Vermont Law School

[EduCativ]

At Vermont Law School, learning is geared toward purpose and action.
VLS academic programs combine a solid foundation in law and policy, focusing on one or several specialization areas. Practical, real-world experience gained through work in legal clinics and externships enables students to hone their expertise and match their talents to their passions.
Learning happens everywhere: on campus—in classrooms, conference rooms, the library, and in dinner seminars—and off-campus in—courtrooms, client offices, town meetings, mediation sessions, depositions, and legislative hearing rooms. It's a learning environment driven by students who are more intent on collaboration than on competition. Vermont Law School's academic programs are designed to transform legal expertise and skills into tools of consequence. Faculty members, renowned legal scholars, and practitioners deliver an extensive course catalog that features any law school's environmental law courses in the United States. The top-ranked Environmental Law Center prepares students for leadership through practice in specialized institutes and clinics. International programs allow students to broaden their understanding of global policy and law and test the waters of legal practice outside the U.S. And the Julien and Virginia Cornell Library, one of the nation's best environmental law resources, supports students and faculty as they learn and practice.
We are committed to developing a generation of leaders who use the power of the law to make a difference in our communities and the world. Because the status quo is no longer acceptable. You are thinking about law school because you see the law as a powerful tool for changing the status quo. That's the way we see it, too.
Law helps us distinguish our rights from our responsibilities. It is how we organize corporations and co-ops, structure markets, create policies and regulations, agree, and resolve disagreements. Students interested in impacting the world—in the private, public, or social sectors—need the law to get things done.
Our job begins by creating a diverse community of students who bring different skills, backgrounds, and ideologies to our campus. You come to us with degrees in everything from civil engineering to philosophy, and many of you have professional experience in various fields. We help you build on what you know to become law clerks and litigators, policymakers and legislators, defenders of the environment, and advocates for social justice. With knowledge of the law, you become a leader.
But you won't go it alone. This is a team effort. At Vermont Law School, you will build a network of relationships that last. Our faculty is dedicated to teaching you what you need to know and getting you out in the world. And our alumni stay connected—helping current students decide how best to use their skills.
Vermont Law School offers online master's and LLM degrees in environmental law, energy regulation and law, food and agriculture law and policy. With more than 20 online learning courses covering a wide range of topics, including climate change, energy law, environmental law, natural resources law, food, and agriculture regulations, and more, students may tailor their degrees to meet their interests. Or they may choose to take courses as non-degree seeking students for continuing education or transfer to another institution.
The VLS Online Learning Program provides access to the Masters and LLM degree programs via an online classroom. The online program classes are parallel to the residential classes, and transcripts do not designate whether a class was taken on campus or online. The program was designed for working professionals who cannot come to South Royalton to take classes, and, increasingly, for non-degree seeking students and students enrolled at other schools who wish to take online classes at Vermont Law School.
As the premier environmental law school in the nation, Vermont Law School offers degree programs and courses to produce leaders who want to change the world. Online students have access to nationally recognized centers, programs, and faculty—with experiential learning opportunities available from a distance.
Throughout your professional life, you will receive advice from many different sources: your family and friends, your professors, your work colleagues, the media—the list go on and on.
The counselors of the Career Services Office at Vermont Law School—who have been advising law students for decades—will augment that information and help you organize it into an effective overall career plan that integrates your passion and aspirations with your coursework and hands-on experience. We begin meeting with you soon after you arrive on campus to ensure that you have the tools and information you need to make the most of your time at Vermont Law School. We know you are passionate about your future, and we enjoy helping you develop the skills and background you need to succeed.
Vermont Law School is a different kind of law school, and one crucial reason rests with our community. Students fish on the White River between classes in the summer. They hold dinner parties, brew their beer, and hear firsthand from Vermont's governor about the importance of making changes to the criminal justice system.

View full university