Yanmei Lin

Yanmei Lin is a Professor of Law at Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) and Deputy Director of the U.S.-Asia Partnerships for Environmental Law. Her research and programmatic work focus on the rule of law development in China’s environmental governance. She has led the development and the implementation of the Partnership for Environmental Justice Project which supported the establishment a new Environment and Biodiversity Law Clinic in Yunnan Province to provide legal aid services to NGOs and vulnerable communities. She also supported the design and implementation of environmental law judicial training programs for Chinese judges and lawyers. She is the author of over 40 academic articles both in Chinese and English in the area of comparative environmental law such as environmental public interest litigation, citizen suits, wetland and wildlife protection and the access and benefit sharing of genetical resources and traditional knowledge.

In 2021, Professor Lin was named the 2022 Richard Brooks Distinguished Faculty Scholar. The Award is given to a faculty member who has contributed significantly to the scholarly mission of Vermont Law School. An “unsung publishing hero,” Professor Lin has developed a set of scholarly work that has influenced the development of a more robust environmental governance system.

Before she joined VLGS School in October 2010, Yanmei was a program officer for American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative’s China program and a researcher for China Institute of Environment and Resources Protection in Minority Areas at the Central University for Nationalities. She holds a LL.B.  and LL.M in Jurisprudence from Fudan University and an LL.M. in international Legal Studies from New York University School of Law. She has a Ph.D. in Environmental and Resources Law from China University of Political Science and Law. She is an affiliated Professor of Law at Yango University in Fujian Province and Research Fellow of Research Center for Ecological Governance and Rule of Law at Shantou University in Guangdong Province. She also serves as Co-Chair for the Teaching and Capacity Building Committee of IUCN Academy of Law.