Vermont Law School names Marc Mihaly new president

The Vermont Law School Board of Trustees announced today the appointment of Marc Mihaly as VLS’s eighth president and dean, effective August 1.
Mihaly, one of the nation’s leading environmental lawyers, will succeed Jeff Shields, who will retire July 31 after eight years as president and dean of the nation’s premier environmental law school. Mihaly currently serves as associate dean for VLS’s Environmental Programs, director of the Environmental Law Center and professor of law.
Board Chairman Ed Mattes said Mihaly was chosen, after a thorough national search, because of his leadership skills, strategic vision and scholarly accomplishments.
‘Marc is an inspiring leader who grasps the shifting legal landscape,’ Mattes said. ‘He comes with tremendous institutional knowledge, enabling VLS to react swiftly and strategically. As a proven entrepreneur, fundraiser and communicator, he will be well positioned to take advantage of new opportunities.’
The school’s offerings include dynamic JD and LLM degrees, a renowned masters program in Environmental Law and Policy, as well as international dual-degree programs. It also offers a wide range of experience-based and interdisciplinary learning and is a leader in the field of distance learning. VLS has a strong commitment to community, environmental stewardship and public service.
Mihaly said he is honored to be named as new president and dean of VLS. ‘I am looking forward to continued involvement in Vermont Law School and its mission to train lawyers and others to serve their clients and the public with high levels of professional knowledge and skill, moral integrity and humane vision,’ he said. ‘We also will continue efforts to deliver a program that is affordable to students and prepares them for employment and long careers.’
Mihaly, who joined VLS in 2004, received his BA degree from Harvard College and his JD degree from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley. After service in the U.S. Peace Corps in Central America, he served with the environmental unit of the California Attorney General’s Office and with the San Mateo County Legal Aid Society. In 1980, he co-founded Shute, Mihaly and Weinberger in San Francisco, one of the nation’s leading public interest environmental law firms, and served as its managing partner for 17 years.
Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, has the top-ranked environmental law program and one of the top-ranked clinical training programs in the nation, according to U.S.News & World Report. VLS offers a Juris Doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service, a Master of Environmental Law and Policydegree and two post-JD degrees, the Master of Laws in Environmental Law and the LLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers). The school features innovative experiential programs and is home to the Environmental Law Center and the South Royalton Legal Clinic. For more information, visit www.vermontlaw.edu.
SOUTH ROYALTON, Vt. ‘‘3.12.2012