Vermont Paralegal Organization, Inc. News

Statement In Support of the Rule of Law

Melinda Devoid-Siel, RP® — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 14:47:40 GMT

The Vermont Paralegal Organization ("VPO") is signing onto the Vermont Bar Association's Statement In Support of the Rule of Law.

Vermont Attorneys are rallying for the rule of law. It is more important than ever that we speak out about the illegal actions of the federal government, and we show that regardless of party, we will defend the laws of this nation, we will speak out in defense of the most vulnerable, and we will fight for this country we love.

As paralegals, we are the backbone of justice - we know the law, we support its fair application, and we care deeply about the integrity of our legal system and it is more important than ever that we raise our voices together with our colleagues.

Join Rally for the Rule of the Law

When – Saturday, May 3, 12:00 pm

Where – Meet at the Superior Court on Main Street in Burlington. We will march up Church Street to the Federal Court.

Will you join the rally? We will be marching in Burlington. Signs are encouraged.

Please use this FORM to indicate whether you can participate May 3.

READ FULL STATEMENT HERE

2025 Pathways to the Paralegal Profession -

Melinda Devoid-Siel, RP® — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 19:39:07 GMT

The Vermont Paralegal Organization is excited to announce the latest installment in our Pathways to the Paralegal Profession series. This year we are offering a 10-week course on Vermont Estate and Trust Law presented by Attorney Heather Devine beginning Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 1:00PM.

Be sure to check out the program landing page for more information and to sign up for this exciting series https://vtparalegal.org/Pathway-to-the-Paralegal-Profession!

2024 Certification Scholarship Awarded to Erin Edebohls

Melinda Devoid-Siel, RP® — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 12:36:32 GMT

The Certification Scholarship Committee of the Board of Directors is pleased to announce that the $300 scholarship for 2024 is awarded to Erin Edebohls. Erin is preparing to sit for the PACE® exam and we wish her all the best in her certification journey!

2024 NFPA Annual Convention

Melinda Devoid-Siel, RP® — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 14:25:04 GMT

NFPA Annual Convention September 26-29, 2024

The NFPA Annual Convention will be held September 26-29, 2024.

Hilton Portland Downtown, Portland, OR

NFPA's Annual Convention provides attendees an opportunity to attend a wide variety of Continuing Legal Education sessions, participate in region meetings & workshops, and network with fellow paralegals & industry vendors from across the country.

Register by August 15, 2024 to lock in early bird rates

More details at the NFPA events page.

https://www.paralegals.org/page/2024-annual-convention

Law Day 2024 at South Burlington High School

Melinda Devoid-Siel, RP® — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 17:23:22 GMT

On May 1, 2024 a group of legal professionals, including the VPO's Certification Chair Krista Cadieux were at South Burlington High School to talk about the law for Law Day. See the full article from the Vermont Bar Association HERE.

Congratulations to Megan Gregory, CRP™

Melinda Devoid-Siel, RP® — Mon, 20 May 2024 16:51:39 GMT

Congratulations to Megan Gregory, CRP™ who has been certified by NFPA® as a CORE Registered Paralegal™! Megan earned her credential by passing the PCCE® exam, becoming the fifth CRP™ in the State of Vermont. This accomplishment exemplifies Megan’s dedication, knowledge and expertise as a paralegal. Congratulations Meg!

NFPA Changes to Credential Renewal Policy as of April 1, 2024

Melinda Devoid-Siel, RP® — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 16:43:31 GMT

On March 12, 2024 the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. ("NFPA") issued the following notice regarding credential renewals as of April 1:

A CHANGE TO OUR CREDENTIAL RENEWAL POLICY

Thank you for continued commitment to the paralegal profession as one of NFPA’s credential holders!

At the 2023 NFPA Annual Policy Meeting, as part of NFPA’s ongoing commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), the Federation passed a policy requiring that all CRP™ and RP® renewals must include one CLE hour of DEI in addition to one CLE hour of Ethics.

For comparison, current policy requires 2 CLE hours of Ethics and/or DEI for renewal. The new policy requires one CLE hour of each.

This policy will officially go into effect on April 1, 2024. All renewal applications received on or after that date will be subject to the new policy.

In order to ease the transition of this policy for you, we are offering you the opportunity to take one of our DEI CLE webinars free of charge. When purchasing one of our DEI CLE webinars, use the code FreeDEI at checkout to receive that webinar free of charge. This code can only be used once.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at certifications@paralegals.org.

