Vermont Bar Journal, Vol. 40, No. 2 Vermont Bar Journal, Fall 2016, Vol. 42, No. 3 | Page 5

by Michael E. Kennedy, Esq.

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
Thank you.
It still stuns me that I am the President of
the Vermont Bar Association. All I can do is
to repeat myself: thank you.
Thank you Mom & Dad. My mom grew
up in Bradford, my dad in Burlington. When
they met, my mom was a dental hygienist, my
dad a teacher. Neither had a lot, but each
had a supportive family and a willingness to
work hard and to make sacrifices. And that’s
what they did: they worked hard and made
sacrifices, nearly every single one of which
was for my brother and me. I could go on
and on, but, it’s simple: my parents are the
reason that I am who I am and where I am.
They are why I made it to and through college and law school. They are the reason I am
in a position to write this column.
Mom & Dad: thank you.
And thank you, Vermont lawyers, for the
opportunity. My route to the presidency was
atypical. I don’t know of any other bar that
would accept as its president someone who
spent 14 years as a disciplinary prosecutor.
Of course, from my early days as deputy disciplinary counsel, I was continually struck by
Vermont lawyers’ dedication to their clients
and profession. Many non-lawyer friends often remarked “you must have a hard job” or
“lawyers must not like you.” My experience
was just the opposite. There’s no jurisdiction
where it’s easier to be the disciplinary prosecutor. You, collectively, accepted me and my
role and, in so doing, made it clear to me that
this is an Association in which the ethics rules
are not a nuisance, but the floor. Your dedication to your clients, to the profession, and
to the legal system is why I decided to get involved with the VBA.
Thank you all.
It’s an exciting time at the VBA. A lot
has happened over the past six months. So
much, in fact, that I want to use my first column to re-introduce you to the VBA and to
your Board of Managers.
As you know, Teri Corsones is the new Executive Director. Teri’s energy amazes and invigorates me. She did not ease into the job.
Teri spent the summer hard at work, focusing
on the exciting initiatives that she outlined in
last month’s Journal.
Bob Paolini is not gone! Bob transitioned
to the VBA’s Governmental Relations Director. His new role will find him in familiar
spots, namely, as he says, “in The Building.”
“The Building” being the Statehouse, where
Bob will continue as one of the most effective
advocates under the Dome.1
Last spring, Kevin Ryan accepted a position as the Executive Director of the Monroe
County (NY) Bar Association. I miss him. But
I’m thrilled that we were fortunate enough to
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name Jennifer Emens-Butler to replace Kevin as the Director of Education & Communications. I love Jennifer’s initiatives including
“Pursuits of Happiness” – a column that focuses on VBA members’ many, varied, and
fantastically interesting non-legal hobbies.
Teri & Jennifer join a team that does not
get enough recognition. The VBA staff includes Lisa Maxfield, Laura Welcome, Mary
Ashcroft, Devlin Nichols, and Tami Baldwin.
Lisa is our CFO and handles member benefits. She’s one of the reasons that the Association is in such a strong financial position.
She is actively involved in all matters affecting
the association. Also, over the past year, Lisa
played a key role in effectuating the VBA’s
upcoming move to the Higher Logic online
community. It’s a move that I expect will benefit the membership and prove quite popular.
You know all the terrific CLEs that you attend? They don’t put themselves together.
Laura Welcome is the VBA’s Programs Coordinator and she puts them together. Thanks
to Laura and Jennifer, the agenda for the
Annual Meeting looks great, and we have a
brand new slate of CLEs that have been approved for lawyers admitted pursuant to the
Court’s recently amended Rules of Admission. Jennifer & Laura are always on the lookout for new ideas, so if you have any potential
CLE topics, don’t hesitate to contact them.
I could devote an entire column to Mary
Ashcroft. Mary is the VBA’s Legal Access Coordinator. In that capacity, she runs the VBA’s
Modest Means, Low Bono, and Pro Bono programs. Vermont has dozens of lawyers working to address the access to legal services
problem. Nobody is working harder on the
issue than Mary.
Devlin Nichols handles the Lawyer Referral
service. He received over 600 calls in August
alone! He does a super job matching clients
with lawyers.
Tying it all together is Tami Baldwin. Tami
is the first person you will see or talk to if you
visit or call the VBA.
Thank you, staff, for all that you do. While
often unnoticed, it is not unappreciated.
Finally, thank you to my fellow members of
the Board of Managers. A few years ago, I
wouldn’t have done this. But, each of you
makes me want to carry on the work we’ve
started.
Dan Maguire is President-Elect. This is fitting. My first job as a lawyer was in the Attorney General’s office, assigned to the Department of Corrections. A DOC attorney took
me under his wing. His name was Dan Maguire.
Ted Tyler is the Board’s Secretary and,
along with Treasurer Matt Valerio, the Board’s
institutional memory. Their guidance has
THE VERMONT BAR JOURNAL • FALL 2016

proven invaluable.
With Jennifer having taken a job on staff,
the position of immediate past-president will
be vacant. One of my first official acts will be
to ask the Board to allow Dan Richardson to
stay on for an extra term as immediate pastpresident. As president, Dan’s work on the
Vermont Joint Commission on the Future of
Legal Services forced us to confront critical
issues that we must continue to address as a
profession and an association.
The Board’s at-large members are Gary
Franklin, Lauri Fisher, Elizabeth Kruska, Tom
Valente, and Bob Fletcher. Their commitment to you combines with their varied backgrounds and practice areas to bring an outstanding dynamic to Board discussions. They
soon will be joined by the winner of the runoff election between the Honorable Ben Joseph and Beth Mann: an election that is yet
another reason to attend October’s Annual
Meeting at Lake Morey.
Beth N