Many of our Vermont County bars have robust programs for community engagement. Rutland and Windham counties, for instance, have long standing Law Day programs that bring lawyers and judges to schools, or school kids to lawyers and judges each spring. That wealth is not evenly spread, however. One of Josh Diamond’s goals for his…
The Board of Managers of the Vermont Bar Association has adopted the following statement: The Vermont Bar Association (VBA) honors its mission: [To] promote[] the highest standards of skill, ethics and professionalism within an inclusive legal profession; foster[] understanding and respect for the rule of law; support[] equal access to a fair and effective system…
The Vermont Bar Association congratulates Sheilagh Smith, Esq. of Chelsea, Vermont, as the 2025 winner of the VBA’s Pro Bono Service Award The Pro Bono Award is given annually by the VBA’s Board of Bar Managers to an attorney who provides extraordinary legal services to indigent and disadvantaged clients in our community. Smith was nominated…
This just in from the judiciary: Certified Restricted Delivery Charges to Increase on March 3 Actual postage costs have significantly outpaced the rates charged by the Vermont Judiciary over the past several years. In keeping with the actual costs of U.S. postage, the amount charged by the Judiciary for mail service of pleadings via certified…
Vermont’s superior court judges serve six-year terms and are then subject to a judicial retention process. The Joint Committee on Judicial Retention oversees the process. After various hearings and meetings, the Committee provides its recommendations on retention to both chambers in a joint assembly where the vote is taken by secret ballot. There are eight…
Lucas Weiss, the AP Government teacher at St. Johnsbury Academy, is looking for five to eight attorneys (or judges) to judge the “We the People” program he is running at the Academy on March 31, 2025 from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM, with a break for lunch. “We the People” is a civics education program…
Each year, a committee comprised of representatives from the VBA staff, the VBA Diversity Section, and the VBA Young Lawyers Division, chooses a quotation by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to inspire Vermont’s middle school students to participate in a Poster-Essay Contest. This year’s quotation was, “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t…
Three attorney members have seats on the Judicial Nominating Board, including an At-large Seat, a Northern Seat and a Southern Seat. The three seats came open for election at the end of last year. The deadline for submitting ballots was Jan. 13, 2024. Today, the Judiciary announced the results of the election. The following people…
Nominations are now open for candidates for VBA’s Annual Pro Bono Service Award. The Award is given each year to one or more attorneys who have devoted themselves in a noteworthy way to provide pro bono legal services to the poor and disadvantaged. Standards for the award reflect Rule 6.1 of the Vermont Rules of…
In November of last year, Gov. Phil Scott announced the appointment of four new Vermont Superior Court Judges. The new judges are Bonnie Badgewick of Woodstock, Dana DiSano of South Burlington, Timothy Doherty of Burlington, and Laura Rowntree of South Burlington. Rowntree and DiSano, both formerly Assistant Attorneys General, were sworn in by Vermont Supreme…