Sincerely,

Lisa Vessels, RP®, CP
Director of Paralegal Certification
certificationdir@paralegals.org

Congratulations to Melinda Devoid-Siel, RP

Melinda Devoid-Siel, RP® — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 18:40:14 GMT

Congratulations to Melinda Devoid-Siel, RP® who has been certified by NFPA® as a PACE Registered Paralegal®. Melinda earned her credential by passing the PACE® exam, becoming only the 15^th Registered Paralegal in the State of Vermont. This accomplishment exemplifies Melinda’s high level of dedication, knowledge and expertise as a paralegal. Congratulations!

2023 Certification Scholarship Awarded

Melinda Devoid-Siel, RP® — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 14:41:51 GMT

The Certification Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce that the $300 scholarship for 2023 is awarded to Melinda Devoid-Siel. Melinda is preparing to sit for the PACE® exam and we wish her all the best in her certification journey.

More information on the Paralegal Certification Scholarship can be found on our website here.

Pathways to the Paralegal Profession

Melinda Devoid-Siel, RP® — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 16:13:29 GMT

Have you heard about the VPO's new program the "Pathways to the Paralegal Profession" yet? At the beginning of 2023 we started a 12 week Introduction to Vermont Real Estate Law and Title Searching course taught by Jim Knapp. This was followed by a 6 week hands on supplemental course in Title Searching.

We are hoping to run this course again in the Fall of 2023. For more information on the course and to sign up for updates about upcoming courses please visit our website https://vtparalegal.org/Pathway-to-the-Paralegal-Profession.

Please email membership@vtparalegal.org with any questions and be sure to share this information with all of the real estate paralegals you know. We need everyone's help to continue to make this program a success!

NEW CLE Library!

Melinda Devoid-Siel, RP® — Wed, 09 Nov 2022 16:26:07 GMT

Over the years the VPO has recorded a few of our CLE's and we have wanted to find a way to make them available to our members. The time has come to announce the VPO Store! You can now go to our Continuing Education page https://vtparalegal.org/Continuing-Education and access past recorded CLE's!

Currently this contains the recordings from the 2021 CLE Conference but we hope to have more to offer in the future.

VPO 2023 Membership Renewals

Melinda Devoid-Siel, RP® — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 19:24:52 GMT

Dear Members,

As everyone is aware, the current economic climate coupled with the ongoing pandemic issues has caused the costs of all goods and services to significantly increase over the past two years. The VPO had been successful in not raising its membership dues for the last eight years, with its most recent increase occurring in 2014. However, the VPO’s costs have continued to increase, including the recent decision by the national organization, NFPA - to which each of you belongs as part of your VPO membership - to increase their member dues beginning in January 2023.

In addition, the VPO has also recently implemented the option to allow members to pay for dues renewals, CLEs, and other VPO-related events via credit card, rather than having to separately send checks for their renewals and registrations. This decision has been highly successful and well-received and was a benefit that had been specifically requested by the membership. However, it also came with added costs to the VPO.

Accordingly, the VPO has no choice but to implement a membership dues increase to cover its rising costs, in order to be able to continue its low-cost CLE offerings and other membership benefits. Therefore, as of January 1, 2023, membership renewals for voting members and associate members will increase by $15 per year, and renewals for sustaining and student members will increase by $10 per year. We are hopeful that this increase will allow us to avoid immediately passing on any future NFPA dues increases to our membership, while allowing us to continue our current offerings.

However, we didn’t want to do so without offering our members something in return. Therefore, for 2023, all renewing members will receive a one-time use discount code with their renewal confirmation email for $10 off any VPO-sponsored CLE of their choice.* In addition, we will take $5 off renewal fees to any member who volunteers to serve in a qualifying VPO board or committee position. If you use both credits, you will save a total of $15 off your membership dues - the very same cost of the increase!

The VPO is working hard to bring you additional benefits, as well as provide more educational opportunities for both current and future members. We hope you will choose to stay committed to the organization for another year and allow us the opportunity to continue to serve you. As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Thanks for being a part of the VPO!

