This course is designed to help you explore what it means to be an effective negotiator and to practice the skills needed to improve on this important life skill. You will be expected to learn and apply theories from a broad range of disciplines including law, economics, psychology, sociology and management. These theories will be discussed and debated in class discussions and practice through highly interactive simulations. The course examines the dynamics, constraints, and skills needed to be an effective negotiator.

This course covers how to organize a business enterprise from a legal perspective. We compare the strengths and limitations of different structures for businesses, including sole-proprietorships, general partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations. Supplementing the casebook, we learn about business financing, management and shareholder activism, by following in real-time the activities of ten large US corporations. We also study the law of agency, corporate governance and corporate social responsibility.

Please check back soon for class description.

Examines areas of federal and state labor law which regulate the employment relationship and which provide minimum protection outside of collective bargaining. Major topics considered include wrongful discharge, post-employment liability, employee privacy, genetic and drug testing, employment discrimination, and wage and hour law. Method of evaluation: Final exam

Details for this new course coming soon. Please check back for more information.

Credit Hours: 6, 9, or 13 The Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic functions as a public interest environmental law firm with a collegial atmosphere that encourages interaction and feedback among students and Clinic faculty. Under the supervision of experienced environmental attorneys, student clinicians represent community groups and conservation organizations in real-world cases and projects.

Students work on a variety of civil cases, representing persons unable to afford private counsel. Cases are in such areas as Social Security; income maintenance; unemployment compensation; domestic relations; bankruptcy; landlord-tenant relations; consumer protection; juvenile law; representation of children; immigration; and assistance to prisoners. Student practice rules in state/federal courts allow students to file pleadings, conduct discovery, and make court appearances with the consent of the court and under attorney sponsorship.

Students work on a variety of civil cases, representing persons unable to afford private counsel. Cases are in such areas as Social Security; income maintenance; unemployment compensation; domestic relations; bankruptcy; landlord-tenant relations; consumer protection; juvenile law; representation of children; immigration; and assistance to prisoners. Student practice rules in state/federal courts allow students to file pleadings, conduct discovery, and make court appearances with the consent of the court and under attorney sponsorship.

Advanced ENRLC provides students an opportunity to take the Clinic for a second semester and build on their previous ENRLC experiences. Students will further develop their understanding of relevant substantive law and the lawyering skills introduced in the initial Clinic course. They will be expected to take greater responsibility for counseling clients, developing cases, and reaching resolutions consistent with client goals. They will also be expected to help novice clinicians approach the work of the Clinic.

Students will further develop their understanding of law, broad philosophical, economic and scientific underpinnings of their work, and lawyering skills introduced in their initial SRLC experience. Students will be expected to take greater responsibility for cases and to mentor novice clinicians. Enrollment is by permission of the clinic director. Credits awarded are appropriate for the number of clinic hours worked.

Students will further develop their understanding of law, broad philosophical, economic and scientific underpinnings of their work, and lawyering skills introduced in their initial SRLC experience. Students will be expected to take greater responsibility for cases and to mentor novice clinicians.

Enrollment is by permission of the clinic director.

Credits awarded are appropriate for the number of clinic hours worked.

Students will further develop their understanding of law, broad philosophical, economic and scientific underpinnings of their work, and lawyering skills introduced in their initial SRLC experience. Students will be expected to take greater responsibility for cases and to mentor novice clinicians. Enrollment is by permission of the clinic director. Credits awarded are appropriate for the number of clinic hours worked.

The Semester in Practice (SiP) Program is a field-based externship in which students apprentice (without pay) with lawyers in all areas of practice. The SiP is appropriate for students interested in self-directed learning under the supervision of an experienced legal professional who are experienced lawyers or professionals with a JD (where appropriate) who work with and within: government (state, federal and local), NGO's, non-profit organizations, corporations and law firms.

The Semester in Practice (SiP) Program is a field-based externship in which students apprentice (without pay) with lawyers in all areas of practice. The SiP is appropriate for students interested in self-directed learning under the supervision of an experienced legal professional who are experienced lawyers or professionals with a JD (where appropriate) who work with and within: government (state, federal and local), NGO's, non-profit organizations, corporations and law firms.

The Part-Time JD Externship Program is a field-based externship in which student’s apprentice (without pay) with lawyers in all areas of practice. The part-time externship program is appropriate for students interested in self-directed learning under the supervision of an experienced legal professional working with and within: government (state, federal and local), NGO's, non-profit organizations, corporations and law firms.

Through this course students will be introduced to the practical aspects of real world energy projects. Students will become involved in some aspect of the development or evaluation of sustainable energy projects and may have the opportunity to support the legal and policy requirements of a particular project or through the development of model legal documents to facilitate future projects. Current project areas include community solar development and other alternative energy systems.

