The VBA held its 2025 Mid-Year Meeting at the Equinox Resort and Spa in Manchester on March 28. A crowd of about 200 Vermont attorneys and judges, special guest speakers, and 20 meeting sponsors were on hand for a memorable day. The weather held, which is always a mercy for a meeting in Vermont in March.
The day followed the pattern that VBA members and friends have come to expect. It began with a continental breakfast with sponsors followed by CLEs and the Association’s business meeting taking place during lunch. The format was business as usual, but a different mood was noticeable throughout. The unprecedented actions of the Trump administration were clearly on everyone’s minds. These were addressed directly during the business meeting (more on that below). They provided a subtext to the CLEs and were the subject of hallway and lunch-table conversations.
The Morning
The day began with a novel attorney wellness program: “Musical Wellness for Attorneys.” Mary Ashcroft, the VBA’s longtime Legal Access Coordinator, was the prime mover behind the session. In addition to the many other roles Mary plays, she is a chorister. She opened the session by describing how her singing experience supports the science showing that singing is good for you. Mary introduced her choir director, Alastair Stout, to the crowd. Alastair, a UK native, was educated in the great tradition of choral singing in his native country. He is an accomplished composer, organist, and choir director now based in Rutland. He managed to explain to the crowd of mostly non-singers how to sing (“enjoy those long notes!”), why to sing (it can provide a reset to the worst day), and the history of western choral music in about 45 minutes. And he got us singing.
After our music education, attendees heard testimonials from our colleagues about how singing improves their lives. Elizabeth Wohl, general counsel at the Brattleboro Retreat and an opera singer (and aerialist – see the “Pursuits of Happiness” feature in the winter 2025 issue of the VBJ for more about her), told the crowd how important singing was to her. She noted how not singing during one interval of her life made it worse (she course corrected) and how she sang in the elevators at DRM when she thought no one could hear (she was wrong, but we’re pretty sure no one minded).
Andrew Manitsky, head of the VBA’s Intellectual Property Section and a former VBA president, added his endorsement. Andrew is a professional musician with a love for pop music. He sings and plays the keyboards professionally with his band, B-Town. He suggested that we all should sing, even if it’s just in the shower. He also advised us all to get high quality headphones and listen to our favorite music. “You will hear things you have never heard before.” Erin Gallivan, a former head of the VBA women’s division (and one of Mary and Alastair’s fellow choristers) rounded off the session. She described the trepidation she felt as a non-singer joining a choir and how her fears were quickly relieved. Erin reassured attendees that it wasn’t necessary to be a great singer to get involved in group singing, and how enriching the experience was for her, not only as an artistic outlet, but as a great way to build community.
On that happy note, literally, the crowd moved, after a break, into a CLE titled, “State Courts and the Rule of Law.”
The session was moderated by Vermont’s Chief Superior Judge, the Hon. Tom Zonay (who also a former VBA Board president). Judge Zonay is an experienced teacher, and he demonstrated the presence of mind and quick wit of the late Alex Trebek. He organized the session with current VBA President, Josh Diamond. Josh, a partner at Dinse, served as one of the two attorneys on the panel. He was joined by Eleanor (Ella) Spottswood, senior staff attorney in the litigation department at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Prior to working for Planned Parenthood, Ella served as the Solicitor General for Vermont and also as Chair of the Vermont Judicial Nominating Board.
Two judges rounded out the panel: Vermont superior court judge, the Hon. Mary Miles Teachout (Ret.,) and the Hon. David Schenck. Schenck was recently elected as the presiding judge of the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals, the top criminal appellate court in Texas. Schenck made judicial ethics one of the issues in his campaign and he has family ties and a long deep connection to Vermont. (Full disclosure, he is your correspondent’s brother). Ably led by Judge Zonay, the panel shared their views about the meaning of the Rule of Law, the challenges to it, and how those might be met by attorneys and by judges. For an hour and a half, the full house paid close attention. Phones down and engaged.
The third CLE offering of the morning involved a choice. Attendees could attend either, “Top 10 Tips for Vermont Appellate Practice” or go to learn more about the work of the Vermont Judiciary Committee on Artificial Intelligence and the Courts.
Bridget Asay of Stris & Maher, the head of the VBA section on Appellate Practice (and another former Solicitor General of Vermont), organized and moderated the Supreme Court session. She was joined by Vermont Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Reiber and Associate Justice Nancy Waples.
The panel for the Judiciary Committee on AI included Vermont Supreme Court Associate Justice William Cohen, who is the Chair of the Committee. He was joined by four other committee members including State Court Administrator Teri Corsones, Ott Lindstrom, an attorney at Paul Frank Prof. David Stein of Northeastern University, the Hon. Alexander Burke. The VJCAIC submitted its First Annual Report to the Vermont Supreme Court on March 1, and the session allowed attorneys to have a back-and-forth with the panel about the report and next steps.
Business Meeting
It was then time for lunch and for Association business. Josh Diamond took the podium, and, after getting through the preliminaries (accepting the minutes from the previous meeting and approving the treasurer’s report) he read the names of those Vermont lawyers and judges lost since our last meeting. Josh asked the crowd to observe a moment of silence for them.
Elections 2025
Members were asked to vote to confirm two interim appointments made by the Board since the last meeting. Long-time treasurer Ted Tyler resigned last fall, and the Board chose Kate Lamson to fill the remainder of Ted’s term. Likewise, board member Rich Cassidy was elected to President-Elect and Keith Roberts had been chosen to fill the remaining term of Rich’s board seat. The membership confirmed the appointments unanimously on a voice vote.
