COUNSEL
John M. Dinse (Counsel) born Rochester, New York, June 26, 1925; admitted to bar, 1950, New York; 1951, Vermont. Education: University of Rochester (A.B., 1947); Cornell University (LL.B., 1950). Fellow: American Bar Foundation; American College of Trial Lawyers; American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. Member: Chittenden County, Vermont (President, 1978-1979) and American Bar Associations; International Association of Defense Counsel; Association of Defense Trial Attorneys; Defense Research Institute (Regional V.P., 1972-1975; Board of Directors, 1975-1981; President, 1980-1981; Chairman of the Board, 1981-1982); American Judicature Society (Director, 1975-1979); American Law Institute; American Board of Trial Advocates (Director, 1990-1992); Vermont Judicial Nominating Board (Chairman, 1966-1977); Vermont Municipal Bond Bank (Director, 1980-1993).
Edwin I. Colodny (Counsel) born Burlington, Vermont, June 7, 1926; admitted to bar, 1951, New York; 1958, District of Columbia. (Not admitted in Vermont). Education: University of Rochester (A.B., with distinction, 1948); Harvard University (LL.B., 1951). Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, Fletcher Allen Health Care, Burlington, Vermont, 2002-2003; Interim President, University of Vermont, 2001-2002; Counsel, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, LLP, Washington, D.C., 1991-2002; President and Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Airways, Inc., 1975-1991; President and Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Airways Group, 1978-1991; Chairman, Board of Directors, 1978-1992; Former Chairman, Fletcher Allen Health Care Foundation; Chairman, Council for Court Excellence; Commissioner of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C.; Chairman, Comsat Corporation, 1997-2000; Chairman, Life Trustee, University of Rochester; Former Director: Gulf Oil Corporation, PNC Bank, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Esterline Technologies, Inc.; Trustee, Vermont Law School, Vermont Symphony Orchestra. Practice Areas: Business Law; Marketing; Advertising; Sales Promotion Law; Aviation Law; Global Satellite Services; Digital Networking Services; Corporate Legal Affairs Advice.
Linda J. Cohen (Counsel) born Boston, Massachusetts; admitted to bar, 1993, New York; 1996, Massachusetts; 1997, Pennsylvania; 2005, Vermont; U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit; U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey; U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York; U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania; U.S. District Court, District of Vermont. Education: University of Pennsylvania (B.A., with distinction, 1988); Temple University (J.D., cum laude, 1992). Work Experience: Director, External Appeals and Regulatory Compliance Attorney, Health Care Administration, Division of Vermont's Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration, April 2004 - August 2006. Member, Cozen O'Connor, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Health Law and Commercial Litigation, September 1997 - March 2004. Member: Vermont Bar Association; American health Lawyers Association. Reported Cases: Stewart Title Guaranty Co. v. Greenlands Realty, LLC, 56 F.2d 360 (D.N.J. 1999); Stewart Title Guaranty Co. v. Greenlands Realty, LLC, 56 F.2d 370 (D.N.J. 1999); Hembach v. QuikPak Corp., No. Civ. A. 97-3900, 1998 WL 314671 (E.D.Pa. June 15, 1998). Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Health Care.Email: Linda J. Cohen
MEMBERS OF FIRM
Spencer R. Knapp (Member) born New York, N.Y., October 25, 1949; admitted to bar, 1976, Vermont. Education: Trinity College (B.A., cum laude, 1971); Cornell University (J.D., cum laude, 1975). Phi Beta Kappa. Law Clerk to Hon. Albert W. Coffrin, U.S. District Judge, District of Vermont, 1975-1976. Member, Vermont Business Roundtable, 1988. Member: Chittenden County, Vermont and American Bar Associations; American Health Lawyers Association; Fellow, American Bar Foundation. Practice Areas: Banking; Corporate; Hospital and Health Care.Email: Spencer R. Knapp
Karen McAndrew (Member) born New Castle, Pennsylvania, August 23, 1944; admitted to bar, 1970, Massachusetts; 1971, Vermont. Education: Vassar College (A.B., cum laude, 1966); Boston University (J.D., 1970). Law Clerk to Hon. James L. Oakes, U.S. District Court, District of Vermont and U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, 1970-1971. Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Vermont, 1978-1981. Member, Vermont Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Civil Rules, 1990; Vermont Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules; U.S. District Court (Vermont) Court Advisory Committee; Second Circuit Rules Advisory Committee. Member: Chittenden County, Vermont and American (Member, House of Delegates, 1993-1998) Bar Associations. Fellow: American College of Trial Lawyers. Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; College and University Law; Civil Litigation; Employment.Email: Karen McAndrew
