Faculty Directory
  • Faculty

Luis Chiesa

Titles

  • Professor of Law

Degrees

  • JD, University of Puerto Rico
  • LLM, Columbia Law School
  • JSD, Columbia Law School

Contact

Phone: 802-831-1354

Biography

Luis E. Chiesa joined Vermont Law and Graduate School in the summer of 2025 from the University at Buffalo School of Law, where he served as the inaugural Dr. Teresa A. Miller Professor of Law and directed the Buffalo Criminal Law Center.

An internationally recognized scholar of substantive criminal law and comparative legal theory, Professor Chiesa has published widely in leading U.S., European, and Latin American journals. He is completing “Contours of Criminal Law,” a book offering a critical and comparative examination of the foundations of substantive criminal law.

His current work also reflects a deepening interest in the inner life of law and legal professionals—a theme he is exploring in his book manuscript “The Soulful Lawyer.” He is currently training to become a Jungian psychoanalyst at the C.G. Jung Institute of New England.

At VLGS, Professor Chiesa will teach courses in criminal law, criminal procedure, and evidence, as well as courses exploring how mindfulness and contemplative practice can deepen our understanding of law and the human beings it serves.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Professor Chiesa earned his JD from the University of Puerto Rico and a master’s (LLM) and doctorate (JSD) in law from Columbia Law School. He has held visiting appointments at law schools in Argentina and Colombia, as well as at the University of Washington and, more recently, Cornell Law School.

Expertise

  • Criminal Law and Procedure
  • Evidence

Departments

  • Faculty