Partner
Workers’ Compensation and Personal Injury Lawyer in Montpelier and Burlington, Vermont
I am a partner and I have been with the firm since 1999. I specialize in helping people with their Vermont workers’ compensation and personal injury claims because I find it personally rewarding to help an injured person get the benefits they deserve, and to hold an insurance company accountable. I understand that having an injury can be very difficult and I know that insurance companies often do not treat people fairly. My clients like me because I am passionate about their claims and I don’t give up. I listen to their concerns and fight with all I have. They often compare me to a pit bull! It is obvious that I enjoy what I do.
The legal process is long and frustrating for most people. I help by following my conscience, using common sense, and being extremely persistent. I form strong relationships with my clients and I really care about winning. If you have been hurt and the insurance company is jerking you around, you want me on your side. I love seeing the relief on my clients’ faces when they know they can relax and let us do the hard work while they focus on their healing!
My most rewarding cases have been apparent long shots that were medically complicated or factually difficult. Ultimately, they were winners when tested at hearing at the Department of Labor or in Superior Court because my clients were honest, hardworking, and deserving. My pride in my work comes from getting good results and winning cases for my clients.
I come from a very modest background. My grandfather was a coal miner, my grandmother worked in a manufacturing plant, and I was the first in my family to graduate from college and law school. I know what it means to work hard and I remember what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck. Like many of my clients, I have also experienced physical pain. Although my pain is improved, I know what it is like to live with chronic pain and how hard it is to describe to someone who has never had it before. Not all attorneys know how it feels to experience that kind of pain or to be poor. My clients often deal with these tough issues. It helps that I understand their situations and their stresses. I work hard to get the best results for them because I care and I want them to have a better life, too
I have lived in Montpelier, Vermont for two decades with my husband, who is also an attorney. I enjoy attending baseball games (Red Sox, Vermont Mountaineers, and our son’s teams) and our daughter’s dance performances.
Education
B.A., Ohio State University (1994)
J.D., Vermont Law School (1997)
Recognition
Best Lawyers
Super Lawyers
Top 100 Trial Lawyer
Lawyer of the Year
Professional Affiliations
Washington County Bar Association, former president
Nation's Top One Percent
Vermont Association for Justice
The National Trial Lawyers
Vermont Bar Association
Workers Injury Law & Advocacy Group
Workers’ Compensation Trial Lawyers Association
Litigation Counsel of America
Professional Development
Lecturer on Vermont workers' compensation law.
Speaker at New England Workers' Compensation conference.
Speaker at Vermont Department of Labor's annual Adjusters' Conference, training insurance adjusters to treat injured workers fairly.
Community
Volunteer guardian in Probate Court guardianship claims