Barbara E. Cory (Member) born Oak Park, Illinois, July 26, 1951; admitted to bar, 1977, Vermont; 1978, U.S. District Court, District of Vermont. Education: Dartmouth College; Wellesley College (B.A., Wellesley College Scholar, 1973); Cornell University (J.D., 1976). Rufus Choate Scholar, Dartmouth College, 1971-1972; Wellesley College Scholar, 1973. Recipient, Sutherland Cup Moot Court Award, 1975. Contributing Author, Vermont Employment Newsletter. Law Clerk to U.S. District Judge James S. Holden, Chief Judge, District of Vermont, 1977. Member: Board of Directors, Visiting Nurses Association, 1983-1989; Child Care Center, Inc., 1984-1988; Discovery Museum, 1992-2000. Admission Representative, Greater Burlington YMCA Communications Committee, Wellesley College. Member: Chittenden County, Vermont and American Bar Associations; Defense Research Institute. Fellow: Litigation Counsel of America. Languages: French, Spanish and German. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Workers Compensation; Professional Malpractice; Insurance Defense; Products Liability.Email: Barbara E. Cory
Robert R. McKearin (Member) born Bennington, Vermont, June 1, 1948; admitted to bar, 1974, Texas; 1978, Vermont. Education: Gettysburg College (A.B., 1970); Southern Methodist University (J.D., 1974). Law Clerk to Hon. James Holden, U.S. District Judge, District of Vermont, 1978. Listed: Best Lawyers in America, Employment Law; Chambers USA, Employment Law Management; Who's Who Legal USA, Management Labor & Employment Law, 2006; Super Lawyers, Employment Law. Member: Board of Directors, Burlington Business Association; Board of Directors, Vermont Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition. Member: Vermont and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; International Association of Defense Counsel; Defense Research Institute. Practice Areas: Employment Law; Civil Litigation; Defense Litigation.Email: Robert R. McKearin
John D. Monahan, Jr. (Member) born Riverside, California, June 16, 1948; admitted to bar, 1981, Vermont. Education: United States Air Force Academy (B.S., 1970); University of Maine (J.D., 1980). Lecturer, Business Law, University of Vermont, 1984. Member: Chittenden County, Vermont and American Bar Associations; Defense Research Institute; Association of Defense Trial Attorneys; American Board of Trial Advocates. [Capt., USAF, 1970-1976]. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Medical and Professional Malpractice and Products Liability.Email: John D. Monahan, Jr.
Ritchie E. Berger (Member) born Rutland, Vermont, October 2, 1956; admitted to bar, 1982, Vermont, U.S. District Court, District of Vermont and U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit; 1984, Maine. Education: University of Vermont (B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, Political Science, 1978); University of Maine School of Law (J.D., Advocacy, with honors, 1981). Listed: Best Lawyers in America; America's Leading Lawyers for Business, Chambers USA; New England Super Lawyers. Selected, National Moot Court Team, Northeast Regional, University of Maine School of Law. Named, Best Oralist. Law Clerk to: Hon. Robert W. Larrow and Hon. Louis P. Peck, Vermont Supreme Court, 1981-1982. Co-Author: Vermont Jury Instructions, Butterworth Legal Publishers, 1993. Member: Chittenden County, Vermont and American Bar Associations; American Board of Trial Advocates (Vermont Chapter President, 1998-1999). Fellow: American College of Trial Lawyers (Vermont State Chair, 2007). Practice Areas: Complex Litigation.Email: Ritchie E. Berger
Austin D. Hart (Member) born New York, N.Y., December 18, 1953; admitted to bar, 1981, Maine; 1981, U.S. District Court, District of Maine; 1983, Vermont; 1984, U.S. District Court, District of Vermont. Education: Middlebury College (A.B., cum laude with high honors, 1976); University of Connecticut (J.D., 1981). Associate Editor, Connecticut Law Review, 1980-1981. City of Burlington Development Review Board (Member, 1991; Chair, 2003); Listed: Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business, Best Lawyers in America. Member: Chittenden County, Vermont, and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Banking; Corporate; Land Use; Real Estate.Email: Austin D. Hart
Samuel Hoar, Jr. (Member) born Boston, Massachusetts, June 9, 1955; admitted to bar, 1985, Massachusetts; 1987, Vermont; 1999, New York. Education: Groton School (cum laude, 1973); Dartmouth College (A.B., 1980); Boston University (J.D., magna cum laude, 1985). Recipient, Dr. John Ordronaux Award for Greatest Overall Ability. Articles Editor, Boston University Law Review (1984-1985). Law clerk to the Hon. Bailey Aldrich, Senior Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (1985-1986). Lecturer in Law, Boston University School of Law (1986-1987). Member, Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel. Member: Chittenden County, Vermont (President, 2006-Present), New England, and American Bar Associations; Defense Research Institute; Fellow, American Bar Foundation. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Insurance Coverage Law; Environmental and Toxic Torts Litigation; Products Liability.Email: Samuel Hoar, Jr.
