Assistant/Associate Professor of Law, South Royalton Legal Clinic

Assistant/Associate Professor of Law, South Royalton Legal Clinic

Contract, Faculty

Salary: $90,000-119,000

Vermont Law and Graduate School is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness. We grow and learn better together with a diverse group of faculty, staff, and students. In recruiting for faculty and staff, we seek unique backgrounds to enrich and challenge our community. 

Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS), an institution with a robust experiential learning program, invites applications for a full-time faculty position in its South Royalton Legal Clinic (SRLC). This contract position comes with full voting rights except for voting on tenure and provides opportunity for an eventual long-term presumptively renewable contract.

The SRLC is dedicated to providing access to justice for low-income and unemployed Vermont residents, while giving comprehensive training to second- and third-year JD students. The Clinic provides no-cost legal representation in a wide range of civil proceedings to those who otherwise could not afford legal counsel. 

The successful candidate will join a strong team currently running a Family Law Program (FLP) and a Veterans’ Legal Assistance Project (VLAP). The FLP handles a variety of family law matters, including divorce, paternity, child support, domestic violence, post-judgment matters, and LGBTQ+ legal advocacy. The Program’s domestic violence work is structured to provide comprehensive legal services to survivors to enhance safety and financial security and empower victims to take control of their lives. The Program also represents children involved in highly contentious family court cases (divorce, post-judgment, parentage, etc.) and probate court (guardianships), filling a widely recognized, but largely unmet, need in the Vermont Family Court system.

The Veterans Legal Assistance Project of Vermont (VLAP) assists Vermont veterans with various civil issues including discharge upgrades, VA benefit appeals and applications, simple estate planning and wills, bankruptcy, landlord/tenant issues, SSI/SSDI appeal, foreclosures and expungements. Additionally, VLAP works closely with other Veteran Support organizations across the state to offer a seamless, integrated and sustainable network of resources to low-income Vermont veterans.

As VLGS continues to evolve as a leader in experiential education, the SRLC envisions its future as a clinic that prioritizes social justice and fills gaps in access to legal resources for marginalized communities. While we anticipate our new SRLC professor initially supporting the Family Law Program and Veterans’ Legal Assistance Project, over time we are open to a variety of clinic visions that recognize other areas of poverty law, including landlord/tenant, foreclosure defense, elder law, expungements, and benefits appeals.

Only candidates who have been barred for at least three years will be considered for this position. The ideal candidate is a member of the Vermont bar or is eligible for Vermont bar membership and will apply for membership shortly after accepting a position and has experience in related litigation. The position requires excellent litigation, research and writing skills, organization, and managerial skills. Experience with cultural humility work, access to justice work, poverty law, or clinical legal education is a plus. Teaching and supervision experience are preferred. Candidates should work well as part of a team and have proven trial experience, superior research and writing skills, a strong commitment to public interest lawyering, outstanding interpersonal skills, flexibility, and a passion for access to justice work. The ability to work sensitively with a diverse population of clients, students, and staff is essential.

Responsibilities of the position include developing and implementing the Clinic’s curriculum and mission; screening requests for assistance from community partners; teaching clinic classes year-round to JD students; and regularly meeting with and supervising students as they handle cases. The successful candidate will also play a role in strategic planning and assisting with fundraising efforts for the Clinic in coordination with the Grants Director, as well as participating in the life of the school through Committee service and other obligations as a member of the VLGS faculty. 

VLGS is in South Royalton, Vermont, a small town on the bank of the beautiful White River. The amenities of the adjacent communities of Hanover, NH (home to Dartmouth College) and Lebanon, NH are less than 30 minutes away. Burlington, VT, Boston, MA, and Montreal, QC, are all within a three-hour drive. 

Requirements:

Applicants must complete an online application and electronically submit (1) a cover letter, (2) a curriculum vitae, (3) a writing sample, and (4) the names and contact information of three references. VLGS will only contact references for finalists. VLGS strongly encourages applications from those who would increase our community’s diversity.

 Inquiries about the position should be directed to Don Hayes, Director of the South Royalton Legal Clinic (dhayes@vermontlaw.edu) or Beth Locker, Associate Dean for Experiential Learning (blocker@vermontlaw.edu). The position will remain open until filled. 

As part of our commitment to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, candidates who meet the qualifications for this position and who require accommodations to apply should contact Human Resources at jobs@vermontlaw.edu.

Vermont Law and Graduate School strives to raise the bar for being an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, place of birth, marital status, disability, veteran's status, HIV status, pregnancy, genetic information, health insurance status, and crime victim status.

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