision-making, and will feature expert panels and a distinguished lunchtime keynote address. Lunch will be provided for registered attendees.

Schedule

*All times are listed below in ET.

9 a.m. | Networking Breakfast

9:30 a.m. | Opening Remarks

Mark James LLM’16, Interim Director, Institute for Energy and the Environment

9:40 a.m. | Panel 1: How States Can Advance Offshore Wind

Alicia Gené Artessa JD/MELP’16, Director, New York Offshore Wind Alliance

Barbara Beblowski MELP’22, Coalition Manager, New England for Offshore Wind

Greg Lampman, Senior Director, Offshore Wind, NYSERDA

Christopher Casey JD/MELP’13, Utility Regulatory Director, New York and Senior Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council

11 a.m. | Networking Break

11:10 a.m. | Panel 2: Affordable House, Public Health, and Climate Change

Moderated by Jenny Carter JD’87/MSL’88, Professor and Senior Attorney, Institute for Energy and the Environment

Lisa Hart, Public Health Analyst/Grants Manager, Syracuse Housing Authority

Chris Coll, Project Director, New York State Department of Public Service

Peter Walke, Managing Director, Efficiency Vermont

12:30 p.m. | Lunch and Networking Break

12:50 p.m. | Lunch Keynote

Alex Summe, Director of Electrification and Customer Solutions, Electric Power Research Institute

1:40 p.m. | Networking Break

1:50 p.m. | Panel 3: Energy Decision-Making in Uncertain Times

Moderated by Jaclyn Brilling JD’79, Former Secretary, New York State Public Service Commission

Jim Muscato, Partner, Young/Sommer LLC

Meave Tooher, General Counsel, New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission

Laurie Wheelock JD’10/MELP’07, Executive Director, Public Utility Law Project

3:10 p.m. | Concluding Remarks

Register in advance by clicking here.

Continuing legal education (CLE) credit is available through the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA). After registering for the event, you will receive instructions on how to complete your CLE registration through NYSBA.

Thanks to the generosity of our alumni and partners, there is no cost to attend this event.
