Just on the heels of our second listening tour, the
VBA and the Vermont Supreme Court are proud to announce the third listening
tour to be held in Caledonia County on October 22nd at the St.
Johnsbury Anthenaeum. Caledonia County
Bar President Laura Wilson and Caledonia Unit Presiding Judge Robert Bent will
join Chief Justice Paul Reiber and VBA Board President Gary Franklin for their
third listening tour from 5-6pm on October 22.
Just what is a listening tour? Read on!
Chief Justice Reiber and Gary Franklin have conducted
two listening tours since late September, the first in Addison County and the
second in Bennington County. County Bar
Presidents and Presiding Judges have joined the tour at each stop. The idea was
to reach out to the public and hear any thoughts, critique, ideas or stories
about how the judiciary and Vermont lawyers are serving the general public,
including sharing what resources may be available to help meet legal needs. VBA
President Gary Franklin was particularly struck by the attendance at the
meetings by so many stakeholders including lawyers, legislators, non-profit
service agencies and court staff, making these tours an ideal place to bring
all the participants and stakeholders together.
Says President Franklin: “Our mission is to serve the
public and the profession. The listening tour is proving to be a valuable tool
to gain insight into how the practice of law and the realities or limitations of
the courts affect each community in Vermont.”
Franklin sees this tour as a way to make inroads into the ‘access to
justice gap’ where there is known to be a large segment of the population,
those just beyond the reach of free legal services in terms of income, who are
not being served, while simultaneously there is a population of lawyers in
Vermont who wish to connect with those needing services. Hearing stories from the public may help to
close the gap where the communities can give insight into where legal assistance
is needed and why it is not being sought.
One common theme being addressed at the listening
tours is a recognition of how the opiate crisis is impacting the court system
and court resources. There was also much
discussion about legal clinics, the delivery of basic public education on the
rule of law and specific areas of law and mediation, among other things. Chief Justice Reiber spoke about how the
bench and bar can, and should be, leaders in civil discourse and elevating the
civil tone surrounding meaningful but divisive legal issues. While each tour has been merely 1 hour, the
range, level and import of issues discussed has been remarkable.
The counties are being visited in roughly alphabetical
order, so stay tuned for the next tour stop announcement. The VBA will issue a
press release regarding each event as they are scheduled, so if you are
interested in attending the listening tour in your county, please feel free to
contact the VBA, your County Bar President or local courthouse for more information
as the Chief and VBA President travel throughout the State. We want to hear from you and we are listening!
The
top photo is from an article
in the Bennington Banner from October 11, 2018. The photo credits David Lachance and shows
from left to right: Chief Justice Reiber, VBA President Franklin, Bennington
County Bar President Sarah Wilson and Bennington Unit Presiding Judge William Cohen
speaking to the attendees. Chief Justice Reiber, VBA President Franklin and VBA
Executive Director Teri Corsones also participated in a radio show, Bennington Today,
before the tour. The final photo is from the Addison tour.
