Board of Trustees

Vermont Legal Aid is guided by an outstanding and diverse board of trustees with a strong commitment to expanding fairness and justice in the civil legal system.

Our board members include former clients, community and business leaders, and members of the private bar, as well as a staff representative. The VLA board members are:

Robert Appel, Esq., Interim President, Vice President & Secretary
Hans Huessy, Esq., Treasurer
Erin Jacobsen, Esq., Attorney Trustee
Peter Kunin, Esq., Attorney Trustee
Joan Lavoie, Client Trustee
Jessica A. Oski, Esq., Attorney Trustee
Amelia Silver, Attorney Trustee
Olivia Smith-Hammond, Client Trustee
Alicia Van Dyk, Client Trustee

Kelli Kazmarski, Esq., Staff Representative

Vermont Legal Aid board meetings are open to the public.

The next meeting is Wednesday, March 10, at 2 p.m. Agenda.

For information about how to attend the next meeting, please call (802) 863-5620 and ask for the executive assistant.

Minutes from previous meetings are available on request. To request minutes, please call (802) 863-5620 and ask for the executive assistant.

News

Statement on April 21 about Conviction for Murder of George Floyd

Yesterday’s verdict did not bring justice for all the Black and Brown lives that have been lost due to police violence and systemic racism. However, it is cause for hope that, thanks to the courage of the Floyd family, the fortitude of the jurors, the skill and dedication of the team of attorneys assembled by Attorney General Ellison, and the persistence of all those who have raised their voices in protest in the streets, we may have taken a first step toward greater accountability in our policing practices, and that we can through continued efforts, in the words of Amanda Gorman, “rebuild, reconcile and recover.” With this hope in mind, we at Vermont Legal Aid re-dedicate ourselves today to calling out racism when we see it — in our country, in our state, and in our own organization— and to dismantling white supremacy in Vermont.

VLA Response to Statement by VT APIDA for Black Lives

In posting the statement from the VT APIDA for Black Lives Group, Vermont Legal Aid humbly acknowledges that we are among those who are called out and called upon to act by it. We accept that we have been too quiet and too slow to act and vow to change. We see you; we hear you; you are vital members of our communities, and we will not ignore what has been happening. We denounce the attacks, hate crimes, and murders against the Asian American community. As members of a law firm, we acknowledge with some shame the hesitancy of lawyers and members of the legal community around the country to call the Atlanta killings a hate crime. We vow to call out racism when we see it: in our country, in our state, and in our own organization. We publicly announce our support for H.397, H. 245, H.428, H. 320, H.329, and H.210 and commit ourselves and our organization to dismantling white supremacy in Vermont. Read the letter from the VT APIDA for Black Lives Group.

Video: Advocating for an Increase in Reach Up Cash Assistance to Low-Income Vermont Families

Vermont Legal Aid is advocating for an increase in Reach Up cash assistance to low-income Vermont families. Cash grants are so low — as attorney Jessica Radbord and her client Sandra Cross demonstrate in this budget exercise — that Vermont kids on the program are constantly at risk of hunger, homelessness and deprivation. Learn more.

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