Biography
Ren represents clients in estate planning and administration, elder law, Medicaid planning, residential and commercial real estate, corporate law, municipal and land use matters (including property tax, planning, zoning and permit issues). He also litigates disputes in those areas of practice. Ren prides himself on devising innovative and practical approaches to legal problems.
Ren joined Langrock Sperry & Wool in 1992 after clerking for the Hon. Albert W. Coffrin, U.S. District Court, District of Vermont. Prior to attending law school, Ren served as regional land use planner for the Franklin-Grand Isle Regional Planning and Development Commission, as Planner and Assessor for the City of Winooski, Vermont, as Planner for the City of Bremerton, Washington and with the City of Seattle’s Department of Construction and Land Use.
Ren completed two terms as a member of the Town of Middlebury Selectboard. He has also served on the boards of, and as a volunteer for, several area non-profits, and is currently serving on the Board of the Panther Soccer Club. During the winter months he can be found operating the Zamboni (actually, it’s an Olympia) at Middlebury’s Memorial Sports Center, resurfacing the ice for Middlebury’s skaters, young and old.
Ren lives in Middlebury with his wife and two children (one of whom is in college). When not practicing law, he spends time with his kids, bikes and cross-country skis, and chips away at the never-ending task of maintaining his old house.
Education
Cornell Law School (J.D., magna cum laude, 1991); Middlebury College (B.A., cum laude, 1980)
Bar Admissions
Admitted to state and federal courts in Vermont
Memberships
Vermont and American Bar Associations
Recognition
Ren 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 attorney in the areas of Real Estate Law, Elder Law, and Trusts and Estates, first appearing on the list in 2009. Ren has also been named by Best Lawyers as Vermont’s “Lawyer of the Year” in the area of Trusts and Estates for 2022. In 2023 & 2024, Ren was ranked in the High Net Worth Guide for Chambers USA America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for his work in Private Wealth Law. Ren’s 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”.