by winburnlaw

Who Is The Top Judge In Vermont?

The highest State court in Vermont is the Vermont Supreme Court and the Chief Justice is Rutland attorney Paul Rieber, at least as of December, 2019. (Some day he will retire). There are five members of the Vermont Supreme Court and a majority vote is needed to make a decision. There is usually a written opinion by the Court at the conclusion and their written opinions are published in a bound volume called Vermont Reports. They are also available online.

These cases go back to 1824 and can be considered precedent that lawyers and courts are supposed to follow. These opinions can change over time but it is rare that there is an outright complete reversal of a previous case, because of a legal concept called “stare decisis”.

If you believe you have an accident claim contact us for a fee evaluation – if we take your case, we don’t get paid unless we get money for you. Our law office reviews cases throughout the State of Vermont – in Manchester, Bennington, Rutland, Burlington, Woodstock, St. Albans, Brattleboro, Montpelier, Woodford, Springfield, Wilmington, the Northeast Kingdom and anywhere else where there is jurisdiction in the State of Vermont.

©Winburn Law Offices

by winburnlaw

Why Is Insurance Not Disclosed To Juries During Trials?

With few exceptions, Vermont juries are never told that the personal injury claim they are deciding has insurance.  That is because there is a rule of evidence that excludes this information because it is thought that it may affect the juries’ determinations and cause higher verdicts. 

However, others believe that if the jury thinks that payment of their verdict will come out of the pockets of the individual defendants, this will potentially reduce the amount of verdict.  Juries are left to wonder where the money to pay the verdict will come from even if they ask the judge during deliberations.  The allowance of this information to the jury requires the court system to engage in a “legal fiction” to the advantage of insurance companies and to the disadvantage of consumers.

We offer free consultations to help you make a more informed choice.  Our background and experience (see the “In The News” page of this website) can help in making a good decision about who should be hired to handle your case.  We have offices in Bennington and Manchester, Vermont and handle cases throughout the entire State.

If you believe you have an accident claim contact us for a fee evaluation – if we take your case, we don’t get paid unless we get money for you. Our law office reviews cases throughout the State of Vermont – in Manchester, Bennington,  Rutland, Burlington, Woodstock, St. Albans, Brattleboro, Montpelier, Woodford, Springfield, Wilmington, the Northeast Kingdom and anywhere else where there is jurisdiction in the State of Vermont.

©Winburn Law Offices