Sincerely,

Laurie S. Noyes, MBA, PHR®

President

lnoyes@pfclaw.com

*excluding the VPO’s new Pathway to the Paralegal Profession programs

Pathway to the Paralegal Profession

Melinda Devoid-Siel, RP® — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 19:16:36 GMT

The Vermont Paralegal Organization invites you to become a part of the Pathway to the Paralegal Profession Program¹. People with paralegal skills are in demand in Vermont right now. The VPO is creating a program to help people already working in the paralegal field supplement their existing skills and to teach skills to those who would like to enter the paralegal profession.

Our first program is an Introduction to Vermont Real Estate Law and Title Searching. We have invited Jim Knapp to present a twelve-week course covering an introduction to Vermont real estate law topics, including a brief history of the development of Vermont real estate law, conveyancing and transfers of real estate, estates and interests in land, common encumbrances, mortgages, taxation of real property, real estate transfer taxes, and land use regulations.

If interested in participating in this program, please head to our new program page https://vpo.wildapricot.org/Pathway-to-the-Paralegal-Profession

¹ This program is produced by the Vermont Paralegal Organization and is not affiliated with any educational institution. Participating in this program does not result in credits for higher education purposes. The program is intended as a skills development program for those employed in the legal setting or seeking employment in a legal setting.

Robyn Sweet, CRP, RP, ACP Wins 2022 NFPA Individual Pro Bono Award

Melinda Devoid-Siel, RP® — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 16:50:34 GMT

Congratulations to the Vermont Paralegal Organization’s (VPO) Robyn Sweet for winning this year’s Individual Pro Bono Award during the National Federation of Paralegal Association’s (NFPA) convention in Cleveland. The VPO Board nominated Robyn for this award in recognition for the many hats she wears at home and in the community.

She is a biological parent, a stepparent, an adoptive parent, and a foster parent. At the time of her nomination, she was a paralegal at Cleary Shahi & Aicher, PC in Rutland Vermont and she served as Secretary on the Board of the Vermont Foster/Adoptive Family Association (VFAFA). She recently transitioned to a Risk Management Specialist position to Rutland Regional Hospital and resigned her board position.

To paraphrase a recent story in the Rutland Herald, as a foster parent, Robyn signs up for a little bit of heart break to help another family be successful. Foster children are abruptly thrown into a legal situation they often don’t understand when the state takes custody of them for their protection. They are among the most vulnerable populations involved in the legal system. They succeed when they have positive adults in their lives – people like Robyn – who show them that they care.

Robyn opens her home to children, at times on short notice and with no real expectation of how long they will be with her. She advocates for the child’s needs wherever it is necessary: at school, in medical settings, with Vermont’s Department of Children and Families (DCF), and everywhere else. She becomes their caregiver while their parents work through services to help them become safer parents. She and her husband, Bill, have been foster parents since 2014. They have had over 40 children in their home, sometimes for a day and sometimes for a year or more.

Robyn has been involved with VFAFA for about 7 years. She helps enact their mission “…to empower, support, and unify foster and adoptive families by strengthening the systems that care for Vermont’s children.” She has served as Vice President in the past. Robyn’s primary role as Secretary is to communicate with foster and kinship families to make sure they have the information they need to best care for the children in their homes. Additionally, she is helping them revise their bylaws. VFAFA president Debbie Boyce greatly appreciates her paralegal expertise as they make these revisions. The organization has been in existence for 40 years and the bylaws have not historically had the attention they have needed. Robyn also helps the Board award funds for children in care to participate in special activities or for scholarships for higher education.

In addition to these tasks, Robyn is working with Vermont’s Foster/Kin Care Manager to develop a welcome letter for all who accept children in their homes through DCF. Because of Robyn’s past experiences, she has a unique perspective to offer to those who are welcoming children in their homes.

Vermont Legal Community Raised $6,845 for Food Drive

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 18:29:35 GMT

Click HERE for press release from Attorney General Donovan

"The Vermont legal community together raised $6,845.00, which will supply more than 11,431 meals for Vermonters. All funds donated went directly to the important work of the Vermont Foodbank. Food and other items donated were brought to local food shelves or meal sites partnered with the Vermont Foodbank. In the five-year history of the food drive, the Vermont legal community has raised more than $50,000 and collected over 11,000 food items.

Lucia White, CP, Pro Bono Chair of the Vermont Paralegal Organization expressed VPO’s gratitude for the opportunity to participate in helping alleviate hunger in Vermont. “The timing of this year’s food drive allowed participants to donate food items at our CLE Conference. Paralegals eagerly filled up bags to help other Vermonters.”"

- highlight from press release

THANK YOU for all your support!

