To all those interested in the convergence of the Law and the Environment
see the course description below.
The class will be held at UVM from June 3 to June 14, from 9AM to 1PM.
Class space is limited, so please let us know if you are interested ASAP.
Contact:
Steve Libby
[log in to unmask]
802-434-2592



ENVS 195
Environmental Law for the Nonlawyer
Credits: 3 hours
Instructor: Rebecca Purdom, Esq. J.D., M.S.E.L, Associate Professor,
Green Mountain College
Environmental practitioners ­ be they scientists, planners,
conservationists or activists ­ constantly encounter legal issues.
Environmental studies students must have a basic understanding of the legal
landscape to be effective in their chosen field. This class will introduce
students to a wide array of legal processes and ideas, including legal
standards for environmental and land use regulation, the importance and
relevance of scientific evidence in the courtroom, and the maze (and
rationale) of regulatory agency procedure and product. In short, students
will glimpse how the legal world views the environment, and what tools,
processes, and strategies lawyers use.
Based largely on Vermont case studies, students will explore the following
concepts:
- Effective methods of legal advocacy;
- Powers of different branches of government to influence or control
environmental issues;
- Methods of decision-making and standards of proof at the local level, at
regulatory agencies, in political realms and in the courts;
- The importance that process plays in legal decisions ­ especially
decisions concerning the environment;
- The role businesses, corporations, nonprofit organizations and
individual citizens in the realm of environmental law;
- The fundamental role of economics in every environmental decision.
This class is appropriate for upper level undergraduate students interested
in working in any sort of environmental field. This class is also
recommended for undergraduate students considering law school or a job in
the public policy field.