Student-practice rules in the Vermont state and federal courts allow students to file pleadings, conduct discovery, and make supervised appearances in court evidentiary hearings and in appeals.
Students also conduct evidentiary hearings in a variety of administrative settings.
Under the guidance of three experienced, full-time attorneys, clinicians learn to integrate their knowledge of civil procedure and substantive law with practice skills. These include interviewing, counseling and negotiation, case and statutory analysis, case preparation, research and writing, discovery, and trial practice. The clinic student quickly becomes aware of the importance of overview, organization, and independent and critical thought, and benefits from experiencing the interaction between development of evidence and development of applicable legal theories. Student associates have consistently praised the clinical experience for allowing them to learn, for the first time, how to develop a real case from the outset. It is estimated that the clinic contributes up to a half million dollars in free legal services each year to the Windsor-Orange County region.