National Jurist - November 2007 - (Page 21)

“We are clearly recruiting students who want this kind of environment,” he said. “If you build it, they will come. It doesn’t happen from the top down. It has to be something that our students are bringing to St. Thomas.” Faith-based education Though the school leans on faith-based education, Mengler said they aren’t dogmatic about their Catholic identity. Less than half of the 470 students are Catholic themselves. “We try to bring a spiritual faith dimension inside and outside the classroom that will resonate with all faiths,” Mengler said. Lawyer said there is a clear sense around the school that they are all in it together. “Among students, there is a distinct lack of rivalry and competition, which makes working together possible,” he said. “The faculty and staff make themselves accessible to the students, and genuinely delight in seeing us do well.” Bar Association Standing Committee on Professionalism. Mengler said they’ve been very careful to hire faculty who are also dedicated to the mission. “I don’t think that there are a lot of law schools where a second year law student is genuinely happy to see her first year Civil Procedure professor, but at St. Thomas “community” is more than a word, it’s a culture,” said Sonia Laird, a second-year. The law school also draws on its faith and values to have students promote and participate in service programs designed to address the needs and improve the conditions of the disadvantaged and underserved. And while law school has its challenges, stresses and frustrations, Weigel said she can’t imagine it being this much fun anywhere else. “We are challenged to think beyond the normal boundaries, encouraged to express our views, and as a result I think it makes us a happier community,” she said. Vermont Law School offers LLM degrees in Environmental Law and in American Legal Studies that prepare you to specialize in environmental law or work requiring knowledge of multiple countries’ legal systems. Our LLM programs help returning lawyers or recent graduates develop the skills for public service, private practice, research, and teaching. The LLM in American Legal Studies is open only to international students. “The school does an excellent job of facilitating connections between our passions, our coursework, and our sense of purpose in life.” — Michael Lawyer, 2L Jenny Weigel, a 3L and student government president, agrees that St. Thomas does a great job of not overemphasizing the competition that you usually find in a graduate program. “I’m learning to discern what my purpose in life is, and how that is going to shape me as a lawyer,” she said. “I’m learning to examine the situation from the other man’s perspective, not necessarily his legal argument, but actually imagining what it would be like to walk in his shoes.” In 2005, St. Thomas’s Mentor Externship Program, a three-year program that pairs students with individual mentors throughout the law school, was awarded the prestigious E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Award by the American Find out more at www.vermontlaw.edu VERMONT LAW SCHOOL Ranked #1 in environmental law by U.S. News & World Report November 2007 THE NATIONAL JURIST 21 http://www.vermontlaw.edu http://www.vermontlaw.edu

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of National Jurist - November 2007

National Jurist - November 2007 Contents Disturbing the Peace For the Record Blogs: The Death-knell for Law Reviews? Chemerinsky Heads UC-Irvine Ave Maria Dispute Raises ABA Inquiry John Marshall Establishes Veterans Clinic The Firm Report The Paper Chase Chronicles Law School Rankings at Math's Mercy Academic Freedom Called into Question St. Thomas Students Choose ‘Quality of Life’ Experience The Hidden Debt Crisis The Global Frontier International Education has to be a Part of Any Legal Education Employment Defender Career Hotline Off the Bench

National Jurist - November 2007

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