Vermont Bar Journal, Vol. 40, No. 2 Fall 2015, Vol 41, No. 3 | Page 23
by Margaret Martin Barry, Esq.
VLS and the VBA Support for
Attorneys Who Want to Serve Vermont
On August 13, The Herald of Randolph
frontlined with two articles, “Where Have
All the Lawyers Gone?” and “VLS Aims to
Fill Gaps.” In the first article, M.D. Drysdale reported that four Randolph attorneys
have closed or are winding down their businesses, and in the second he spoke of the
number of Vermont Law School graduates
who serve local communities and the law
school’s efforts to continue that trend. Mr.
Drysdale sounded an alarm that has been
of concern to the Vermont Bar Association
and the courts for some timea concern
articulated most consistently as the need
for access to representation by people in
isolated and small communities by people
of low and modest means.
Why is representation important? Our
system of laws and their enforcement is designed to allow individuals to resolve conflicts and assert rights, to protect public
safety, and for businesses to operate and
plan in a stable setting. Legal representation is an important part of navigating this
www.vtbar.org
system and assuring that rights are effectively asserted.
I contacted Michael Kennedy, the state’s
bar counsel who also manages attorney licensing, to learn what he had observed
with regard to attorneys who are retiring,
selling, or closing their practices. He said
that his records showed eight had done so
in 2014 and eleven in 2015.
A September 2014 Vermont Bar Association survey gave more of a forecast. The
survey was sent to VBA members and 712
responded, a 30% response rate. To the
question “Are you considering retiring in
the near future?” 22% said they would be
retiring in the next two years; 36% said they
would be retiring in the next three to six
years; and 42% said they would be retiring
in the next seven to ten years. To the question “If retiring in the next 10 years, is another lawyer taking over your practice/your
clients?” 37% said yes, I am all set; 30%
said no, I haven’t set that up yet; 2% said
I’ve tried but can’t find anyone; 1% said no,
THE VERMONT BAR JOURNAL • FALL 2015
but I’m using ALPS Attorney Match; 14%
said no, I’m just going to close up my office; and 16% said “other.”
The numbers are troubling, especially
when you consider the impact on Randolph
and even smaller towns and villages spread
across the state.
VLS has had a long history of preparing
students for practice through its experiential programs. South Royalton Legal Clinic
has worked with students to provide free
legal services to low-income Vermont residents since 1987. The law school has seven other clinics that prepare students for
environmental, criminal law, and legislative
practice. VLS also has an extensive externship program in which students are placed
in offices and judicial chambers to work
under the supervision of respected practitioners in Vermont, across the country,
and, in limited circumstances, throughout
the world. Additionally, VLS has extensive
courses that simulate real-life lawyering experiences as a way to prepare students for
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