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Vermont newspaper editor learns that free speech comes with a price
Karen McAndrew, Leigh Cole, Editors Dinse, Knapp & McAndrew, P.C., Burlington by Karen McAndrew When a person who is paid to edit the written words of others fails to edit his own words, his job may be in jeopardy. Background Early this year, Denis Finley, editor of the Burlington Free Press, Vermont’s largest newspaper, was MORE >
California Supreme Court Decision Sharpens Focus on Threat Assessment and Management
By Jeffrey J. Nolan, J.D. A March 22, 2018 decision by the California Supreme Court, Regents of the University of California v. Rosen, 2018 WL 1415703, S230568 (Sup.Ct.Cal. March 22, 2018), held that postsecondary schools have a duty to keep students safe from foreseeable criminal assaults that occur while they are engaged in activities that MORE >
New Vermont pot law: what employers need to know
Amy M. McLaughlin, Kendall Hoechst, Editors Dinse, Knapp & McAndrew, P.C., Burlington by Jeff Nolan Soon, it will be legal in Vermont for people who are 21 or older to possess limited quantities of marijuana and marijuana plants. You may be wondering whether the new law affects your ability to enforce rules on smoking or MORE >
Dinse Announces Two New Directors and Shareholders of the Firm
Dinse is pleased to announce that Maggie Platzer and Justin Barnard have been elected as Directors and Shareholders of the firm. Maggie Platzer joined the firm in October 2011 after acting as Assistant General Counsel and Privacy Officer at Delta Dental of Massachusetts in Boston. Her practice focuses primarily on employee health and retirement benefits, MORE >
Jess Phelps Publishes Article on Agricultural Conservation Easements in Ecology Law Quarterly
Jess Phelps of Dinse’s Real Estate and Environmental groups recently published an article, Defining the Role of Conservation in Agricultural Conservation Easements, in Ecology Law Quarterly, the environmental law review published by the University of California-Berkeley. This article focuses on the challenges of balancing the environmental protection of these lands against the need for these MORE >
2nd Circuit lambastes employer: ‘You should have known!’
Amy M. McLaughlin, Kendall Hoechst, Editors Dinse, Knapp & McAndrew, P.C., Burlington by Amy McLaughlin The “#MeToo” movement is sweeping across the country and calling well-deserved attention to the issue of sexual harassment. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit (whose rulings apply to all Vermont employers) is following suit. In a recent MORE >
Dinse Welcomes New Attorneys
Dinse, Knapp & McAndrew is pleased to announce that Jess Phelps, Sara Huddleston and Michael Thomas have joined the firm as associate attorneys. Jess is a member of the firm’s real estate group. Prior to joining the firm, he was an attorney at the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of General Counsel, Natural Resources MORE >
When is final settlement of a worker’s comp claim not a final settlement?
Karen McAndrew, Leigh Cole, Editors Dinse, Knapp & McAndrew, P.C., Burlington by Karen McAndrew The Vermont Supreme Court recently shed some light—although not total clarity—on the effect an employee-signed release agreement can have on any later worker’s comp claims she may file. Facts Brandy Clayton was a hair stylist at a J.C. Penney store. In MORE >
Don’t forget immigration issues when making employment changes
Immigration by Leigh Cole Employment-based immigration status generally is specific to the employer and the position. When employees are terminated or promoted or their job description changes, you should expect their employment-based immigration status to be affected. Tensions can run high when an employee’s personal and family immigration status is put at risk, regardless of MORE >