SOUTH ROYALTON, Vt.,
Oct. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/
-- Starting this fall, the Environmental Advocacy Clinic at
Vermont Law School will serve as legal
counsel to National Wildlife Federation in its high impact
litigation and policy advocacy, institutionalizing a powerful
partnership to protect wildlife, ecosystems and public health,
while training the next generation of conservation advocates and
attorneys.
Formerly known as the Environmental and Natural Resources Law
Clinic, the Environmental Advocacy Clinic will continue as
Vermont Law School's in-house clinic
that operates as a public interest law office, teaching students
how to be lawyers by representing clients in need. Clinical
experience helps students become well-rounded, skilled
professionals who can develop arguments and claims from the ground
up, explore strategies and options, and communicate effectively
with clients, courts, agency officials, scientific experts,
affected communities and opposing parties.
"The National Wildlife Federation is an iconic figure in the
U.S. National Wildlife Federation's national scope and deep history
of natural resource conservation make it the perfect NGO partner
for our Environmental Advocacy Clinic," explains Jennifer Rushlow, Associate Dean for
Environmental Programs at Vermont Law
School. "By representing NWF, our students will co-pilot key
policy and environmental outcomes across the country."
The first case that the Vermont Law School Environmental
Advocacy Clinic is working on is a legal challenge to the
destructive Pebble Mine, a proposed massive copper and gold mine
that threatens Bristol Bay, Alaska, the world's most productive wild
salmon fishery. The Environmental Protection Agency illegally
withdrew a proposed determination that would have effectively
blocked the hazardous Pebble Mine. The lawsuit is the first where
the Vermont Law School Environmental Advocacy Clinic will represent
the National Wildlife Federation through the new partnership.
National Wildlife Federation's Legal Advocacy Director,
Jim Murphy, will also serve as
Director of the Environmental Advocacy Clinic. "This exciting
partnership will strengthen the National Wildlife Federation's
legal capacity to address the wildlife crisis and ensure our
bedrock environmental laws are applied and enforced to protect
habitat, people, and vulnerable communities," Murphy said. "Whether
it is protecting America's most treasured places like the rich
salmon fisheries of the Bristol Bay, advancing responsible
stewardship of our public and working lands, or protecting our most
vulnerable communities, this partnership will help the National
Wildlife Federation and its 52 state and territorial affiliates
ensure our wildlife and natural resources endure for future
generations. We welcome the opportunity to work more closely with
the nation's premier environmental law school and the leading legal
minds at Vermont Law School."
"This partnership brings together the nation's foremost wildlife
conservation organization and the premier environmental law program
to confront the profound environmental challenges facing the U.S.
and the world," said Patrick
Parenteau, Professor of Law and Senior Counsel in the
Environmental Advocacy Clinic at Vermont Law
School.
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About Vermont Law School
Vermont Law School, a private,
independent institution, is home to the nation's premier
environmental law program. VLS offers a juris doctor curriculum
that emphasizes public service; three environmental master's
degrees—Master of Environmental Law and Policy, Master of Energy
Regulation and Law, Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy,
and a Master of Arts in Restorative Justice; and three
environmental post-JD degrees —LLM in Energy Law, LLM in
Environmental Law, and LLM in Food and Agriculture Law. The
school's Environmental Law Center features innovative experiential
programs, including the Environmental Advocacy Clinic, the new
Environmental Justice Clinic, the Energy Clinic, and the Food and
Agriculture Clinic. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu,
find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
About National Wildlife Federation
The National Wildlife Federation is America's largest and most
trusted grassroots conservation organization with 52 state and
territorial affiliates and more than six million members and
supporters. Founded in 1936, the National Wildlife Federation works
to unite all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in our rapidly
changing world.
SOURCE Vermont Law School