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News Release

VLS Alumni Speak on Human Rights, Refugee Law, Sexual Violence

Friday, June 10, 2016

SOUTH ROYALTON, Vt.

Vermont Law School alumni will share their professional experiences related to international human rights, refugee law, and the fight against sexual violence during presentations from 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 18, in Chase Community Center at VLS. The event, the first in the school's "Swan Talks" series, is free and open to the public and press.

VLS Professor Stephanie Farrior, director of the Center for Applied Human Rights, will moderate.

"Vermont Law School students and alumni have a strong reputation for striving for a more just world, for standing up for others, for showing up when it matters most," said Farrior. "The alumni who will share their expertise during 'Swan Talks' are committed to making a difference in the law of armed conflict, in the lives of refugees, and in combatting sexual violence. Their work is a powerful example of the efforts taking place in the greater VLS community to increase awareness of these critical issues in the U.S. and abroad."

Presentations include:

 

 

 

"International Humanitarian Law—What Is It and Why Should I Care?"
Gabor Rona '78 will discuss the role of international humanitarian law in human rights discourse. Rona is a visiting professor at Cardozo Law School, director of the Law and Armed Conflict Project of the Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights, and the 2016 recipient of the VLS Distinguished Alumni Award.

 

 

"A Process for the Persecuted: Understanding Refugee Registration and Resettlement"
Ivy Garlow '16, who focused her VLS studies on refugee law, will discuss her semester working as a legal advisor at the Refugee Legal Aid Project in Cairo, Egypt. Garlow also will discuss her Center for Applied Human Rights fellowship, during which she worked with the Indian Law Resource Center on the Safe Women, Strong Nations project.

The "Swan Talks" series, sponsored by the Office for Institutional Advancement at VLS, is named for the bird which figures prominently on the school seal bearing the motto "lex pro urbe et orbe," law for the community and the world. For more information about the series, email Melissa Schlobohm at mschlobohm@vermontlaw.edu. For more information about VLS events open to the public, visit vermontlaw.edu/news-and-events.

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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. ​