Serving the Public and the Profession
The Vermont Judiciary announced today (3/20/24) the selection of D. Scott Acus as the state’s first Mental Health and the Courts Project Director. This newly created position arose out of a recommendation by the Vermont Judiciary Commission on Mental Health and the Courts, established as a Tri-Branch effort to address the needs of court-involved individuals…
Gov. Phil Scott announced today (3/19/2024) that he has appointed Bram Kranichfeld as permanent state’s attorney for Franklin County. The Governor named him interim state’s attorney in September, following the previous state’s attorney’s resignation. The appointment was effective last week for the term ending January of 2027. Initial Release, Monday, Sept. 4, 2023…
Governor Phil Scott today announced on Feb. 23 that he has appointed Kate T. Gallagher, of Williston, as a superior court judge. “Kate has demonstrated a strong commitment to public service through her work in the Attorney General’s office and as a commissioner,” said Governor Scott. “I’m confident that that she will continue to serve…
VBA Board Member Alfonso Villegas of Gravel & Shea in Burlington recently organized the VBA’s first “Law Day” program at Burlington High School. On Feb. 13, about 60 seniors from the AP Government class attended the two-hour presentation led by Alfonso and a panel made up of Vermont Supreme Court Justices Paul Reiber and…
Gov. Phil Scott honored the winners of the VBA 2024 Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School Poster/Essay contest at a ceremony at the State House on Feb. 1. The contest, sponsored annually by the Young Lawyers Division and the Diversity Section, challenged Vermont middle schoolers to write an essay and illustrate Dr. King’s quotation: “We…
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…
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…
Coming soon — our Higher Logic online communities which will be a Y-UGE improvement over our current listserves. Our staff is working closely with Higher Logic in their Higher Logic User Groups (called “HUGS”) to set up the best user experience possible. The online communities are a way for members to share their collective wisdom,…