Sandra A. Strempel (Member) born Portsmouth, Virginia, May 7, 1959; admitted to bar, 1985, Massachusetts; 1987, U.S. District Court, District of Vermont and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit; 1988, Vermont; 1989, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. Education: University of Pennsylvania (B.A., 1981); Boston University (J.D., 1984). Staff Attorney, U.S. Customs Service, 1985-1987; Assistant U.S. Attorney, Vermont, 1987-1989. Member: Vermont and American Bar Associations; American Immigration Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Immigration; Family Law.Email: Sandra A. Strempel
Molly K. Lebowitz (Member) born Syracuse, New York, January 20, 1961; admitted to bar, 1987, New York; 1990, Vermont. Education: Dartmouth College (A.B., magna cum laude, 1983) Phi Beta Kappa; New York University School of Law (J.D., 1986). Rufus Choate Scholar. Member: American College of Mortgage Attorneys (Regent, State Chair, and Fellow). Practice Areas: Real Estate; Banking; Land Conservation.Email: Molly K. Lebowitz
Jeffrey J. Nolan (Member) born Barre, Vermont, June 2, 1966; admitted to bar, 1991, Vermont; 1993, U.S. District Court, District of Vermont. Education: University of Vermont (B.A., magna cum laude, 1988); University of Connecticut School of Law (J.D., with honors, 1991). Phi Beta Kappa. Articles Editor, Connecticut Journal of International Law, 1990-1991. Author: Note, "An Unprincipled Search for Principle in the Act of State Doctrine: W.S. Kirkpatrick & Co., Inc. v. Environmental Tectonics Corp., Int'l.," 6 Connecticut Journal of International Law 637, 1991. Law Clerk to Hon. Jerome J. Niedermeier, U.S. Magistrate Judge, District of Vermont, 1991-1992. Member: Chittenden County, Vermont and American Bar Associations; National Association of College and University Attorneys. Practice Areas: Employment; College and University Law; Civil Rights; Civil Litigation.Email: Jeffrey J. Nolan
Mark A. Langan (Member) born Syracuse, New York, May 31, 1953; admitted to bar, 1980, Texas; 1981, New Hampshire; 1982, U.S. Tax Court; 1996, Vermont. Education: University of California at Berkeley (B.A., 1975); St. Mary's University (J.D., 1980); Georgetown University Law Center (LL.M. in Taxation, 1984). Author: "Tax Primer for the Divorce Attorney," 31 NH Bar Journal 211, 1990; "New Tax Law Affects Buy-Sell Agreements in Closely Held Businesses," 33 NH Bar Journal 291, 1992; "Estate Tax Repealed! - Maybe," 148 Vermont Bar Journal 21, 2001. Member: Vermont, New Hampshire and American Bar Associations. Fellow: The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel American College of Trial and Estate Counsel. Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Trust Administration; Estate Administration.Email: Mark A. Langan
Shapleigh Smith, Jr. (Member) born Danbury, Connecticut, December 16, 1965; admitted to bar, 1992, New York; 1994, Vermont and U.S. District Court, District of Vermont; 1998, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. Education: University of Vermont (B.A., 1987, Vermont Merit Scholar); Indiana University (J.D., cum laude, 1991). Member: Mortar Board Society; Boulder Society; Vermont House of Representatives, 2003 (Ways and Means Committee 2005). Member: Chittenden County, Vermont and American Bar Associations; Defense Research Institute; Vermont Claims Association. Reported Cases: Gordon v. Town of Morristown, 910 A.2d 836 (VT, 2006); Serecky v. National Grange Mutual Insurance, 157 A.2d 775 (VT, 2004); Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance Company v. Petty, 923 F.Supp. 63 (D.Vt. 1996). Practice Areas: Copyright and Trademark Law; Insurance Coverage; Civil Litigation.Email: Shapleigh Smith, Jr.
