Scroll down for information on Pro Bono & Low Bono opportunities, upcoming CLEs including our Mid-Year Meeting, Dispute Resolution, Wellness, and Basic Skills, plus our new affinity partner TRACERS, results from the COVID-19 Committee Survey, and more! |
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Dispute Resolution: Chewing on Conflict
lunchtime webinar series
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Kyle Dodson shares his experience as Director of Police Transformation
In 2020 we saw significant unrest across the nation in reaction to deaths and injuries caused by police officers. This led to calls for defunding the police in some cities.
Burlington also was impacted by this crisis, with activists calling for a reduction and defunding of the police force, creating significant controversy in the community.
The conflict has complexity partly because of the number of parties involved: those needing police services; the BIPOC community; police officers; those pushing to defund the police; the police union; and others.
At the Mayor’s request, Kyle Dodson has stepped into the role of Director of Police Transformation. Kyle will share his experience working with the various parties in this complex conflict.
Date: March 5, 2021
Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Credits: 1.0 MCLE General
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2021 VIRTUAL MID-YEAR MEETING |
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Open to 2021 Mid-Year Meeting attendees and speakers only!
Additional Sponsors will be joining later, so check the FLYER often!
Below are programs open for registration. Additional topics to be added soon: democracy reform; and more!
CLICK ANY TITLE TO REGISTER!
March 25th
March 26th
March 29th
March 30th
March 31st
JUST ADDED:
April 1st
*Note: Programs with an asterisk (*) qualify for Rules 12(a)(1) and 15(c ) of the VT Rules of Admission
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Click image below for info on our SPONSORS! |
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The VBA, with the help of our energized Young Lawyers Division, has partnered with Legal Services Vermont to recruit pro bono and low bono attorneys in these times of pandemic.
LSV’s Vermont Volunteer Lawyer Project is a decades-long program matching low-income Vermonters with pro bono attorneys willing to represent them in a wide variety of legal challenges.
The VBA’s Low Bono Program uses grant funding to pay stipends to private attorneys to represent low-income Vermonters and crime victims who face legal difficulties as a result of their victimization.
Either program helps you gain experience, build your practice, receive CLE training, and help vulnerable Vermonters.
For more information, contact Mary Ashcroft, VBA’s Legal Access Coordinator, at mashcroft@vtbar.org or by calling 802-775-5189.
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Mindful Moments for Wellness - webinar series |
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In the face of a heightened level of chaos & uncertainty around us, we need to focus on increasing our overall well-being & decreasing the harmful effects of stress now more than ever. Join Samara Anderson, Esq., 500 RYT, our local wellness guru & certified MBSR (Mindful Based Stress Reduction) teacher as she guides us through some mindful practices to help us reduce stress, increase clarity & focus, boost our immunity systems and implement simple self-care practices that will have a profound impact on your life & the lives of those around you.
Give yourselves the gift of wellness during these times of stress - boost your mood and find some peace of mind.
These 30 and 60 minute sessions will increase clarity for your practices. Mindfulness is an ongoing practice, so feel free to join additional sessions. Register by clicking dates below.
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Basic Skills in VT Practice & Procedure* |
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This program is a great all-around introduction to Vermont Law.
Whether you're working on credits to meet the 1st-year requirements, interested in adding a new skill to your practice, or brushing up on current skills, this is the program for you!
Date: April 22 & 23, 2021
Credits: 6.0 MCLE (Includes 1.0 Ethics)
*Approved and certified to satisfy requirements of Rule 12(a)(1) and
Rule 15(c ) of the VT Rules of Admission
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Thank you to the over 275 people who responded to the COVID-19 Impact Study! Click HERE for a summary of the results. Nearly 60% of respondents indicate that cash flow/billable work has been adversely impacted by the pandemic, approximately 20% are caring for children or adults in their homes while working and nearly 70% are feeling isolated. The COVID-19 Committee will continue to work to provide guidance and resources regarding COVID-19 issues impacting the bar, including the wellness and other concerns revealed by the survey results. We are all in this together!
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New titles added from our Real Estate Law Day Virtual Mini-Series
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The VBA office will be migrating to a new Association Management Software in the next couple of months. We are excited to bring our members a cloud based, next generation platform as well as a new VBA website. The new platform will not only provide the VBA staff with tools to streamline in-house processes and efficiencies but will also provide our members with an intuitive on-line member portal. A sneak peak of some of the tools the new platform will provide:
- Online member portal – members can easily manage their profile, join sections, renew membership.
- Enhanced online membership directory – an online pictorial member directory with an option to add biographical information.
- CLE & Events – Members can easily register, track their CLE credits and print certificates.
- Lawyer Referral Service – Panel members will have fully automated online case tracking and status reporting as well as calculation of referral fees and online payments.
The launch of the new platform is expected to be in early April. We will keep you informed as we progress.
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2021 VBA Directory
The 2021 VBA Directory will be published and distributed at a later date in 2021 as we recognize many of our members are working remotely. Please keep in mind that the VBA online directory has real-time information available.
For your convenience, HERE is a link to the updated Vermont Judiciary Section and HERE is a link to the updated Federal Court Section. |
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TELESEMINARS and AUDIO WEBCASTS |
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Quick one-hour sessions in a variety of legal practice areas, either by phone (teleseminar) or listen through your computer (audio webcast). Simply go to our website and select Teleseminars & Audio Webcasts on the CLE/Events dropdown. You'll be taken here, where you can browse by practice area or preferred format. Create your own account and you're all set.
