The VBA’s Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Poster/Essay Contest is now underway. Middle Schoolers statewide are invited to write a short essay (up to 250 words) and illustrate a quotation from Dr. King. This year the quotation is: “Courage is an inner resolution to go forward despite obstacles.” The quotation appears in Dr. King’s…
The Young Lawyers Division of the VBA is once again seeking nominations for the Peter W. Hall Integrity Award. The award is presented annually by the YLD to a Vermont attorney or judge who exhibits the integrity for which Judge Hall was known. The award will be presented at the YLD’s Mid-Winter Thaw in Montreal…
The Vermont Bar Association, Superior Court Environmental Law Division, and Vermont Law and Graduate School invite members (past, present and future!) of the Vermont Bar to participate in an Environmental Division “bench-bar” gathering in the Burlington offices of Vermont Law and Graduate School at 126 College Street, Suite 410, on the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov.…
This just in from the Governor’s office (10/16/25). Governor Phil Scott today announced the appointment of Zach Weight as a Special Prosecutor assigned to work with the Chittenden County State’s Attorney to assist in relieving the backlog of service-resistant repeat offender criminal cases, with an initial focus on individuals who have five or more…
The Vermont Bar Association held its 2025 Annual Meeting at the Hotel Champlain in Burlington on Sept. 26, 2025. A crowd of more than 200 Vermont attorneys, judges, special guest speakers, and 15 meeting sponsors were on hand. The hotel’s lobby had been renovated since our last meeting there and it looked elegant. The…
This just in (Sept. 29, 2025) from the Governor’s Office: Governor Phil Scott today announced his appointment of Colin Owyang as a superior court judge. “Colin is a strong leader with diverse experience working in both the public and private sectors,” said Governor Phil Scott. “I believe this will help him to excel in this new…
The Judicial Nominating Board sent a memo to the Vermont Bar today (9/16/25) with details on the search for the replacement for Vermont Supreme Court Associate Justice William Cohen. Justice Cohen has announced that he will be retiring from the bench on Dec. 27 of this year. The memo outlines the process for the search,…
This just in (Sept. 5, 2025) from the Governor’s office: Governor Phil Scott today announced the appointment of Claire Burns as Caledonia County State’s Attorney. She has served as interim state’s attorney since August 1, following former State’s Attorney Jessica Zaleski’s departure. Vermont Governors appoint state’s attorney vacancies based on the recommendations of county political…
Be sure to check the memo that came from the judiciary yesterday (Sept. 3 2025). If you missed it in your email, you can find a link here. In addition to rule promulgations and reminders about procedures for e-file and serve a etc., the memo includes a link to the Standard Practices Committee Feedback and…
The Vermont Advisory Committee on the Rules of Evidence seeks attorney. View recruitment notice HERE