Brian R. Murphy (Member) born Lowell, Massachusetts, December 12, 1962; admitted to bar, 1992, Delaware; 2000, Vermont. Education: Providence College (B.S., 1984); Suffolk University Law School (J.D., magna cum laude, 1991). Listed: Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business (2005-2007). Recipient, American Jurisprudence Award, Corporate Tax. Certified Public Accountant, Massachusetts, 1988. Massachusetts Society of CPA's "Certificate of Achievement" (for passing CPA exam at first sitting). Member: Vermont and American (Member, Section of Taxation) Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Buying and Selling of Businesses; Exempt Organizations; Closely Held Business Taxation.Email: Brian R. Murphy
Jeffrey J. McMahan (Member) born Burlington, Vermont, January 17, 1969; admitted to bar, 1995, Vermont. Education: Middlebury College (B.A., cum laude, 1991); College of William & Mary School of Law (J.D., 1994). Order of the Coif. Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Computer Law; Trademarks; Software Licensing; Health Care; Tax Exempt Bonds.Email: Jeffrey J. McMahan
Leigh Polk Cole (Member) born Boston, Massachusetts, December 14, 1963; admitted to bar, 1992, New York; 1996, Vermont. Education: Phillips Exeter Academy; Cornell University (B.A., Government and Agricultural Trade Policy, 1985); Albany Law School of Union University (J.D., cum laude, 1991). Member, Justinian Society. Editor-in-Chief, Albany Law Review, 1990-1991. Senior Editor, Immigration and Nationality Law Handbook, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), 1999. Legislative Analyst, New York State Assembly. Gravel and Shea, Burlington, Vermont, 1996-2000. O'Connell and Aronowitz, Albany and Plattsburgh, New York, 1991-1996. Member: American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Committee on Health Care Professionals (Non-Physicians), 2007-2008. Director: Leadership Champlain, Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, 2007; Wake Robin Corporation, 2007; Far Post Soccer Club, 2003; Founding Director, South Hero Land Trust, 1996-1998. Member: New York State, Vermont and American Bar Associations; American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA); National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA); NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Practice Areas: Immigration.Email: Leigh Polk Cole
Amy M. McLaughlin (Member) born Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania, September 22, 1972; admitted to bar, 1998, Maryland; 1999, Vermont. Education: Loyola College (B.B.A., 1994); Widener University School of Law (J.D., 1997). Phi Delta Phi. Member: Widener Law Symposium Journal, 1995-1997. Member: Vermont Bar Association; American Bar Association; National Association of College and University Attorneys. Practice Areas: Employment Law; General Civil Litigation; College and University Law.Email: Amy M. McLaughlin
Afi Ahmadi (Member) born Brooklyn, New York, March 23, 1972; admitted to bar, 1998, Vermont; 1999, U.S. District Court, District of Vermont. Education: University of Vermont (B.A., Economics, with honors, 1993); Boston University School of Law (J.D., 1997); Boston University Graduate School of Management (M.B.A., 1997). Executive Director, Student Publications for Boston University School of Law's Annual Review, Banking and Financial Law, 1996-1997. Law Clerk, Chittenden Superior Court, Burlington Vermont. Member: University of Vermont Board of Trustees, 1991-1993; University of Vermont Alumni Association Board of Directors, 2008; Boulder Society; University of Vermont Regional Advisory Board, 2002-2007; University of Vermont Athletic Advisory Board, 2005-2009. Member: Vermont and American Bar Associations (Member, Business Law Section). Practice Areas: Financial Services Law(25%); Lender Regulation(25%); Corporate Organization(25%); Commercial Transactions(25%).Email: Afi Ahmadi