Clinic: In the Food and Agriculture Clinic, students collaborate with local, regional, national and international partner organizations to develop and publicly disseminate law, policy and market tools that provide guidance to food system constituencies, including farmers, food entrepreneurs, consumers, legislators, and advocates, on how to advance law, policy and market initiatives that directly or indirectly promote (1) environmentally and economically sustainable agriculture, (2) public health, (3) food access and food security, (4) local and regional agriculture economies and (5) animal

The Judicial Externship Program is a field-based externship in which students apprentice (without pay) in judicial chambers. The Judicial Externship is appropriate for students interested in self-directed learning under the supervision of an experienced judge and judicial law clerk. The Judicial Externship will provide students the opportunity to learn about the process of judicial decision making by observing the function of a particular court while thinking about the management and administration of the court system.

The Judicial Externship Program is a field-based externship in which students apprentice (without pay) in judicial chambers. The Judicial Externship is appropriate for students interested in self-directed learning under the supervision of an experienced judge and judicial law clerk. The Judicial Externship will provide students the opportunity to learn about the process of judicial decision making by observing the function of a particular court while thinking about the management and administration of the court system.

The Advanced Energy Clinic explores at an advanced level, the practical aspects of real world energy projects from the stage of conceptualization, development, contracting, financing, regulatory approval and construction. Students will be further exposed to the state and federal statutes, rules, tax codes, and ordinances that apply to the development of energy projects particularly those that promote sustainability at the community level. Students will also review and/or develop purchased power and other commercial agreements governing these projects.

A basic course on Constitutional Criminal Procedure, with comprehensive consideration of topics under the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Eighth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

The course will focus on the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Students will examine the constitutional principles of criminal procedure and how those principles are actually utilized in practice. This course will give students the basic understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of constitutional criminal law and procedure while at the same time learning the practical application of theory to practice.

Alternative Criminal Justice Programs This seminar will focus on Alternative Criminal Justice Programs and Responses. Using a national template known as the Sequential Intercept Model, students will be introduced to evidence-based approaches and programs at every stage of the criminal justice system that provide effective alternatives to the traditional model from arrest through release from incarceration.

White Collar Crime balances black letter law with current, high-profile examples of corporate felonies and fiascos. Topics include: conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, securities fraud, perjury, obstruction of justice, RICO, tax fraud, money laundering, and environmental crimes. In addition, we’ll cover administrative investigations, grand jury investigations, pleas, trials and sentencing. Method of evaluation: Take home exam or paper (AWR yes for paper)

The purpose of the course is to introduce students to race as it relates to and is reflected in the law. The focus will primarily be on the role and experience of African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Latin-Americans, and Native-Americans in American society, with attention to questions concerning critical race theory, class, family, and feminism. The course will also examine the way law relates to racial diversity in the United States. Method of evaluation: Final paper and AWR yes.

This survey course brings together American law impacting agriculture and food and explores the traditional divisions between agriculture, food, and environmental regulation. The course provides a hard look at the agriculture and food production sector and involves not only an examination of traditional farming and food safety policies but the ways in which these policies intersect with environmental law and health care policy, as well as important sectors from local land use planning to international trade.

This course is an introduction to the law of pollution control, management of hazardous materials, and preservation of natural resources, with a particular emphasis on major federal environmental statutes, including the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and Superfund.

This course reviews and evaluates the traditional American legal controls available to regulate the use of land, including local zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations, as well as more innovative techniques such as growth tempo controls, growth boundaries and transferable development rights. It examines the relevant statutory basis for these techniques and the constitutional limitations on their use, evaluates their effectiveness in controlling “sprawl,” and explores the relative roles of state and local government in land use regulation. Method of evaluation: Final exam. AWR: No

This course will cover the major regulatory approaches embodied in the Clean Air Act, including health-based ambient standards, technology-based standards, joint state-federal implementation under the principle of "cooperative federalism," direct EPA regulation using industry-by-industry approaches, pollution trading programs, permitting, and enforcement. The primary focus of the course will be on stationary source pollution, with a brief introduction to mobile source pollution.

Class description coming soon, please check back for more information.

Students at Vermont Law School have the opportunity to learn about international climate change law and policy through both theory and first-hand observation. Selected students do applied learning in international environmental law by representing VLS as a non-governmental observer delegation at the annual Conference of Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The delegation is led by Professor Tracy Bach.

The energy industry is both a key to the life that billions seek and America's most significant source of pollution. Environmental problems are the energy industry's most important constraint. This course examines key issues in American energy policy, and searches for ways to resolve or ease the strains, which that policy puts upon environmental sustainability. We will review fundamental facts about our energy demands and sample regulatory orders and legal writings that address many of those elements from the perspective of a legal review.