SIGN UP TODAY: VPO Conference 9/14/21

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 11:47:26 GMT

Looking to connect with others in the legal field? Need CLEs? Join the Vermont Paralegal Organization (VPO) for the 2021 conference!

Click here for the 2021 VPO CLE Brochure for more information on the upcoming VPO conference.

Where: DELTA HOTELS BY MARRIOTT BURLINGTON 1117 Williston Road South Burlington, Vermont

When: September 14th

Time: 9-3:30pm- You can participate in a full or half day, see brochure for details on pricing and scheduled CLEs.

Cost: see brochure for details on pricing, lunch included in pricing.

The VPO will be collecting non-perishable items for the Vermont Foodbank at this event. Please bring something to donate.

Questions? Contact: Carie Tarte 489-5258 carie@maleyandmaley.com Louise Reese 859-7063 lreese@dinse.com

Please bring

SEE YOU THERE!

Vermont Legal Community Fighting Hunger Food Drive!

Fri, 03 Sep 2021 20:03:41 GMT

VPO is excited to be a co-sponsor of this year's Vermont Legal Community Fighting Hunger Food Drive! The drive will be held from September 3 through 17 and will benefit Vermont Foodbank and local food shelves.

You can participate in the food drive in a few ways:

1) Bring non-perishable food donations to the sign in table at the VPO Conference on Tuesday, September 14 at Delta Hotels by Marriott, 1117 Williston Road South Burlington, Vermont.

2) Bring your food donations to the office of Lynch and Foley weekdays between 8:30 and 5 at 7 Washington Street, Middlebury. You can leave your donations in the lobby.

3) Through a financial donation at the Vermont Foodbank VPO page.

Please contact Lucia White at lucia@nancismithlaw.com if you would like more information.

VPO Board Meeting: Meet the New Board!

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 21:30:00 GMT

June the new VPO Board on June 16th at 5:30pm for their first Board meeting. Open to VPO Member's only.

VERMONT PARALEGAL DAY 5/19/21

Wed, 19 May 2021 20:53:18 GMT

Governor Scott signed a proclamation May 11th, 2021 proclaiming May 19, 2021 as Vermont Paralegal Day. Take a moment to celebrate your accomplishments in the profession. Happy Paralegal Day!

Paralegal Day Proclamation signed by Governor Scott.

SAVE THE DATE: ANNUAL MEETING 5/19/21

Wed, 19 May 2021 16:30:00 GMT

When: 05/19/2021 @ 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM
Location: Zoom
Register HERE

Save the Date!

Our 2021 Annual Meeting with officer elections will be held online on May 19 at 12:30 pm. We won't have CLE at this meeting because we hope to have an in person CLE meeting in the fall. But you won't want to miss it because after voting, we will have a town hall with the newly elected board members to discuss future directions for the organization. Please mark your calendars and plan to cast your vote!

We have several open positions - if you ever thought about being on the board, now's a great time!

VPO Approving 3rd Party CLEs

Tue, 20 Apr 2021 22:03:15 GMT

Are you a credentialed member?

If so, you may have submitted your third-party CLE materials to NFPA for approval towards your biennial renewal in the past. In the Spring of 2020, however, NFPA announced that it was no longer offering this service. In its place, it decided that member organizations can now begin to self-approve its own members’ CLE credits. The VPO is now offering this service at no cost to members! If you’ve attended a 3^rd party CLE that needs approval before submitting your renewal package to NFPA, please read the following documents which describe the new process for approvals. Also included is an Approval Application (Note: applications must be submitted within three months of CLE completion.) Once an Application is approved, the member will receive an Approval Certificate for use with their renewal package.

Please contact Krista Cadieux, VPO Certification Ambassador, at certification@vtparalegal.org with questions.”

VPO Certification Flowchart.pdf

Third Party CLE Application for Approval.pdf

Guidelines for Third Party CLE.pdf

Letter to Credentialed Members (CLE Process).pdf

Odyssey File and Serve Q&A

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 16:00:00 GMT

04/06/2021 @ 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location: Zoom - register for the link
Register HERE

Do you have questions about Odyssey File and Serve? Andy Stone, Odyssey Project Team Leader with the Vermont Judiciary, will be on hand to answer questions in a members only free Zoom Lunch-n-Learn CLE on Tuesday, April 6 from noon to 1:00 pm. You can send your questions in advance to president@vtparalegal.org or ask them the day of. Please register by 5:00 pm on Friday, April 2, to have the Zoom link emailed to you. Hope to see you then!

