Proposed Amendments

The following Proposed Amendments are proposed by the Rules Committees and have not been reviewed by the Supreme Court.

Proposed Order Amending Rule 807(a)(4) of the Vermont Rules of Evidence

The proposed amendment to Rule 807(a)(4) incorporates a change made necessary by the enactment of Act No. 185 of 2007 (Adj. Sess.), which repealed 33 V.S.A. chapter 55 and replaced it with 33 V.S.A. chapters 51-53, effective January 1, 2009. The proposed amendment substitutes a reference to the appropriate chapters of Title 33.

Comments on this proposed amendment should be sent by December 6, 2026, to Aliza Harrigan, Esq., Reporter for the Advisory Committee on Rules of Evidence, at the following address:

Aliza Harrigan, Staff Attorney
Aliza.Harrigan@vtcourts.gov

Proposed Order Amending Rule 4.1(2)(a) of the Vermont Rules for Family Proceedings

Beginning in August of 2020, the Judiciary and Office of Child Support (OCS) commenced a pilot project in the Windham and Windsor units designed to explore a means to more efficiently provide service to defendants in cases filed where OCS was already providing services under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act. Title IV-D established a Child Support Enforcement Program. See 33 V.S.A. §4101(a) (designating OCS as agency responsible for Title IV-D in Vermont). The pilot project expanded and as of January 1, 2026, OCS was effecting service in the cases in which it provides IV-D services in all units in Vermont. The proposed amendments to V.R.F.P. 4.1 incorporate the provisions of A.O. 50 into the Vermont Rules for Family Proceedings.  

Comments on this proposed amendment should be sent by October 20, 2026, to Hon. Kerry Ann McDonald-Cady, Chair of the Advisory Committee on the Rules for Family Proceedings, at the following address:

Hon. Kerry Ann McDonald-Cady, Chair
Kerry.McDonald-Cady@vtcourts.gov
 

Proposed Order Amending Rules 9(b)(3) and 13 of the Vermont Rules of Admission to the Bar of the Vermont Supreme Court

The proposed amendments to Rules 9(b)(3) and 13(c) remove the provisions precluding applicants from taking the bar examination after four failed attempts or using a transferred UBE score achieved after four failed attempts. Many other states do not limit the number of attempts needed to earn a passing score. See Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements, https://reports.ncbex.org/charts/chart-5. Moreover, removing the limitation might increase the number of admitted attorneys in Vermont and thereby increase access to legal services.

Comments on these proposed amendments should be sent by September 9, 2026, to Andrew Strauss, Licensing Counsel of the Office of Attorney Licensing, at the following address:

Andrew Strauss, Licensing Counsel
Andrew.Strauss@vtcourts.gov