The Vermont Journal of Environmental Law (VJEL) at Vermont Law School today announced Luis Inaraja Vera of New York University School of Law the winner of its second annual White River Environmental Law Writing Competition.
VJEL awarded Vera a $1,000 prize and publication in an upcoming issue for his winning paper titled "Compelled Costs Under CERCLA: Incompatible Remedies, Joint-and-Several Liability, and Tort Law." Vera, who earned a Master of Laws (LLM) in Environmental Law from VLS in 2013, requested that journal editors keep the cash prize to support VJEL.
Vera's paper discusses cost recovery under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).
"The article explains that under current Supreme Court precedent, potentially responsible parties can possibly recover cleanup costs twice or not at all," said VJEL Editor-in-Chief Joseph Simpson. "The current structure also dissuades private settlements between potentially responsible parties because doing so may prevent one of those parties from recovering at all. Luis's article provides legal solutions under CERCLA to avoid the double- or no-cost recovery situations. He not only wrote an intensive study of a complex environmental law, but wrote this article at a standard beyond what one would expect from a student's work."
VJEL, the environmental law journal of Vermont Law School, home to the nation's premier environmental law program, is positioned to reach audiences on a global scale and affords students a unique opportunity to participate in current debates surrounding far-reaching environmental law and policy issues.
Any student currently pursuing a juris doctor (JD) or master of laws (LLM) degree at an accredited law school in the U.S. is eligible to participate in the annual competition. While only one winner is selected, additional submissions may receive offers of publication. For more information about the White River Environmental Law Writing Competition, including eligibility and judging criteria, visit vjel.vermontlaw.edu/writing-competition. For more information about the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, visit vjel.vermontlaw.edu or email vjel@vermontlaw.edu.
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Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, is home to the nation's largest and deepest environmental law program. VLS offers a Juris Doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service; three Master's Degrees—Master of Environmental Law and Policy, Master of Energy Regulation and Law, and Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy; and four post-JD degrees —LLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers), LLM in Energy Law, LLM in Environmental Law, and LLM in Food and Agriculture Law. The school features innovative experiential programs and is home to the Environmental Law Center, South Royalton Legal Clinic, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, Energy Clinic, Food and Agriculture Clinic, and Center for Applied Human Rights. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.