Vermont Paralegal Organization, Inc. Celebrates 30 Years!

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 18:37:37 GMT

Vermont Paralegal Organization, Inc. Celebrates 30 Years!

Thirty years ago, the role of a paralegal in Vermont law firms and corporations began to grow and expand. Trudy Seeley, a paralegal at that time, and a founding member of the Vermont Paralegal Organization (VPO), reached out to other legal professionals around the state and asked if they would be interested in forming a group to share information and support one another in their expanding roles. This effort lead to a small group of enterprising paralegals forming what would become the VPO. In November of 1990, the group had their first meeting at the Vermont Law School.It was an informal 5 hour bring-your-own lunch event held on a Saturday. In 1992, the VPO became a member of the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) in an effort to have a presence and voice on the national level. In 2016, paralegals from all over the country convened in Burlington for the NFPA Annual Convention, hosted by the VPO. A small but mighty group of VPO volunteers coordinated and managed the four-day event that included a day of seminars, and two full days of policy meetings. The VPO officially incorporated in 2019.

After Champlain College discontinued its Paralegal program, members of the VPO sought another higher education institution to take on the program. In January of this year, two VPO board members met with Marni Leikin at the ACE Academy at Burlington Tech Center to discuss how to bring a paralegal program back to Vermont. As of today, we are on a path to creating such a program with a partnership of the VPO, ACE Academy at Burlington Tech Center, and a state higher education institution. It is expected that the Paralegal Certificate Program will roll out in January of 2021. We owe a very special thank you to Marni Leikin for embracing our ideas for the program and making it happen in a short 8 months, and to James Knapp, Esq., of First American Title Insurance Company, who from the day Champlain College announced the discontinuance of the only paralegal program in Vermont, has been our biggest supporter and partner to finding another institution to carry on a Paralegal Program and who will be one of the instructors when the program rolls out. We are very excited to celebrate this undertaking as part of our 30-year celebration.

The VPO is proud to be a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the paralegal profession by offering its members networking opportunities, continuing legal education (CLE), pro bono opportunities, leadership training, and a quarterly newsletter filled with information to keep paralegals up to date on legal issues. The VPO maintains a code of conduct, promotes high standards of integrity among paralegals, and fosters relationships with local and state bar associations. The VPO’s Annual Meeting and Conference includes seminars that provide CLE credits which are presented by generous and supportive members of the Vermont Bar Association and individuals who specialize in related fields. All VPO members are afforded membership in NFPA. Through affiliation with NFPA, VPO members stay current on paralegal issues on a national level as well as contribute to the development of NFPA policy. The VPO offers an annual scholarship and guidance in the process of earning certification through the NFPA Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (PACE®) and/or the Paralegal CORE Competency Exam (PCCE), which involves educational or experiential prerequisites and passing a standardized exam.

The VPO owes much of its current success to the many past and present members, and the attorneys,

law firms and corporations who have supported its mission since 1990. The VPO is fortunate to have attorneys who present seminars on a regular basis and the list of supporting presenters continues to grow every year. The VPO would also like to thank the following firms and attorneys with VPO members:

Atlas Legal Services, LLP; Barber & Waxman; Behrens Venman & Sussman, PLLC; Cleary Shahi & Aicher; Darby Thorndike Kolter & Nordle, LLP; Dinse P.C.; Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC; Dunkiel Saunders; Elliott Raubvogel & Hand, PLLC; Facey Goss & McPhee P.C.; Green Mountain Power; Hehir Law Office, PLLC; Heilmann, Ekman, Cooley & Gagnon, Inc.; Joseph Greenbaum; Lab Partners Associates, Inc.; Langrock Sperry & Wool, LLP; Law Office of David I. Schoen; Law Office of Ruth Kinney, Esq.; Law Offices of Fred V. Peet; Law Offices of Steven A. Bredice PLC; Law Offices of F.J. von Turkovich, P.C.; Liberty Mutual; Lisman Leckerling, P.C.; Little & Cicchetti, P.C.; Lynch & Foley, P.C.; Lynn, Lynn, Blackman & Manitsky, P.C.; Main Street Middle School; Maley and Maley, PLLC; Marathon Health; Martin, Harding and Mazzotti; McClintock Law Office, P.C.; McCormick, Fitzpatrick, Kasper & Burchard; Nanci A. Smith, Esq. PLLC; Northern Vermont Paralegal Services, LLC; Numbers Matter; Oliver L. Twombly Law Office, P.C.; Paul Frank + Collins P.C.; Pease Mountain Law, PLLC; Pinto MacAskill PLLC; Primmer Piper Eggleston & Cramer PC; Ryan Smith & Carbine, Ltd.; Sheehey Furlong & Behm P.C.; Stackpole & French Law Offices; Stark Law, PLLC; State of Vermont; The Law Office of William J. Fisk, PLC; Unsworth LaPlante, PLC; Vermont Attorney General's Office; Vermont Attorneys Title Corporation; Vermont Department of Labor; Vermont Energy Investment Corporation; Vermont Land Trust, Inc.; Vermont Law School; VOSHA Review Board; VT Office of the State Judge Advocate; VT Army National Guard; and Zalinger Cameron & Lambek PC.

