Food and Agriculture LLM Fellow

Description:

Food and Agriculture LLM Fellow

Part-time, exempt, 20 hours/week

On-campus

$40,0000 / year

Reports to: CAFS Director

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.

Position Summary

In addition to pursuing the L.LM. degree at Vermont Law and Graduate School, the Food and Agricultural Law L.L.M. Fellow will conduct research and work with students to produce educational materials on food and agricultural law and policy for policymakers, community organizations, farmers, and other entities across the food system. To be considered, applicants must have a law degree/Juris Doctor (JD) from an ABA-accredited institution or the international first law degree equivalent. Fellows will receive a tuition waiver for the L.LM. degree while working an average 20 hours per week at the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) throughout the duration of the two-year fellowship.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conduct legal and policy research and analysis to contribute substantively to existing areas of work, in collaboration with the Centers staff and faculty. CAFS current areas of work include: Food Governance and Regulation, Environment and Natural Resources, Farms and Food Businesses, Farm and Food Workers, Local and Regional Food Systems, and Food Safety and Consumer Protection. The Fellows work may include updating existing web resources with new information and/or developing new case studies, memos, fact sheets, policy issue briefs, and reports.
• Research, review, and analyze local and state laws and regulations related to local and regional food systems, institutional procurement, local food retail, and urban agriculture. This includes identification, coding, and summary of local and state government laws and regulations appropriate for inclusion in the Centers searchable policy databases, focusing primarily on recently enacted legislation. Further research into local policies and their implementation may include follow-up interviews with local stakeholders and observers and additional primary research.
• Supervise JD and masters students on projects including those in the Food and Agriculture Clinic, or student research assistants; review, provide feedback on, and approve documents prepared by students including memos, reports, policy briefs, webinars, and other oral presentations; and hold individual conferences with students as appropriate.
• Conduct outreach and present on the Centers work at national conferences, trainings, and events.
• Collaborate and consult with internal colleagues and external peer advisors to help design and disseminate legal and policy resources.

Required Education, Skills, and Experience:

• JD from an ABA-accredited law school;
• One to three years of relevant legislative, legal, or policy experience, including judicial clerkships (experience or interest in transactional law preferred);
• Strong legal research, writing, interpersonal, and communications skills;
• Demonstrated commitment to sustainable agriculture and local/regional food systems (work in food and agriculture settings preferred);
• Ability to think systemically and develop analysis and recommendations based on thorough research.
• Ability to effectively interact, collaborate, and develop meaningful relationships with people of various cultural, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds, among others.
• Self-motivated, creative, entrepreneurial spirit and ability and desire to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Admission to (or currently enrolled in) the LLM in Food and Agriculture Law program at Vermont Law and Graduate School (application for LLM admission can occur concurrently with application for CAFS Fellow position); and
• Admission to Vermont Bar (can be obtained within first year of position).

Other Requirements:

• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks and deadlines and reorganize under pressure.
• Ability to work independently and within a team.
• Ability to shift focus quickly as needed to meet other priorities and needs.
• Primary work is done sitting and/or standing at a desk.
• Repetitive motion (keyboard, mouse, etc.).
• Ability to perform all essential functions of the job with or without basic accommodations.
• Must be able to work legally within the United States without sponsorship.

Application Requirements:

Please attach a resume and cover letter for consideration. If you are applying from a third party website (Indeed, etc.) and are unable to attach additional materials to your online application, please apply directly at or email required documents to View email address on click.appcast.io .

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 View email address on click.appcast.io. 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.

Compensation details: 40000-40000 Yearly Salary

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