During fall 2020, Vanderbilt Law School is following a set of public health protocols developed for all Vanderbilt University schools by experts at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the School of Nursing in consultation with national, state and local public health officials. Every member of our community must observe these protocols to maintain a safe environment for all.
For law school-specific information including the updated academic calendar, guidelines for returning to campus, classroom and gathering safety protocols, and links to university resources and policies, visit:
2020 RETURN TO CAMPUS AT VLS
Sep. 17, 2020
All members of the VLR staff donated the fees they would customarily use to pay for meeting space and supplies to the ABA's Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund, which provides $15,000 scholarships to up to 20 diverse law students each year.
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Sep. 4, 2020
Vandenbergh's Sept. 4 interview with Kristoffer Tique appears in Inside Climate News.
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Sep. 4, 2020
The report reflects the results of a community-wide survey and input from three anti-racism task forces representing VLS students, faculty and staff. It recommends short- and long-term actions designed to address racial inequities and injustices in the VLS community and beyond.
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Aug. 18, 2020
As the inaugural appointee, Yadav will work with Dean Chris Guthrie and law faculty, students, and staff to support diversity, equity and inclusion at VLS.
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Jul. 10, 2020
Legal historian Sara Mayeux’s book focuses on the legal struggle for due process in twentieth-century America.
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Jun. 11, 2020
Ricks and Giancarlo were among four witnesses whose testimoney addressed “Inclusive Banking during a Pandemic: Using FedAccounts and Digital Tools to Improve Delivery of Stimulus Payments." They testified before the House Financial Service Committee Task Force on Financial Technology during a virtual hearing June 11.
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Jun. 10, 2020
Report by eight prominent criminal justice scholar proposes urgently needed reforms to address enduring problems in American policing.
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Jun. 5, 2020
The recent killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and countless others form part of a long and tragic history of racial violence and injustice. It is time for us to act.
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May. 29, 2020
Judge Trauger was appointed to the Middle District of Tennessee in 1998 after serving as a federal bankruptcy judge. Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw '81 (BA'79), who nominated her for the award together with other Sixth Circuit colleagues, said, "Judge Trauger has demonstrated extraordinary industry, character and intellect in every position she has held in her distinguished career. Even more remarkable is the fact that, throughout her career, she has been the first or one of the first women to hold each position.”
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Attorney at Coronel & Pérez, Guayaquil and Professor of Civil Law at Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondón, Ecuador
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"Vanderbilt taught me the value of being engaged in your surroundings."
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Hired as an international intern by Holland and Knight in Jacksonville, Florida, recruited by partner Ricardo Bedoya, J.D. Class of 2003.
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2019-21 Clerk, Judge Marcia Morales Howard, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
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2020-21 Clerk, Judge Eduardo C. Robreno, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
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"I knew my time at Vanderbilt would be worth the investment I was going to make."
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Associate Lawyer, Castro Advogados Associados, Londrina, Brazil
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Editor-in-Chief, Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law
2017 Public Interest Law Initiative Fellow, Roger Baldwin Foundation, ACLU of Illinois
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“Being a foreign lawyer first and then a law student in the U.S., I felt like I lived the complete American law school experience.”
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Clerk, Judge R. Lanier Anderson III, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, Macon, Georgia
Editor in Chief, Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law
Clerk, Judge James K. Bredar, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Baltimore
2020-21 Clerk, Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr., U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
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2015 Summer Associate, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings and Neal & Harwell, Nashville
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Clerk, Judge Julia Smith Gibbons, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Memphis
2020-21 Clerk, Judge Joan L. Larsen, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
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We, at Vanderbilt Law School, mourn the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Daniel Prude, Breonna Taylor and so many other Black people who have been the victims of police brutality and racial injustice. We also condemn the shooting of Jacob Blake. As our nation is gripped by this moment of historic reckoning, we are reminded of its scarred beginnings, the constant struggle for freedom and civil rights for all, and the enormity of the work that remains to be done for our country to truly realize the ideals set out in the Constitution.
As a law school, we resoundingly reject racism and discrimination in all its forms. We strive to create an environment that is welcoming of all, inclusive, and committed to ensuring that every member feels themselves to be a full part of its community. Moreover, we are also deeply mindful of our role in teaching new generations of lawyers whose words and actions will continue the fight for racial justice, civil rights, equality of opportunity, and the rule of law. Put simply, we know that it is our responsibility to foster and maintain an anti-racist environment within our walls, as well as to equip our graduates with the educational and experiential tools they need to become anti-racist and productive members of the legal profession and society at large.
To that end, we are committed to building an engaged and visible program of Diversity, Equity and Community that underscores the significance of anti-racism and anti-discrimination across all aspects of law school life from the curriculum to our engagement with the broader community. Over the summer, we convened student, staff, and faculty task forces to develop a set of actionable recommendations to ensure the School can achieve the highest standards of inclusivity, diversity and community belonging. We are eager to begin this work.
We see that the lived reality of Black people and people of color falls far short of what is promised by our country's founding principles, laws, and guarantees. Looking forward, we are committed to harnessing the power of a legal education to continue the work of generations of Vanderbilt lawyers in the fight for the fullest attainment of the civil rights, equality and justice offered by the Constitution.