The all-volunteer Board of the VPO began planning a dinner event to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Unfortunately, as with so many similar events, due to the restrictions of COVID the event has been cancelled. The VPO hopes to hold its celebratory event in 2021.

If you are interested in more information about the VPO, becoming a member, membership benefits, or its history, please visit the VPO website at vtparalegal.org.

VPO Members to Present at VBA Tech Conference

Lucia White — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 14:41:53 GMT

Several VPO members will be presenting at the VBA Tech Conference next week. Check out their program!

Document & Case Management Programs January 28, 2021 @ 10AM

Description and Speakers: There are a number of software platforms out there that profess to help you cull and organize unlimited amounts of documents and information that you encounter through discovery. Everybody wants the edge: something user friendly, fast, accurate, and inexpensive. What program is the best for your firm or specific project? Hear from the people “in the trenches” that use some of the more popular document and case management software.

What is Logikcull? (Melinda Siel) Logikcull.com is instant discovery for modern legal teams. Its secure, cloud-based solution helps law firms and organizations of all sizes solve the expensive, complex, and risky challenges associated with eDiscovery, internal investigations, and open records response. With Logikcull, you can start a discovery project in five seconds, from anywhere at any time on any device. Reviewing data is as easy as performing a Google search. And in Logikcull, your data is always secure. That’s why it’s trusted by the Fortune 500, Am Law 200, and governments of the biggest cities in the world. Founded in 2004 by CEO Andy Wilson and CTO Sheng Yang, Logikcull builds powerfully simple software that democratizes discovery.

Ipro Eclipse (Laura Bezio) Ipro Eclipse Desktop is a non-cloud based option. It is helpful for smaller law firms or for a low cost eDiscovery option. Ipro for Desktop lets you migrate from the most popular legacy flat-file review databases and has been purpose-built with the most cutting-edge features found in any in-house review platform. Effortlessly manage reviews, unitize documents, ingest native files, and produce documents with this true all-in-one litigation platform. The platform is best suited for smaller cases, but a great way to process Mbox or PST files in-house.

CaseMap (Heather Moreau) CaseMap, owned by LexisNexis, is a desktop relational database used to organize and evaluate facts, people, research and issues. In CaseMap, any aspect of a case can be sorted or searched while preserving the relationships between various sources of evidence (i.e., documents, depositions, and persons). Information in CaseMap that has been searched and sorted can be exported into Word, WordPerfect and Excel. CaseMap also allows for collaboration between concurrent users. CaseMap is most often used to create chronologies, witness lists, and document indexes (for exhibit lists or document productions).

You can sign up for this session here: https://www.vtbar.org/Calendar/Signup.aspx?EventNo=3994

Postponing Annual Meeting/Anniversary Celebration

Corinne Deering, RP — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 21:08:48 GMT

Unfortunately, the VPO Board had to make the difficult decision to put off celebrating the VPO’s 30^th Anniversary until next year, and also decided not to hold the usual Annual Meeting of short seminars that had been rescheduled to September 10^th. There remains a great deal of uncertainty, and we decided that holding an in-person event would be challenging for several reasons. However, we will be brainstorming on whether we can still offer some CLE’s via Zoom or other virtual means, so stay tuned for updates while we further develop those ideas.

Thank you for your understanding and Stay Safe and Healthy!