One third of the nation's land base belongs to the American public and is managed by the United States Forest Service and agencies of the Department of the Interior. The federal lands provide significant wildlife habitat and clean water, and are important sources of timber, forage, and energy. They also offer opportunities for recreation. Through this course students will examine the statutes and regulations governing the management of the federal lands and their resources.

Water is the planet's most precious natural resource. Deciding how it will be shared among competing demands is one of a society's most challenging questions. Water Resources Law is a review of the law and policies concerned with the allocation of water resources in the United States. This course will examine the three main systems of water law in the United States: Eastern riparian systems, the prior appropriation doctrine of the West, and the nationally diverse laws regulating the use of groundwater.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions requires long-term changes in behavior, and in a capitalist society, industry, businesses, and consumers respond to prices. Increases in the cost of greenhouse gases can reduce emissions, and reductions in the price of alternatives to fossil fuels can increase their use. This seminar explores the ways in which tax systems in the United States and elsewhere can send these negative and positive price signals.

This seminar is a research and writing seminar that will provide a framework and faculty supervision for students to engage in comparative environmental law research. The seminar will provide opportunities for students to work on U.S.-China environmental law research projects that will provide technical assistance to partners who engage in environmental advocacy and environmental law reform in China.

This course examines the laws and policies regulating natural resources management and environmental protection of the marine environment. The course considers conflicts between public and private uses of the coastal zone, as well as state and federal laws. The course also briefly addresses the interplay between domestic law and policy and applicable principles and rules of international law. The course will cover coastal management, the public trust, fisheries law and the law of the sea, the protection of marine mammals, ocean renewable energy development, and marine reserves.

This course provides an overview of the U.S. Farm Bill and other federal laws that impact growing policy, animal husbandry, and food production. Students will examine federal farm and agriculture law with specific emphasis on the Farm Bill and its myriad of agriculture, nutrition and environmental programs. This course will explore the ways in which the Farm Bill, the single largest funding source for everything from childhood nutrition to land trust acquisition, impacts everything from U.S. international policy stances to the availability of local food resources.

This course reviews oil and gas regulation, both up and down stream, in the United States and around the world. With an eye toward the hot issue of the day – Fracking, the proposed natural gas pipeline through, Middle East oil reserves and trade, and so forth – this course gives students a clearer understanding of the legal regime that makes the oil and gas exploration, extraction, refining, distribution and sale markets work around the world.

A successful environmental professional should possess the ability to advocate, counsel, investigate, persuade, research, and educate. This course will develop those skills through various writing and oral advocacy projects. In addition to other writing projects, students will compose a Freedom of Information Act request, draft a public comment letter, write a grant proposal letter of inquiry, and create an environmental communication campaign. Different skills will be emphasized through the exploration of these diverse types of writing.

Course held in China. Please check back for more information.

Course held in China. Please check back for more information.

Course held in China. Please check back for more information.

This one-credit course provides in-depth exposure to the most effective strategies and resources for environmental law research, including specialized information databases, environmental news/updating, administrative law research, legislative history, international environmental legal research, environmental dispute resolution sources, and non-legal environmental research. The course is designed to prepare law students to research well while in law school as well as in practice.

This course will examine the roles of law and of private ordering in family law contexts. Topics which may be included are marriage and divorce, child custody and support, alimony, property division, tax consequences of divorce, and family violence. The course will also look at various means of dispute resolution in the domestic relations area, including negotiation, mediation, and litigation. The course will include simulations and other exercises designed to develop practical skills and to consider substantive law through skill exercises.

This simulation-based course is designed to compliment the Family Law doctrinal. Students will develop litigation skills through simulated family law scenarios that can be carried into many general practice fields. Students will draft documents, argue motions, and learn from guest speakers during the two-hour workshop with ample opportunity for immediate feedback and support.

This course examines the statutory and judicial rules governing the gratuitous transfer of property. This includes transfers by gift, intestate succession, wills, trusts, and other non-probate mechanisms.

Criminal Procedure: Bail to Jail is a 2 credit course designed to simulate practice using criminal cases. Students will be expected to complete two writing assignments and two in-class oral exercises. The focus of the class is substantive and practical criminal law and procedure. The class will also incorporate related issues, such as professional responsibility and ethics, client and witness contact and control, and issues collateral to criminal cases.

This course is an introduction to consumer bankruptcy, Vermont foreclosure practice and collection. The students learn the basic differences between the chapters of the bankruptcy code, and the impact a bankruptcy may have on the circumstances facing prospective clients. The students also gain some insight as to how a bankruptcy filing or foreclosure might impact other matters such as domestic relations, estates, collections and other civil litigation.

Lawyers and land use professionals, whether representing landowners, developers, regulators, development opponents, or land conservation organizations, need to understand the same basics of land use transactions, development and finance. This land use course, a companion to Land Use Regulation, addresses the private side of land use: how land is surveyed and divided, how its title recorded and insured, how its conveyance is contracted for and executed, and how land is developed.

