Environmental Law and Policy Expert to Lead Top Environmental Law Center
Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) has named Christophe Courchesne as the interim director of its Environmental Law Center.
A longtime leader in environmental law and policy with an extensive litigation background, Courchesne will further cement Vermont Law and Graduate School’s Environmental Law Center (ELC) as one of the best environmental law programs in the nation.
“Christophe’s appointment as interim director underscores his deep commitment to environmental law and education,” Beth McCormack, dean of Vermont Law and Graduate School, said. “His leadership has already made a profound impact within our community, and his passion for training the future leaders of environmental law is unwavering. We look forward to seeing the ELC continue to grow under Christophe’s guidance.”
In his new role, Courchesne will oversee the ELC’s initiatives, curriculum, programming and operations, working alongside staff and faculty to prepare students for jobs on the frontlines of environmental advocacy, energy and climate justice, animal law and protection and the sustainable food movement.
The Environmental Law Center supports six legal clinics, seven centers and programs, more than 60 courses related to the environment and environmental law and 76 environmental faculty members. Courchesne will work closely with ELC Staff Director Anne Linehan, Assistant Director Courtney Collins, Environmental Communications Specialist Donna Kowalewski and Executive Assistant Dee Gish. Longtime ELC leader Jennifer Rushlow stepped down at the end of June to return to the full-time faculty.
An associate professor of law, Courchesne joined the VLGS faculty in 2022 as a clinician in the Environmental Advocacy Clinic and was appointed director of that clinic in 2023, a role he will continue. He has become a driving force in the school’s experiential learning program, mentoring other faculty and providing students with unparalleled opportunities to engage in cutting-edge environmental work across the nation.
Before VLGS, Courchesne served as the deputy chief of the Energy and Environment Bureau and assistant attorney general at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office, leading work on the climate crisis, environmental and racial justice and clean energy. He also served as the chief of the Environmental Protection Division at the Attorney General’s office, a senior attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation and an associate at Goodwin Procter. Previously, he was a law clerk for Justice Robert Cordy on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
Courchesne received his juris doctor cum laude from Harvard Law School and his bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
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About Vermont Law and Graduate School: Vermont Law and Graduate School, a private, independent institution, is home to a law school that offers ABA-accredited residential and online hybrid JD programs and a graduate school that offers master’s degrees and certificates in multiple disciplines, including programs offered by the Maverick Lloyd School for the Environment, the Center for Justice Reform and other graduate-level programs emphasizing the intersection of environmental justice, social justice and public policy. Both the law and graduate schools strongly feature experiential clinical and field work learning. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, Facebook and Instagram.