Welcome to the VBA Pulse
Looking for We The People volunteer judges!!
Three high schools will be competing in Montpelier on March 9, 2020 from 9am to 2pm in the We The People: The Citizen and The Constitution competition. Students will be asked to present arguments about popular sovereignty, majority rule, limits of government, State Government, the 14 th Amendment and more! Volunteers will be given the 2020 We The People text booklets to review prior to the competition if desired. Per the AoE, six more judges are needed! Please contact jeb@vtbar.org ASAP to volunteer!
Mid-Year Meeting - March 26 & 27
With a total of 8.0 MCLE credits available, including 3.5 ethics credits, you can be sure this year's Mid-Year Meeting has a wonderful variety of programs for everyone. We're updating our flyer daily with additional descriptions and panel adjustments so check back often - VIEW FLYER HERE .

Trial preparation--motion practice, bankruptcy, implicit bias, mindfulness, dam issues (no n!), equity incentives, administrative law, professional courtesy among generations, billing & practice mgmt systems, advocacy in the media, employment law for employers, and the 19th amendment will be covered, as well as the new court e-filing, the well-being of the legal profession, roundtable on the futures commission regarding paralegal licensure and an ethics pub quiz!

Date: March 26 & 27, 2020
Place: Hilton Burlington Lake Champlain ( click here for room reservations )
Credits: 8.0 (includes 3.5 ethics)
Rules 12(a)(1) and 15(c ): At least 6.5 credits are approved and certified to meet the 1st-year admittee requirement.
Basic Skills in VT Practice & Procedure
Whether you’re a Vermont licensed attorney interested in learning another area of law, or planning to become licensed in Vermont – this is the course for you! We’ll be at the Hilton Burlington on Battery Street in Burlington, Vermont.
For overnight accommodations, call 1-800-445-8667 or CLICK HERE , let them know you are with the Vermont Bar Association (rate is for Basic Skills AND Mid-Year Meeting) , as we have been given a discounted room rate of $129/night for a City View and $149/night for a Lake View. Room rate is guaranteed through March 9th!

This 6-hour plenary session is designed to give you an overview of the major areas of Vermont legal practice and an introduction to ethics, courtroom etiquette, and professional standards in Vermont, and is approved and certified to satisfy Rule 12(a)(1) and Rule 15(c ).

Don’t forget, the additional required 9 credit hours are available from our digital library ! 
Free E-Book!
We have an excellent resource that we wanted to share with you.

Our friends at James Publishing just released a 145-page book called How Small Law Firms Can Obtain More Referrals: Templates, Techniques, and Case Studies.

You can immediately download a free digital version of the book by clicking here .

The book includes techniques and templates for obtaining more referrals from allied professionals such as:

-- Chiropractors for injury referrals
-- CPAs for estate referrals
-- Credit counselors for bankruptcy referrals
-- Drug rehab counselors for criminal referrals
-- Marriage counselors for family referrals
-- Mental health professionals for Social Security disability referrals

The book also contains:

1. Case studies. It includes 11 lengthy interviews with small law firm owners that focus on how they generate clients, particularly through referrals.

2. Letter templates. These include a prospect-nurturing series, booklet cover letters, outreach to allied professionals, and outreach to related attorneys.

3. Other helpful materials. You’ll have access to shared booklets, a typical webinar funnel, a sample end-of-matter letter, a client satisfaction survey, a review request card, action lists, marketing memos, and more.

Click here to download your free copy of the book today!
The VBA 2020 Directory is here!

All VBA members have been mailed a copy.

To order extra copies, please click HERE
Click HERE to view the Winter, 2019 issue of the Vermont Bar Journal
UPCOMING LIVE CLE'S - SAVE THESE DATES!
Foreclosure: Defense and Mediation - April 8, 2020 - Capitol Plaza, Montpelier
VBA Tech Conference, May 14, 2020 - Hilton Burlington
Elder Law Day, May 19, 2020 - Delta Hotels Marriott
Agriculture Law Day, May 28, 2020 - Vermont Law School
Collaborative Law Conference, June 19 & 20, 2020 - Capitol Plaza, Montpelier
Procrastinator's Day, June 24, 2020 - Delta Hotels Marriott
Interested in writing an article for the next Vermont Bar Journal?
Contact Jennifer Emens-Butler at jeb@vtbar.org for more information

Or maybe you'd like to review a book for the next edition?
Check out our available titles here ,
and contact us at info@vtbar.org
Our Digital Library has new stuff!
Did you miss Real Estate Law Day ? No problem, because we recorded it! Three parts, so you can just watch the segment you need - Part 1 includes digital resources, statute of limitations, foreclosures, and ethics; Part 2 is the Advanced Skills track with transactions involving solar resources, and other special transactions; Part 3 is the Basic Skills track with representing a seller, and representing a buyer.

And titles from our Annual Meeting in September - let's not forget those! Criminal, municipal, family, litigation/trial practice, employment, and ethics!

CLICK HERE to view all titles.
NEW AFFINITY PARTNER!
Easy Soft real estate closing software will revolutionize the way you handle closings. With Easy Soft you can automate redundant tasks, close 70% faster, reduce risk and work anytime, anywhere. Easy Soft real estate software has been the trusted source for real estate attorneys nationwide for over 30 years.
All you need is a device (laptop, tablet, PC or smartphone) and an internet connection to access and work on any of your real estate closing matters. 

Members save 25% off your first year*

Easy Soft real estate closing software includes:
  • The most commonly used closing documents
  • 1099-S Reporting and Filing
  • Centralized data entry
  • Automatic calculation of tax prorations, government recording charges, projected payments and cash to close
  • Ledger Balancing
  • Title Searching
  • Integration with popular software programs, including Dropbox, RynohLive, CosmoLex and InfoTrack

For more information please visit https://www.easysoft-usa.com/ and check out the 14-day free trial option. Or call 1-800-905-7638 and use Code VTBAR at initial purchase to receive your 25% off first year discount*. 

*Available to new subscribers only.
Looking for new clients?
Sign up for our
Lawyer Referral Service.
SIGN UP NOW AND GET THREE MONTHS FOR FREE!!
Find your next career at the Vermont Bar Association
Check back frequently as new jobs are posted every day.

To post a job opportunity on our website, click HERE .
The VBA offers a great service to its members! We can publish your law firm announcements to our legal community. Announcements may include law firm name changes, new partners, and location changes. This service offers our members a significant savings by eliminating the need to print & mail announcements. It also helps our members keep informed of changes in our legal community. And it helps keep our planet just a little greener!

To submit an announcement, Click HERE
YOUR online community!

Don't forget about this valuable member benefit. Join any of our online communities and stay CONNECTED.

To access VBA Connect, click HERE

Trust your transactions to the only payment solution recommended by over 60 bar
associations. Correctly safeguard and separate client funds and trust and operating
accounts. Funds are never commingled.

The ability to accept credit cards attracts clients, improves cash flow and reduces collections. Plus, members save up to 25% off their credit card processing fees. If you are considering accepting credit cards or want to confirm that your are processing credit card transactions correctly.

 Call 866-376-0950 or visit https://lawpay.com/vtbar/
READ MORE ABOUT RED CAVE CONSULTING HERE

Technology Consultants, Inc ., the Vermont Bar Association's office IT support company, offers our members a $20 discount on their hourly non-contract work. I'm sure you've met Mike Servidio at one of our meetings or our Tech Show. We have been fortunate to have TCI on our side providing the VBA office with excellent support and services. Give Mike a call at 1-802-865-4409 or visit tcivtnet for more information.