Nancy K. de Tarnowsky (Member) born Bronxville, New York, August 24, 1957; admitted to bar, 2004, Vermont. Education: Michigan State University (B.A., 1979); Vermont Clerkship Program (2003). Vermont Four-Year Law Office Study Program, Administered by Board of Bar Examiners, Rules and Regulations Section 6f, 1999-2003. Member: Vermont and American (Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section) Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Probate; Trust Administration; Taxation; Corporate.Email: Nancy K. de Tarnowsky
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Angela R. Clark (Associate) born Fredericksburg, Virginia, May 22, 1972; admitted to bar, 1998, Vermont; 2000, Maine. Education: Trinity College (B.A., magna cum laude, 1994); Vermont Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1998). Ms. Clark joined the firm in September, 2002, and practices exclusively in litigation, with an emphasis on professional malpractice. Before returning to Burlington, Vermont, Ms. Clark served as a judicial law clerk for the Rutland County trial courts in Rutland, Vermont. Prior to that, Ms. Clark clerked for two years in Maine for the Cumberland and Kennebec County Superior Courts. Co-Author: with Maryann Zavez, "Adoption Under Vermont's New Adoption Statute," Vol. 22 Vermont Bar Journal No. 6. Member: Chittenden County and Vermont Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Litigation; Professional Malpractice.Email: Angela R. Clark
David R. Gurtman (Associate) admitted to bar, 2005, Vermont. Education: Middlebury College (cum laude, 2001); Lewis and Clark Law School (J.D., cum laude, 2005). Law Clerk: Chittenden County Superior Court, Burlington, Vermont, 2005-2006; Burlington Planning Commission, 2007. Member: Chittenden County Bar Association; Vermont Bar Association; American Bar Association. Languages: Spanish. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Land Use; Business Law; Commercial Transactions; Mergers and Acquisitions.Email: David R. Gurtman
Elizabeth Kleinberg (Associate) admitted to bar, 1998, New York and New Jersey; 2001, Alabama; 2008, Vermont. Education: Cornell University (B.A., 1991); Columbia Law School (J.D., 1997); Columbia SIPA (M.I.A., 1998). Law Clerk to: the Hon. Ed Carnes, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, 2001-2003; the Hon. Ira DeMent, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama, 1998-1999. Visiting Assistant Professor, Cumberland School of Law, 2004-2006. Formerly with Burr and Foreman, LLP. Member: Vermont and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Copyrights; Trademarks; Corporate Law.Email: Elizabeth Kleinberg
Nicole Andreson (Associate) admitted to bar, 1999, Massachusetts; 2000, Vermont. Education: St. Lawrence University (B.S., magna cum laude, 1995); Case Western Reserve University School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 1999). Phi Beta Kappa. Member: Vermont Attorney General's Office, 2000-2003; Chittenden County State's Attorney's Office, 2003-2007. Member: Vermont and American Bar Associations. Reported Cases: Charbonneau v. Gorczyk, 176 Vt. 140 (Vt. 2003). Practice Areas: Civil Litigation(100%).Email: Nicole Andreson
Sophie E. Zdatny (Associate) born London, England, August 1, 1964; admitted to bar, 1997, West Virginia and U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia; 2000, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. (Not admitted in Vermont). Education: Wellesley College (B.A., magna cum laude, 1986); West Virginia University (J.D., 1997). Phi Beta Kappa; Order of the Coif. Member, West Virginia University Law Review, 1995-1997. Author, "West Virginia University v. Decker, The Future of Age Discrimination in West Virginia," 98 W. Va. L. Rev. 719, 1996. Law Clerk to Judge Irene M. Keeley, U.S. District Court, Northern District of West Virginia, 1999-2001. Lecturer, West Virginia College of Law, Immigration Law Clinic, 2002-2003, 2007. Appellate Advocacy, 2006. Member: American Bar Association; West Virginia State Bar Association; Vermont Bar Association. Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Sophie E. Zdatny