Food and Agriculture LLM Fellow

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 LLM degree at Vermont Law and Graduate School, the Food and Agriculture LLM Fellow will work part-time at the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS). The Fellow will contribute research and develop materials that provide approachable legal and policy information to individuals and entities across the food system, including government officials. The Fellow will maintain an average of 20 hours per week at CAFS throughout the duration of the fellowship.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conduct legal and policy research and analysis to contribute substantively to existing areas of work, in collaboration with the Center’s 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 Fellow’s 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 Center’s 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 master’s 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 Center’s 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.