Biography
Chris practices family and criminal law, and civil litigation. He frequently serves as a mediator and evaluator for both the state and federal courts.
Chris is the former chair of the Vermont Judicial Conduct Board, and served on the board for nine years. He was an adjunct professor of Business Law at the University of Vermont for over thirty-five years and most recently taught Ethics in UVM’s MBA Program and at Vermont Technical College. He is a past member and vice-chair of the Vermont Professional Conduct Board, and past-chair of the Supreme Court Committee on the Adoption of the Model Rules of Professional Responsibility. He presently serves on Vermont’s Ethics Commission that oversees the state legislators and other government officials. Chris is a frequent lecturer on family law and legal ethics.
Chris, until recently, was the chair of the Board of Cathedral Square Corporation, a non-profit that develops and operates communities for seniors and individuals with special needs. He previously served on the Board of Directors of the Tree Farm Management Group (a local sports complex) and is a former member of the Vestry of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul’s in Burlington and a current member of its Trustees.
Chris has been a nationally-ranked rugby referee, and is currently a World Rugby trainer and a member of the U.S.A. Rugby Referee Training Committee. He is also on the Board of the New England Rugby Referee Society. He continues to travel throughout the United States and Canada to train and coach fellow referees. He co-founded the Burlington Rugby Football Club. When the rugby fields are covered with snow, Chris is on his skis in the mountains. Chris lives with his wife, Theri, in South Burlington. Their adult sons live in Boston and Burlington.
Education
Albany Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1975) (Chief Notes Editor); Middlebury College (B.A., cum laude, 1972)
Bar Admissions
Admitted to state and federal courts in Vermont
Memberships
Vermont and American Bar Associations; Vermont Association for Justice; Vermont Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers
Recognition
Chris is named by New England Super Lawyers as one of Vermont’s top divorce lawyers. In addition, he has been annually recognized by The Best Lawyers in America®— the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession — as a leading family law attorney since 2005, as well as for his work in Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law and Family Law Mediation since 2015. Chris was named by Best Lawyers as Vermont’s “Lawyer of the Year” for Family Law in 2011, 2017, 2020 and 2024. Chris’ numerable recognitions also include Vermont’s only state-wide business publication, Vermont Biz, which has repeatedly featured him in its yearly list of “Top Business Lawyers”.