Notary Public Continuing Education Course Set for Fall

  Vermont notary commissions will expire at the end of January 2025. The Office of Professional Regulation of the Secretary of State’s Office has mandated that for non-attorney notaries who are not otherwise exempt, a minimum of one hour of relevant continuing education must be completed and documented prior to re-commissioning.  See the Administrative Rules…

Save the Date! Sept. 17 is Constitution Day

  Constitution Day is an annual celebration to mark the day in 1787 when the delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia.  In Vermont, the occasion has been marked by a gathering of legal experts, students, and the public at Vermont Law and Graduate School to talk about major issues facing…

Biden Nominates Mary K. Lanthier to Vermont Federal Bench

When U.S. District Court Judge Geoffrey Crawford announced his intention to retire from the federal bench in Vermont last year, the VBA worked with the offices of Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch to convene a joint Judicial Nomination Advisory Panel to screen candidates and make recommendations to the senators, who made a final recommendation…

Fee Dispute Service is Available Through the VBA

Do you and a client have a disagreement about your billed attorney’s fees? The VBA offers free services to resolve disputes over an attorney’s billed fees.  The free services include both mediation and arbitration, and are provided by the VBA Fee Dispute Committee (f/k/a the Fee Arbitration Committee) (the “Committee”) to those who choose to…

VBA ISSUES STATEMENT CONDEMNING ATTACKS ON JUDICIARY

  MONTPELIER, Vermont – The Vermont Bar Association joins the American Bar Association in condemning the continued attacks on judges and other members of our judicial system. The VBA is a non-profit and non-partisan organization that is committed to robust civil discourse and the exercise of First Amendment rights – but we will not, and…

NextGen Bar Exam Coming to Vermont July 2027

At its January 2024 administrative meeting, the Vermont Supreme Court voted to adopt the NextGen bar exam as of the July 2027 administration. The NextGen bar exam is currently under development. It will first be administered in a limited number of jurisdictions in July 2026. Vermont is joining nine other jurisdictions that have announced their…

Special Delivery!

Debate, Dialogue, Discussion, Discourse, Deliberation… Lawyers love these “D” words.  The differences between them are subtle, but meaningful, and not merely semantics.  The underlying theme, however, is the recognition that there exist differing viewpoints, on virtually everything, and those variances need to be explored.  We attorneys pride ourselves on being open and informed, which can…