Vermont Law School history

Provisional ABA approval came in February 1975, and a full complement of classes were offered in the fall of 1975.

Environmental Law Center—The Environmental Law Center (ELC) began in 1978 with eight master's degree students.

The clinic opened in January 1979, with Zander Rubin as the first director.

In Summer 1980 Zander left the clinic to work at the Vermont Attorney General's office, and was succeeded as director by Elliot Burg of Vermont Legal Aid's Rutland office.

VLS became a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) in 1981.

Susan Apel arrived in 1982 from Keystone Legal Services in Pennsylvania, succeeding Tavian Mayer, who went into private practice in South Royalton.

The next year, 1983, saw the arrival of James May from Vermont Legal Aid's Springfield office.

When Elliot left in 1986 to work in Bolivia for a year, and then to work for the Vermont Attorney General's Office, Dean Jonathan Chase appointed Susan and Jim as co-directors for the next year.

Susan moved "across the street" in 1987 to help start the General Practice Program, and Jim became SRLC director, a post he still occupies.

Charles A. Murphy, J.D. 1990, member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee

The Julien and Virginia Cornell Library opened in 1991.

In 1994, SRLC Director James May, who heads up the Clinic's Core Program of civil legal aid, helped establish Russia's first law school legal clinic at Petrozavodsk State University (PSU) in Karelia, a northwestern Russian republic bordering Finland.

Legal Clinic of Petrozavodsk State University – Under the patronage of Vermont School of Law at the Faculty of Petrozavodsk State University opened the first legal clinic in Russia in October 1995, supported by the Council of Judges.

Kinvin Wroth came to VLS as Dean in 1996 with a strong track record on, among other things, Access to Justice issues.

The James L. and Evelena S. Oakes Hall building was constructed and dedicated in 1998.

In 1999, he supported the clinic's hiring of a fourth attorney, Arthur Edersheim, with United States Department of Justice funding.

After a few years of representing domestic violence clients, Art assisted in setting up the Vermont Immigrant Assistance Project (VIA) in 2003.

FAIR. Following the repeal of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' in 2011, all law schools in the country now cooperate with the Solomon Amendment.

In 2012, a new home was created for the Center for Legal Services, South Royalton Legal Clinic, and Environmental and Natural Resources Legal Clinic from a revitalized building listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In the Fall of 2013, Art decided to reduced his workload and hours to part-time and SRLC brought attorney Erin Jacobsen from Vermont Immigration and Asylum Advocates (VIAA) on board, under a partnership with Vermont Legal Aid under a Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) grant.