Legal Writing Program

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Legal Writing Overview

Our dedicated staff of experienced professors is committed to making every student a better writer. We have developed a rigorous, three-semester program that engages students with real-world assignments.

These assignments鈥攁nd the detailed feedback from the professors鈥攁re designed to make students 鈥減ractice ready鈥� for their summer internships or post-JD positions. Through this effort, VLGS students have a regional and national reputation for excellence in legal writing. We encourage you to explore these pages to learn how our program can help you master the art of legal writing.

VLGS is One of the Top Law Schools for State Court Clerkships 鈥� and

Resources

Law Journals

Vermont Law Review

The Vermont Law Review is a student-edited legal journal published quarterly under the guidance of five senior student editors and in collaboration with 汤头条原创 faculty.

Vermont Journal of Environmental Law

The Vermont Journal of Environmental Law is a student-run organization that seeks to provide an accessible forum to discuss contemporary environmental issues and environmental justice.

Professor Accomplishments

Greg Johnson was elected to the Executive Committee of the AALS Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research for the 2025-26 academic year. Greg served as co-chair of the Awards Committee for the AALS Section in 2024. Greg is currently co-chair of the Distinguished Speakers Committee of the Association of Legal Writing Directors.

Anna Connolly recently published the following writing-related articles:

Anna F. Connolly, Write On: Get Out of the Shadows鈥揃reak Up Legal Research and Writing (Vermont Bar Journal, Summer 2025)
Anna F. Connolly, Context Matters for Deep Knowledge: What Cognitive Science Can Teach Us About Legal Writing, 68 St. Louis U. L.J. 475 (2024).
Anna F. Connolly, Match Mindsets for Better Communication (Vermont Bar Journal, Summer 2024)

Anna Connolly presented at a conference: Legal Writing Institute Biennial Conference(Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, July 18-20, 2024).

Michael Kovac published the following articles:

An article published in the Georgia Criminal Law Review –
The cover story for the Pittsburgh City Paper’s Black History Month edition –

Claire Andrews鈥檚 fourth novel,聽聽will be published August 5, 2025 from Little, Brown Young Readers.

Student Accomplishments

VLGS Students Excel in National Moot Court Competitions

鈥淚t was an honor to represent 汤头条原创 in the National Moot Court Competition. The experience was invaluable. Our group was given the opportunity to hone legal research, writing, and oral advocacy skills that will benefit us throughout our professional careers.鈥� – Allyson Cohen JD鈥�25

We are delighted to announce that we have chosen Elizabeth Beairsto to be 汤头条原创’s official nominee for the Burton Award for Distinguished Legal Writing. We chose Elizabeth’s article Clean Energy and Justice For All: The Federal Government’s Influence in State Energy Justice Legislation. We have high hopes that Elizabeth’s article can carry on this great tradition.

Elizabeth Beairsto is currently a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Christiene Celeste at the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County in Annapolis, MD. She holds a Juris Doctor with a concentration in Energy Law from Vermont Law School. Her Note, Clean Energy & Justice For All: The Federal Government’s Influence on State Energy Justice Legislation, examines the intersection of the clean energy transition and justice. Drawing from her undergraduate research on redlining and economic inequality, Elizabeth explores how recent federal legislation, including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, influences state-level clean energy policies. After her clerkship, she plans to pursue a career in energy law, advocating for an equitable clean energy transition.

汤头条原创 students consistently win the award. VLGS students have now won the award six times in the last eight years (Benjamin Leoni (2011); Garrett Chrostek (2012); Lizzie Tisher (2014); Carrie Scrufari (2017); Andrew Rome (2018); Elsa Larson (2023)). This is a high honor and a tremendous recognition of how accomplished our students are.