Vermont Law and Graduate School Appoints Emma Scott as Director of the Food and Agriculture Clinic

Scott brings extensive expertise in food law, equity advocacy and social justice

SOUTH ROYALTON, Vermont (September 12, 2024) — Emma Scott is now director of the Food and Agriculture Clinic at Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS).

Scott joins VLGS with an extensive background in food law and policy and clinical practice. She previously served as a clinical instructor and associate director at Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC). At FLPC, Scott led projects advancing food system equity and sustainability, advocating for farm bill policy, food system workers and equity in USDA programs. Her leadership extended to supervising the Mississippi Delta Project, a student practice organization, and managing ongoing partnerships in the Mississippi Delta region.

Before her tenure at FLPC, Scott was an attorney-fellow at the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation. She worked in the Labor and Civil Rights Litigation Unit, focusing on group representation of workers from immigrant communities, particularly farmworkers under the H-2A visa program.

“We are honored to welcome Professor Scott to our team,” Laurie Beyranevand, director of the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law and Graduate School, said. “Her knowledge of food law and policy, dedication to equity and passion for creating impactful hands-on learning opportunities make her an invaluable addition to our faculty and a perfect fit to lead the Food and Agriculture Clinic.”

In her new role, Scott will work alongside Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, or CAFS, faculty to oversee the development of the clinic’s seminar programs and experiential learning opportunities. She will also teach courses on farmworkers and the law.

“Experiential learning is essential for preparing future lawyers,” Scott said. “While the classroom is incredibly important, nothing compares to hands-on experience. I’m excited to guide and mentor our students as they navigate the complex intersections of law and food systems while ensuring they feel not only prepared in their areas of expertise but also ready to step into future roles and make a real impact.”

Scott served as a law clerk on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California for the Hon. John A. Mendez, where she rose to senior law clerk in her second year. She earned her B.S. in Social Sciences, magna cum laude, with a concentration in Cross-Cultural Studies and International Development, from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and her J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School.

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About Vermont Law and Graduate School: Vermont Law and Graduate School, a private, independent institution, is home to a law school that offers ABA-accredited residential and online hybrid JD programs and a graduate school that offers master’s degrees and certificates in multiple disciplines, including programs offered by the Maverick Lloyd School for the Environment, the Center for Justice Reform and other graduate-level programs emphasizing the intersection of environmental justice, social justice and public policy. Both the law and graduate schools strongly feature experiential clinical and fieldwork learning. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, Facebook and Instagram.