James S. Fry, Esq. of Champlain College admitted to the US Supreme Court Bar

James S. Fry, Esq. of Champlain College has been admitted to the United States Supreme Court Bar. A professor of paralegal studies and business administration at Champlain for 20 years, Fry has joined a select group of attorneys to be been sworn in by a US Chief Justice.
The October 15 ceremony began with coffee and an informal chat with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the conference room of the Court. Fry then joined other alumni of Catholic Universitys Columbus School of Law for the professional thrill of standing with hand raised to repeat an oath administered within the chambers of the Supreme Court. Following the ceremony, he enjoyed a tour of the Court building.
"It is more of an honor than anything else, but the practical side is that by being admitted to the United States Supreme Court Bar it allows you to practice before the Supreme Court," Fry said. The qualifications are three years in practice, good standing with ones state Supreme Court Bar, and sponsorship from two attorneys who are already members of the US Supreme Court Bar. Fry now has privileges to listen to oral arguments at the Supreme Court and use the Court library.
Fry attended law school in the early 1980s after having earned a graduate degree from UVM and working for 12 years. After passing the Bar exam, he practiced full time in the Vermont courts, and in 1987 he was admitted to practice in the U.S. Federal District Court. "I thought this next step-being admitted to the US Supreme Court Bar-would be appropriate as this is my 25th year out of law school," Fry said.
With teaching at Champlain College, Fry reduced his practice to part time. He teaches a variety of legal courses at Champlain including Business Law, Fundamentals of Legal Research, Legal Analysis and Writing, Constitutional Law and Real Property Law. He also serves as the program coordinator for the well-established Paralegal Studies program.