Vermont Bar Journal, Vol. 40, No. 2 Vermont Bar Journal, Fall 2017, Vol. 48, No. 3 | Page 7

TC: All very laudable goals. Dan, what’s
your favorite pastime when you’re not
working?
DM: If I’m not working, I enjoy running.
Every year I have a relay team that com-
petes in the Vermont City Marathon. The
name of our team is - I think, appropriately
- “Reasonable Doubt.”
TC: Not “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt?”
DM: (Laughing) Maybe we should
change it. Our goal is to break 4 hours.
We’ve come close, but we haven’t been
able to do it in the last 10 years. I think
Michael Kennedy, who’s an accomplished
marathoner, can run the marathon faster
than our 5 members together. I also like to
read, though I’m always struggling to find
the time to read for pleasure, but my job
requires me to read so much as it is. I main-
ly enjoy spending a lot of time with my fam-
ily; children and family keep me very busy.
TC: Do you have a favorite law-related
quote?
DM: I do have a favorite quote and I use
it as a tag line on my email. It’s a quote by
Robert Kennedy, and essentially says “Each
time a man stands up to an ideal or acts
to improve the lot of others or strikes out
against injustice, he sends forth a tiny rip-
ple of hope.” That quote has always reso-
nated with me, but if I could be so bold as
to edit it, I would edit it by saying each time
a “person” stands up.
TC: Well Dan, it sounds like you’ve lived
up to that quote very well throughout your
career.
DM: Well, thank you Teri, I appreciate
that.
port young lawyers as being one of the fo-
cus areas for your presidency.
DM: Absolutely. I would encourage any-
one who has an interest in the law to pur-
sue it. The opportunity to make change as
an attorney is great. Lawyers are important
people in our society. They’re involved in
all aspects of the law, legislation and pol-
itics as well, and politics can make huge
changes, as we’ve recently seen. I think
lawyers are the gatekeepers of the individ-
ual liberties and constitutional protections
that we enjoy. We need more lawyers, ac-
tually. In Vermont you don’t have to go to
law school, you can study for the bar, which
is a great opportunity. I’ve actually encour-
aged my own children, and I’m not sure if
they’ll do it or not, but I would love to see
my children become attorneys. We will see.
bar and we’re very successful as a volun-
tary organization. Many states have man-
datory bars, but ours is voluntary and I’m
very proud of the high percentage of Ver-
mont lawyers who belong to the VBA. We
also need to continue to work closely with
the courts and the Legislature, insuring that
there is equitable treatment in legal servic-
es in the court system.
So three main areas: encouraging young
lawyers; maintaining the VBA’s viability;
and working closely with the courts and the
Legislature to ensure access to justice for
everybody. In addition, and more specifi-
cally, I think it is important that we consider
the practice of law in connection with the
implicit bias we know exists in society. It is
our responsibility to ensure equitable prac-
tices of law and this is an area of interest for
me as I continue to consider how I might
positively impact our profession.
TC: One silver lining to the law school
demographics situation is that law schools
seem to be making a concerted effort to
make legal studies more manageable,
more cost effective and more practice-ori-
ented.
DM: Absolutely, and I see the VBA con-
tinuing to work closely with the Vermont
Law School. I love the relationship that we
have. I think it’s beneficial to both the VBA
and VLS. Things like the Trial Academy that
the VBA put on at VLS in July was fantastic.
TC: We’d love to continue that dynamic.
One last question, what would you like to
be remembered for when you finish your
year as the 138th president of the Vermont
Bar Association?
DM: Well, I’m going to go back to the
things that we talked about before - cul-
tivating young lawyers and giving them
plenty of opportunity to succeed, making
sure that the Vermont Bar stays solid de-
spite the graying of our bar, and also con-
tinuing to work very closely with our Ver-
mont court system in these very challeng-
ing financial times, to ensure that the ad-
ministration of justice is working properly.
TC: Well, Dan, I commend you. You’ve
obviously worked very hard, and I’m sure
that your Irish immigrant grandparents and
all of your family are very proud of every-
thing that you’ve accomplished, and are
very proud that you’re about to be sworn
in as President of the Vermont Bar Associa-
tion. I think that amounts to a remarkable
legacy for your children, whether they de-
cide to pursue law as a career, or not.
DM: Well, thank you Teri, that’s very kind
of you. I appreciate the opportunity and
look forward to serving.
TC: Dan, do you have any advice to a
young person thinking about law as a pro-
fession? You mentioned wanting to sup-
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