New program designed to offer working professionals flexible ways to earn their law degree.
SOUTH ROYALTON, Vt. (March 15, 2022) – Vermont Law School (VLS) today launched a part-time Online Hybrid JD that makes it easier for working professionals to earn their law degree from one of the nation’s top environmental law programs and a leader in the emerging field of restorative justice.
VLS will begin accepting applications to the ABA-accredited program immediately, with the first Online Hybrid JD class enrolling this coming fall. More details about applying to the program can be found at vermontlaw.edu/onlinejd.
Delivered through a mixture of online classes and three brief, in-person residential sessions, the Online Hybrid JD offers the same rigorous legal education as the school’s residential JD, but with flexibility that allows working professionals to earn a law degree without giving up their ability to earn an income or having to move to Vermont.
“The Online Hybrid JD is perfect for experienced, working professionals who want to boost their careers or start a new one in the law,” said VLS Interim President and Dean Beth McCormack. “The program’s flexibility means that students can earn their JD while still meeting the many other obligations in their lives. The ability to keep working, to take care of their families, to minimize student debt, that’s a game-changer.”
The Online Hybrid JD will offer students the opportunity to specialize in one of four areas in which VLS is widely known for – and that represent some of society’s most pressing issues: environmental law, food and agriculture law, energy law, or restorative justice.
“We chose these four specializations because our faculty and staff are known to be among the best educators on these topics in the U.S. The world needs legal experts and leaders who can tackle today's difficult problems,” said Dean McCormack.
The Online Hybrid JD program may be completed in as little as three years and one semester (a total of 10 semesters). The classes will primarily be in synchronous and asynchronous formats. Synchronous classes will be held virtually in the evenings Monday through Thursday 6:30 to 9 p.m. eastern. The asynchronous classes enable students to interact with classmates and faculty through discussion, projects, and feedback with no set meeting times. There will be only three short, in-person (Thursday through Sunday) residencies held at the school’s downtown Burlington, Vt., campus during the first, sixth and final semester. At the end of the program, students will be prepared to take the bar and practice law in most states.
The program builds on the school’s decade-plus track record of delivering successful, impactful, online degrees. VLS established the nation’s first online master’s degree program in environmental law in 2011.