This unique one-credit hour course offers students an opportunity to study European Union law at the University of Trento Law School in northern Italy during the week of Spring Break. The course consists of a series of seminars, taught by Italian law professors who are recognized experts in EU law, on specialized aspects of European Law. Topics vary from year to year but normally cover matters of contemporary importance such as immigration policy, terrorism, the rise of populist nationalist groups, and Brexit and its fall-out.

This course will explore International Criminal Law, broadly defined to include criminal issues that arise in the international setting and international issues that arise in the context of national criminal law. This broad definition will encompass consideration of the prosecution of mass atrocity crimes (war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression) in national courts and in international tribunals, both ad hoc and the permanent International Criminal Court. Method of Evaluation: Final Exam and Class Participation

This course provides an introduction to the structure and basic principles of international environmental law (IEL) and to IEL’s place in international and domestic legal systems. Specific topics include global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, transboundary pollution, the law of the sea, and development and environment.

This course studies the role of the federal courts in our federal system and is designed to help equip students to effectively litigate challenging and complex civil matters.

This seminar explores the judicial opinion writing process as distinguished from adversarial legal writing. Class readings, discussions, and written assignments will encourage students to critically examine decision and opinion writing of prominent jurists. Class assignments will encourage students to develop the understanding and skills needed to assist judges by drafting opinions, bench memos, and judicial research memoranda based on the briefs and records in previously litigated state and federal cases.

Considers the rules governing the admissibility of testimonial, physical, documentary, and demonstrative evidence in trials and other formal legal proceedings. Topics considered include relevance, prejudice, competency, hearsay, opinion, impeachment, and privilege.

Class description coming soon, please check back for more information.

This course covers the important aspects of a trial, including jury selection, opening statements, direct and cross examination, exhibits, objections, expert witnesses, and closing arguments. Each week students are assigned problems which present specific advocacy issues and which require role playing and examination of witnesses. The course culminates in a full, simulated trial. This is a “learn by doing” course and requires active class participation. Prerequisite: Evidence; may NOT be taken concurrently.

In this seminar, Dean's Fellows meet with the Director of the Legal Writing Program to discuss teaching strategies for the course. The Director begins each seminar by describing the lesson plan and expectations for the upcoming class. He then opens the floor for discussion. The seminar is a collaborative environment where Dean's Fellows share ideas to improve the experience for everyone.

This course covers the core issues of free speech, free press, freedom of religion, and the establishment clause. We will discuss important Supreme Court cases dealing with the following topics among others: advocacy of unlawful action; fighting words; hate speech; libel; revelation of private facts; obscenity; pornography; commercial speech; prior restraints; content-based vs.

This course will focus on the composition and organization of legislatures and the Congress, legislative procedure, and the interpretation of statutes – the legislative product. The course will also explore the extent and limits of legislative powers vis-a-vis the executive and judicial branches of the federal and state governments. This course is actually two courses in one: a course on legal theory, and a course on legal writing. In that vein, it has both a theory component and a practical skills component, both of which are reflected in the weekly assignments.

War against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, targeted killing of terrorist suspects, security implications of climate change, cyber warfare, and NSA spying on Americans' email and phone calls --- these are only a few of the current issues addressed in this course. Lawyers are at the very center of each one.

This course focuses on the foundation of our system of substantive criminal law, with emphasis upon mental state, responsibility, justification and excuse, inchoate crimes, and liability for the conduct of another.

This course will provide students an introduction to the legislative process, regulatory agencies, and agency law-making. Students will learn to navigate modern U.S. government institutions and processes, with a particular emphasis on the legislative process and the administrative state. Key topics include the structure and animating principles of the U.S.

Classes focus on the appellate process, complex research and analysis, preparation of briefs, critical writing skills, and oral argument.

This course examines an attorney's obligations under ethical codes and law related to professional conduct. Students should acquire comprehensive knowledge of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, and learn how to apply the Rules to resolve concrete ethical issues they may face in practice and on the Multi-State Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE). Diverse areas of legal practice are covered with some special attention to issues facing environmental lawyers. Case studies and problems are the primary vehicles for learning. At least one simulation will be included.

Please note: this class will begin a week prior to the semester start: August 22, 2018.

Bar Exam Skills & Tactics (“BEST”) is a three-credit course designed to provide students with the analytical, test-taking, writing, and study skills that are critical to students' success on the bar exam. This is done through an intensive substantive and analytical review of subjects covered on the multistate bar exam, multistate essay exam, and multistate performance test. BEST is an interactive course in which students are expected to study independently, complete essay and multiple choice assignments, and create study tools to be used during bar study.