It remained then to elect the slate of officers and board members for the coming term. There were four uncontested races and no nominations from the floor. All those nominated were confirmed on a voice vote. They are:
President Elect: Jordana Levine
Treasurer: Matt Valerio
Secretary: Kate Lamson
At-Large one-year seat: Keith Roberts
At-Large two-year seat: Elizabeth Miller
At-Large two-year seat: Jessica Bullock.
There was one contested race for an open two-year seat for a member-at-large. The candidates were Mitch Rotbert and Colette Schmidt. Both addressed the crowd briefly about their reasons for wishing to serve and providing a bit about their backgrounds. Ballots were filled out and VBA staff gathered them while lunch continued. The result was available before the meeting adjourned with the seat going Colette Schmidt. Collette will take her seat in October.
Response to National Events
On Feb. 27, 2025, the VBA Board of Managers released a statement in support of the Rule of Law. The statement was issued response to Trump administration actions inimical to the Rule of Law. The Statement was included in the meeting packets for review by members at the meeting. A motion was made and seconded for the Association to endorse the board’s statement. Josh called for discussion. There was none. The vote was called, and the statement was endorsed unanimously.
Josh then turned the podium over to Vermont Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Reiber. Justice Reiber had asked to address the business meeting. He noted he felt compelled to take this highly unusual step because of the unprecedented actions of the Trump administration regarding the Rule of Law and the legal profession. The Chief’s remarks were met with a standing ovation. A copy Justice Reiber’s notes on his remarks can be found here.
After thanking the Chief and noting his own pride in our Bar, Josh introduced a recorded message from Vermont Senator Peter Welch. Welch also sounded the alarm on threats to the judiciary, the legal profession, and the Rule of Law and encouraged Vermont’s attorneys to step up to the challenges that were being presented. A link to Welch’s statement is here.
Pro Bono Award
The Pro Bono Award is awarded annually by the VBA’s Board of Bar Managers to recognize an attorney or attorneys who have provided extraordinary legal services to indigent and disadvantaged clients in our community. This year the award went to Sheilagh Smith, Esq. of Chelsea. Smith was nominated by Probate Court Judges Jeffrey Kilgore and Kathryn A.C. Kennedy. Both judges highlighted Smith’s exemplary work in more than 40 pro bono cases over the last three years, often representing the respondent in involuntary guardianship cases. The judges noted her thorough preparation, dedication to her clients, and willingness to go the extra mile.
Smith was on hand to receive the award with thanks from Josh and from the appreciative crowd.
Reports, And A Call to Action
The program was then handed over to representatives of the Vermont Bar Foundation. Hannah King, the executive director, reported on Foundation’s work on grants and IOLTA accounts, among other matters. She invited the audience to VBF’s “Justice Social” on May 1 from 5-7 PM at Foam Brewers at 112 Lake Street in Burlington. King then introduced the current poverty law fellow, Deanna Hartog, whose project this year is to address legal issues impacting homelessness. Deanna gave an update on her work.
Next the Elizabeth Kruska, the VBA’s Delegate to the ABA. She reported briefly on the ABA meeting held this year in Chicago. In addition to providing some highlights of the national meeting (attorney wellness initiatives were debated – wellness prevailed), Elizabeth introduced the VBA’s own Fritz Langrock. Fritz is currently serving as Treasurer for the ABA.
It was then time on the agenda for “New Business” and Josh invited Bennington attorney David Silver to the podium. Silver is part of a group of attorneys who have been organizing a march in support of the Rule of Law that will take place on May 3 in Burlington. David provided details of the march and a related statement. He urged all to attend and to get involved. The group is seeking attorney signatures to the statement. You can find out more about the march and the statement here.
We were running a little behind by then and with no further new business called and no more old business, the meeting was adjourned. Dessert hadn’t made it out of the kitchen, so it was brought downstairs, outside of the ballroom where the day’s final CLEs were held.
The Afternoon and Close of the Day
Kevin Lumpkin, partner at Sheehey Furlong & Behm P.C., gave the crowd an excellent hour on “Hot Topics in Ethics.” Kevin is a puzzle master, as you may know from his crossword and other puzzle contributions to the Vermont Bar Journal. Ethical quandaries are right up his street, and he has a way with a crowd.
The final CLE of the day was, “State Constitutional Law in an Age of Dramatic Federal Constitutional Change.” It was led and organized by Rod Smolla, President of Vermont Law and Graduate School. The topic was timely, and the panel was outstanding: a trio of scholars with national reputations. President Smolla, himself a constitutional law expert, was joined on stage by Douglas Keith, senior counsel in the Judiciary Program at the Brennan Center at New York University. Keith works primarily to promote fair, diverse, and impartial court. On screen was Jeffrey Sutton, Chief Judge of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Sutton, who is based in Ohio, appeared via zoom. We were honored and pleased to have him even if he couldn’t come in person. (Maybe next time). Sutton is generally recognized as the leading expert on state constitutional law issues in the country. One attendee commented to me that she could have listened to him talk for an hour. That sentiment was general.
With the conclusion of Con Law CLE, the day came in Manchester ended. As has been the practice since in-person VBA meetings resumed post-pandemic, however, we followed the hotel meeting with our Basic Skills program via Zoom the following week. Basic skills was sponsored once more by ALPs, and each of the five programs were very well attended, with 50 to 70 attendees in each session.
Thanks to all our presenters and to all who attended on March 28 or the post-meeting remote sessions. We will see you for the Annual Meeting on Sept. 26th at the Hotel Champlain (formerly the Hilton Lake Champlain) in Burlington. Recordings of the CLEs presented in Manchester are now available in the VBA digital library.
A few pictures from the big meeting…
