by Timothy and Guy Page
A bill introduced into the Vermont House January 30, would provide incentives to Vermont Law School graduates who are willing to pledge their legal services to the State.
H.842 proposes to “create a forgivable loan incentive program for graduates of the Vermont Law School who commit to work as a lawyer for a governmental body in the State for at least three years.”
The bill has been sponsored by Rep. Martin LaLonde, a lawyer, Democrat from South Burlington, and chair of the House Judiciary Committee. It has been referred to the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development, where it will undergo further evaluation and consideration. H.842 is currently a ‘short form’ bill, offering few specifics and details about eligibility, compensation, and state spending.
Vermont Law School was founded in 1972 by Anthony Doria and held its first classes in the summer of 1973 with 113 students in what was then known as the old South Royalton schoolhouse, according to Wikipedia. The 2022 mission statement aims at “harnessing the momentum and intersectionality of environmentalism and justice reform to use law, policy, and leadership to make a difference.”
As written, H.842 would only offer loan forgiveness to lawyers. In addition to traditional legal degrees, Vermont Law School offers a diverse set of masters degrees, as described on the VLS website:
- Executive Master of Environmental Policy (EMEP)
- Master of Climate and Environmental Policy (MCEP), a “robust applied public policy degree dedicated to the environment. Degree-seekers will receive the tools needed to make change — especially finding and implementing solutions to the greatest challenges of our day at the intersection of climate change and environmental justice.”
- Master of Animal Protection Policy (MAPP). “Animal law and policy is a rapidly expanding field, with an increasing number of students and employers recognizing and focusing on the interconnection between human, environmental, and animal well-being,” VLS states.
- Master of Energy Regulation and Law (MERL), “focused on law and policy governing energy use, production, and transmission.”
Last year, the climate activist Maverick Lloyd Foundation gave $2.5 million to VLS and Graduate School. Foundation co-trustee Arthur Berndt co-founded of the Energy Action Network, one of the driving forces behind the passage of S.5, the ‘Affordable Heat Act.”
VLS also has been the scene of a long battle over removing an anti-slavery mural commissioned by the school in 1993 but in 2020 deemed to portray blacks in a demeaning light. A federal appeals court agreed last August that VLS has the right to remove the mural.
VLS news and press releases focus on the school’s racial ‘truth and reconciliation’ efforts, and progressive criminal justice reforms, and environmental advocacy. Former Windsor County prosecutor and drug legalization advocate Robert Sand of Woodstock is founder of the VLS Center for Justice Reform. In a column last month Sand stated, “Sending an individual convicted of a crime to prison isn’t an effective way to deter crime.”
From 1982-2011, VLS declined to receive federal funding linked to requiring the U.S. military to recruit on campus. It allowed recruiting and accepted the funding after the military lifted the ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ stance on gays serving in the military.
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