VPO Board Statement on Racism

Lucia White — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 21:11:28 GMT

Hello everyone,

Our country is at a boiling point. The murder of George Floyd by a white police officer has unleashed the frustrations of a nation that has waited far too long to see racial justice. People have braved a pandemic to fight for change, for the most part trying to do so safely. That same pandemic shines a bright light on the ways systemic racism hurts people of color in this country. Black people are dying three to four times as much as whites from COVID 19. https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/05/health/coronavirus-african-americans-study/index.html Blacks are disproportionately affected by unemployment during this crisis. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/06/01/coronavirus-impact-black-communities-protests/ And we have far too many narratives of unarmed black men, women and even children being killed by police.

As Vermonters, the majority of our VPO membership is white. Some of us might not see the violence or discrimination that others of us experience. The majority of our membership is female, so many of us understand sexism. A number of our members are in same sex relationships and understand discrimination. While some of us may not experience racism directly, we can understand our common humanity and we can identify inequality and bias when we see it.

All of us work in a profession that fights for justice. While we do it in different ways, justice is a core value we share. How do we work for justice in a world that seems so broken in so many ways? The answer to that is different for every one of us. Because racism is systemic, there are many points of entry to effect change. Protests, prison reform, food insecurity, discriminatory housing practices, discriminatory employment practices – there are many potential points of entry to effect change in our systems. Writing letters to editors or politicians, volunteering at legal clinics, boycotting businesses with unfair practices or intentionally seeking out minority owned business are other ways to make a difference. Whatever it is for you, I’d encourage you to find your path. Our country has been on this journey for far too long.

The VPO Board

2020 ANNUAL MEETING - SAVE THE DATE - 9/10/20

Corinne Deering, RP — Wed, 29 Apr 2020 20:58:52 GMT

The VPO 2020 Annual Meeting has been rescheduled for September 10th. SAVE THE DATE! More information to come!

NFPA Exam Testing Sites Update

Corinne Deering, RP — Wed, 18 Mar 2020 22:00:06 GMT

Prometric, NFPA's test administrator, has notified NFPA that they are closing their testing sites for the next 30 days. NFPA will extend any authorization to test for any candidate impacted by the events surrounding the COVID-19 health crisis up to 60 days, as needed. Any candidate who experiences a delay in testing due to a testing facility being closed for the next 30 days will be contacted by Prometric's Candidate Care Team with instructions on how to reschedule their exam at no charge. NFPA is also working with Prometric on remote proctor exam options and will update our membership when those come online.

Congratulations to Lynn Wdowiak, ACP - Vermont's First Advanced Certified Paralegal

Corinne Deering, RP — Sat, 08 Feb 2020 00:16:17 GMT

Ryan Smith Carbine Press Release Wdowiak.jpg

ANNUAL MEETING - SAVE THE DATE

Corinne Deering, RP — Sat, 30 Mar 2019 23:45:13 GMT

Mark your calendars on May 15th for the 2019 Annual Meeting. Review the brochure here and register online! 2019 vpo annual meeting brochure.pdf

2019 Annual Meeting

Corinne Deering, RP — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 03:26:25 GMT

The 2019 Annual Meeting is coming up in May. This year is an election year for your VPO Board of Directors. If you have an interest in becoming involved with the VPO, we could use new, fresh members on the Board as some of us will be terming out of board positions. If you are even considering becoming involved, which we hope you are, please feel free to reach out to your current board members to discuss positions, duties, responsibilities, and to answer any questions you might have. THE VPO NEEDS YOU!! Watch for more information to come with Annual Meeting and voting information.

2018 VPO Annual Meeting

Corinne Deering, RP — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 01:13:04 GMT

Registration for the May 10th VPO 2018 Annual Meeting is OPEN! We have full day CLE workshops to meet meet a variety of needs. Sign up now, join us for lunch, and our Guest Speaker, Sue Gordon from Steps to End Domestic Violence. Click HERE to register!!

New VPO Website

Corinne Deering, RP — Sun, 17 Sep 2017 01:19:14 GMT

Welcome to the new VPO website. We have worked to combine our older website with our membership database platform. We hope that we will be able to use this one platform for online membership applications, event registrations, automating the membership committee's contacts with members, a membership directory, and a forum and blog. We hope the membership directory will help members find other members in a specific county and/or working in a field where you might need assistance. It is a work in progress. We hope to work out the kinks and get this website working and underway in the near future. Please be patient with us in our efforts to get this website and membership database working properly. Thank you.