All News & Resources
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 >
Leigh Cole and Jeff Nolan Present at UVM Legal Issues Conference (October 2017)
Each fall the University of Vermont presents a popular national conference on legal issues in higher education, designed for education administrators. This year Leigh Cole and Jeff Nolan participated as speakers on topics including current legal trends in campus threat assessment, sexual assault-related litigation, and emotional support animals (Jeff) and immigration (Leigh). MORE >
State employees can’t sue to enforce minimum wage and hour rights
Kendall Hoechst, Amy McLaughlin, Editors Dinse, Knapp & McAndrew, P.C., Burlington by Lauren Sampson Can a state employee use 21 V.S.A. § 384(b)(7) or Article Four of the Vermont Constitution to sue his employer and enforce his minimum wage and hour rights? The Vermont Supreme Court recently affirmed that state employees are not covered by MORE >
Leigh Cole co-presents second NACUA Briefing on the Phasing-out of DACA
On September 6, 2017 Leigh Cole presented a telephone Briefing for the membership of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) regarding the announced phasing-out of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. She co-presented with Steven Bloom, Director, Government Relations, of the American Council of Education. NACUA Briefings are a new MORE >