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Law firm announcements - we can help! |
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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!
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To submit an announcement click HERE
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Find your next career at the Vermont Bar Association
Check back frequently as new jobs are posted every day.
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) UPDATES!
The VBA is working hard to get you the latest information affecting your practices with respect to the Coronavirus. There has been no better time than NOW to join and utilize VBA Connect's online communities! Members are sharing information on the family, probate, property and other listserves daily. If you need assistance with VBA Connect, call or email today!
Please also check out our COVID-19 Resource Page located on our website. We will update those resources regularly to include the latest Governor’s Orders, Court Orders, enacted legislation, Reopening Plans and Toolkits, webinars and communications from our COVID-19 committee. Thank you for enabling us to be a resource for the legal community and to have a seat at the table as Vermont navigates through this crisis.
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NEW AFFINITY PARTNERSHIP! |
Tracers, the #1 trusted cloud-based investigative research software and TechnoLawyer “Top Products of 2020,” provides law firms access to an online database of over 43 billion records, from over 6,000 sources of data! With Tracers, attorneys can have the confidence of utilizing the most comprehensive public and proprietary database to complete their legal research.
-Locate people (witnesses, beneficiaries, parties for legal action)
-Relationship linking
-Research businesses
-Perform due diligence
-Check for conflicts and much more!
(877) 723-2689
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IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID 19 CRISIS,THE VBA'S TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANT, TCI CONSULTANTS, INC.,
IS HERE TO HELP OUR MEMBERS
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As a small business Owner, I understand how uneasy many may feel with the uncertainty today’s business world. I want to say first and foremost, be safe and be healthy. We at Technology Consultants, Inc. continue assisting small businesses that are not our clients to implement a safe work environment by setting up Remote Work or Telecommute services. Many options are available to access your office computer or your office network. Please keep in mind security! Do not rush into a setup for accessing your company information and take a chance in opening your Company to Internet Thugs.
Technology Consultants, Inc. is here to help the Vermont Bar members to find the best way to setup and assisted in a remote worker program, also known as Telecommute system. Many users can purchase simple direct and secure programs such as LogMeIn Pro, TeamViewer or GoToMyPC. If you have an IT managed service company helping you, please talk to them about first securing and protecting your remote computer and then how to best connect to your office.
Many Law firms are moving to Microsoft Office 365 for email and file management, please remember even that needs to be setup correctly and setup security. You can setup Dual Authentication so even if someone can talk you into giving up the password, they would not be able to login without that 2nd step.
Look out for Phishing attacks. We have been told by the DOD, and the State of Vermont that email scams are on the rise. Please examine the email address that sent you that email. If it looks off, it may be a phishing email looking for information from you. That is why making sure you have a powerful Virus/Malware protection. If you need help with this during this crisis, please let the Vermont Bar Know and we will assist you.
With the correct tools you can do a lot of work remotely. We have helped with Medical Telemedicine, Business to Business, Person to Person conference system, such as Teams, Zoom and Skype. If you need more information, please ask us. Use our on-line chat feature under https://www.tcivt.net/support-center/ web page.
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A MESSAGE FROM ABA
RETIREMENT PROGRAM
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As news of the novel coronavirus continues to evolve, we want to keep you informed and provide you with timely updates, resources and educational information. We created an online resource for you and your participants. Visit our ‘COVID-19 and the Market Impact’ page on the Program website at abaretirement.com. Please feel free to share this link with your employees.
Beginning the week of March 23, if your plan offers loans and/or hardship withdrawals, the Program will temporarily deliver these checks directly to participants instead of sending them to firms.* Loan checks will be sent regular mail and hardship withdrawal checks will be sent by overnight delivery. For the loans, we will send you the repayment information via email so that you can begin payroll deductions.
If you have any questions, please call our toll-free Plan Administrator Line at 800.752.6313 or email us at contactus@abaretirement.com.
We hope you, your staff and your families remain healthy and safe and we are standing by to assist you if necessary.
Stay Well,
ABA Retirement Funds Program
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With 15 years of experience supporting the legal community, LawPay is the industry standard in online payments. Their user-friendly solution makes it easy for lawyers to securely accept client credit card and eCheck payments online. Plus, LawPay was built with input from bar association partners and their ethics committees to ensure all payments are processed in compliance with attorney trust accounting rules. Right now, LawPay has an exclusive offer for VT Bar members: open a new LawPay account by February 26th and receive 3 months with no monthly fee + a $100 credit towards processing fees! Learn more>>
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VBA Offers an Independent Telemedicine Solution to its Membership
With the ongoing coronavirus, the VBA’s telemedicine program offers the most comprehensive solution in the marketplace. The complete group virtual-care program includes-
· General Medicine $0 copay
· Behavioral Health $0 copay
· Dermatology $0 copay
· Expert Second Opinion Services $0 copay
Your firm will pay a low monthly fee for you and your family. There is a minimum of two enrolled for group plans and you will never be billed for services that you receive.
Individual programs are also available with a modified benefit offering.
For more information call our broker, Tim Clain at Pinnacle Financial Corporation, our broker for over 25 years. You can reach Tim at 802-773-2617 ext. 202 or by email at tclain@financialguide.com
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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.
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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
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READ MORE ABOUT RED CAVE CONSULTING HERE
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