—Scholars, lawyers, and technology disruptors will join Vermont Law School students for their annual Solutions Conference, this year titled “#VLSLegalTech—Disrupt the Stone Age,” from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, March 23, in Chase Community Center at VLS. The conference is free and open to the public and press, and will be streamed live at vermontlaw.edu/live.
Sponsored by several VLS student groups with support from the Center for Legal Innovation, the conference will focus on the intersection of technology, law, and social justice. Participants will discuss a variety of issues, from the challenges to justice that arise from the recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision to repeal net neutrality regulations to the use of big data to predict crime and recidivism. Conference participants also will consider challenges for lawyers in meeting the technology competency levels required by the American Bar Association in a world of rapidly accelerating technical developments.
“The solutions we explore will focus on equipping lawyers, future lawyers, and the greater community with the legal and technical tools necessary to innovate, disrupt, and lead our way through these challenges,” said Chloe Castro JD’18, a member of the Solutions Conference Committee.
Conference keynotes, panels, and lab sessions include:
8 a.m. | Registration and Breakfast
9 a.m. | Morning Keynote
Benjamin Battles
Solicitor General, State of Vermont
10 a.m. | Panel 1: “The New Age of Big Data Policing”
11:15 a.m. | Labs 1.0
Noon | Lunch Keynote
Dan Lear
Director of Industry Relations, Avvo
1 p.m. | Panel 2: “Can The Use of Technology and Innovation Transform Social Justice?”
2:15 p.m. | Labs 2.0
3 p.m. | Panel 3: “Are You Competent to Practice Law?”
4 p.m. | Labs 3.0
Continuing legal education (CLE) credit is available for a $25 fee, and donations are welcome to support the conference. A portion of proceeds will benefit Measures for Justice, a nonprofit founded in 2011 to develop a data-driven set of performance measures to assess and compare the criminal justice process from arrest to post-conviction on a county-by-county basis. Additional funds will support a law-by-design lab project facilitated by the Environmental Law Society at VLS during the conference lab sessions. The project ultimately will take shape as a large-scale, data-driven infographic that examines a risk or concern that is specific to a Vermont community, including how the law relates to the issue, for display in that community.
Conference attendees are encouraged to download a free conference app, VLSLEGALTECH, from the Apple App Store or Google Play on the day of the conference, and follow #VLSLegalTech on social media. For more information about “#VLSLegalTech—Disrupt the Stone Age,” including preregistration and a full conference schedule, visit Eventbrite, or email BrittmyMartinez@vermontlaw.edu or ChloeCastro@vermontlaw.edu. Preregistration is encouraged to reserve breakfast and lunch.
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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; four master’s degrees—Master of Environmental Law and Policy, Master of Energy Regulation and Law, Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy, and Master of Arts in Restorative Justice; 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, Center for Applied Human Rights, and Center for Justice Reform. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.