Vermont Bar Journal, Vol. 40, No. 2 Vermont Bar Journal, Fall 2016, Vol. 42, No. 3 | Page 43

www.vtbar.org

Ashlyn Evans of Groton, VT whose mother
had suffered a debilitating WC injury. This
scholarship represented the second award
by Kids Chance of Vermont satisfying the
entire unmet need of the child of an injured
worker in order to assist that child in obtaining a higher education degree.
YOUNG LAWYERS DIVISION
By: Eric Goldwarg, Esq.
The Young Lawyers Division of the VBA
amended its bylaws several years ago to
broaden its membership definition to mirror that of the ABA. By our definition, you
are automatically a “Young Lawyer” if you
are aged 37 or under or if you have been
practicing for 10 years or less. This broad
definition allows us to serve a significant
portion of the VBA membership through
a mix of CLE presentations, social events,
and networking opportunities around the
State.
Our annual “Thaw” conference at the
Sheraton in downtown Montreal will be
held January 13-14, 2017. We are still finalizing topics but expect to present a diverse mix of substantive and skills classes,
along with cocktail receptions both evenings on the top floor of the hotel with 360

THE VERMONT BAR JOURNAL • FALL 2016

degree views of the city. Child care, events
for spouses and partners, and other social
activities will again be offered.
We are hosting cocktail receptions this
fall in Burlington, Brattleboro, and Rutland.
Check the VBA website for details. In the
works is a 5K road race (tentatively named
“Race Judicata”) to be held next spring in
Montpelier. We also send members to the
ABA YLD Regional Summit; offer scholarships to attend the Thaw; and respond to
donation requests from individuals in need.
All YLD events are open to all lawyers,
regardless of age. In fact, we highly encourage attendance by not-so-young lawyers so that attorneys who are just starting
out in their careers can network with and
learn from more experienced practitioners.

2015-2016 Section and Divisions Annual Report

vides college scholarships to the children
of injured workers, and founded and operated mostly by VBA WC Section members,
received substantial monies in donations
from this event. All-in-all it was an excellent
event celebrating the Centennial of Workers’ Compensation in Vermont and examining its future.
On May 20, 2016, the VBA WC Section hosted it annual Bench-Bar luncheon
meeting with Vermont Department of Labor personnel. The topic for discussion at
this meeting was the impact of the new VT
WC Rules implemented in August of 2015
and how they were being utilized to ease
the WC litigation practice and some unintended consequences thereon. The discussion was led by VBA members and VT DOL
employees, Steve Monahan, Jane Woodruff and Mary Sarazin. Also, in June of 2016
various VBA WC Section members testified and submitted statements to the Vermont Department of Labor relative to three
new proposed WC rules addressing Opiod
usage, attorney fees and vocational rehabilitation fees within the Vermont WC system. Finally, in July of 2016, the VBA WC
section-supported charity, Kids Chance of
Vermont, awarded a $9,125 scholarship to

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