Congratulations to Hardwick Fifth Grader Gracie Ann Lawrence!

The Vermont Bar Association, in partnership with its Diversity Section and Young Lawyers Division, sponsored a Martin Luther King, Jr. Poster-Essay Contest to celebrate the life and message of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Middle school students were asked to create a poster and write a short essay interpreting what Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech means to them.  One winner and two runners-up were selected by the committee from many beautiful and thoughtful entries from all over the state.

Governor Phil Scott presented awards to the winning students at the Statehouse on January 17, 2018.  Gracie Ann Lawrence, a 5^th grader from Hardwick Elementary School in Hardwick, was presented with the first-place plaque and traveling trophy for her school.  Tobianna Aldrich, an 8^th grader from Manchester Elementary-Middle School in Manchester, received the first runner-up plaque and the team of Rowan Morgan and Chandler Neveu, both 5^th graders from the Main Street Middle School in Montpelier, received the second runner-up plaque.

The students and their teachers and families were photographed with their winning submissions and Governor Scott.  The Governor spoke of the importance of Dr. King’s message today, including the importance of being kind to one another and to “tweet others as you would like to be tweeted” on social media.  After the ceremony, the group attended a statehouse tour and then were invited to the Vermont Supreme Court where they were greeted by Chief Justice Paul Reiber.  Justice Reiber congratulated the students, handed out VBA pocket constitutions, and spoke to the importance of the historic document and of Dr. King’s legacy.  

The students’ posters and essays will be on display at the Supreme Court building throughout the month of January. They will also be featured in the Vermont Bar Journal.  Please scroll down to see the winning submissions and all the photos from the ceremonies.

The VBA would like to congratulate all of the participants who submitted such excellent entries.  Special thanks to Governor Scott, the Sergeant-at-Arms, and Chief Justice Reiber, as well as to all of their staff members for making the event so memorable for the winning students, their teachers and families.  

Parents and teachers should watch for notices in October for next year's contest which is destined to be another success.  Vermont's got talent and we were overjoyed to celebrate with these winning youngsters!

Left to Right: Gracie Ann Lawrence, VBA President Dan Maguire, VBA Past-President Michael Kennedy, VBA Diversity Section representative Jessica Brown and VBA Executive Director, Teri Corsones

First Runner-Up, Tobianna Aldrich

Second Runners-Up, Rowan Morgan and Chandler Neveu

Well-Thawed Out!

Once again, the VBA YLD delivered with a spectacular Mid-Winter Thaw in Montreal!  Enjoy pictures from this year’s YLD Thaw, including pictures of the winning “Big Dog of Ethics” team rep; reception sponsor and speaker VLS Dean McHenry; seminar presenters, attendees and Exhibitors; a mid-Thaw blizzard and of course, Keynote Speaker Mitch Wertlieb of VPR!  The event was well-attended despite the mid-Thaw snow dump and feedback so far has been great.  Thanks everyone for attending and see you next year!

2017 Legislators' Days Recap

The VBA was pleased to once again co-host with the Judiciary a series of Legislators’ Days in the courts in 2017. Starting with Rutland County in September and ending with Franklin County in December, state legislators were invited to visit courts on a specific date in each county. A typical Legislators’ Day involved welcoming participating legislators in the morning with coffee and refreshments, and providing them with the day’s court calendar. Bar ambassadors and/or VBA Executive Director Teri Corsones accompanied legislators to the court hearings that the legislators selected to observe for the morning. If judges’ schedules allowed, they met with legislators in chambers to talk about the hearings. A luncheon attended by the legislators, all the judicial officers, bar ambassadors from each division and court personnel followed over the noon hour.

Many legislators commented on how helpful it was to be able to observe court hearings, and to see, in action, the results of legislation they’d passed. They also appreciated the chance to visit with judges and bar members, to ask questions and to get information about issues affecting the courts and the bar. Legislators were invited to observe court hearings in the afternoon as well. They uniformly appreciated the opportunity to observe and learn, and asked that the opportunity be offered each year.

Special thanks to the bar ambassadors for participating in Legislators’ Days, and for their continued willingness to serve as resources to legislators when questions arise about issues affecting the courts during upcoming legislative sessions. 

Photos from the events are below:

Addison

Bennington

Caledonia/Essex

Chittenden

Franklin

Grand Isle

Lamoille

Orange

Orleans

Rutland

Washington

Windham

Windsor

What's the Buzz? Take Two

It’s the holiday season, snow is all around and we are bombarded with the “bests” “worsts” “most” “biggest” what-have-yous of 2017.  So why not join the reflection party?! 

2017 was chock full at the VBA.  For CLEs, we had:  

Not only were the CLE’s plentiful and educational, they were the subject of tweets and ‘likes’ and were regularly followed.  The VBA also kept busy making sure our members had a seat at the table in the Statehouse, tracking all legislation through our government relations guru, Bob Paolini.  We co-hosted legislative days in each county and had our legislators’ reception and breakfast.  The VBA actively handed out ‘pocket constitutions’ and assisted with any Constitution Day presentations in schools, as well as convening our own Constitution Day presentation. 

The VBA Journal chugged along quarterly with fascinating reads from our Ruminations author, Paul Gillies, and many Pursuits of Happiness interviews on singing, mushrooms and karate, among others.  Try entering our caption contest next year, or submit a work of fiction! Don’t forget our Lawyer Referral Service, too, which handles approximately 600 calls per month from Vermonters needing representation.  The VBA also assists with actively engaging members to participate in commissions and committees that help to preserve the rule of law, to improve access to justice and to make the practice law better. 

And let’s not forget VBA Connect. The old listserve service was replaced by VBA Connect online communities making discussions available online and making them archiveable and searchable.  Documents can be posted to the libraries.  Many members are finding the online communities a breeze to navigate.  Don’t be afraid to join the discussion—try it, you’ll like it!  What discussion?  Here’s what folks have been talking about this year on VBA Connect:Of course, as with our old listserve service, the property law section wins again for the highest use…485 distinct discussion threads so far.  Find the answer you need through the collective wisdom of your colleagues.  We are all in this together!

Happy New Year from all of us at the VBA.  We hope to see you at our events in the future.  Speaking of the future … please save the date for our May 16, 2018 Tech Show.  Be efficient. Be inspired. Be ready!