Business law attorney Paul H. Ode, Jr. of Burlington has been elected managing partner and chief executive officer of the law firm Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC. Ode took over on January 1 for John H. Marshall, who has held the post since the firm first adopted a managing partner governance model in 2002. Ode was elected by the firm’s directors in December. He had previously served as deputy managing partner and is a former chair of the firm’s Business Law Group. He joined the firm in 1982 after completing a clerkship with U.S. District Court Chief Judge Albert W. Coffrin.

Burlington attorney Thomas D. Kohler, an intellectual property litigator and patent prosecutor, was elected to membership in the firm as a director after first joining DRM in the fall. Most recently, Kohler was a partner in the San Francisco office of Morgan Lewis & Bockius. He brings to DRM not only years of experience in patent prosecution and IP law generally, but also expertise in litigation of significant patent disputes--an area that DRM has targeted for growth.

Vermont College of Fine Arts announces that two members of its arts community have won national honors for their writing for young adults. Faculty member Kathi Appelt’s middle grade novel The Underneath (Atheneum, 2008) has won a Newbery Honor, presented by the American Library Association, and VCFA Board of Trustees member and former faculty member Tobin (M. T.) Anderson book’s The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves, was just awarded the Michael L.

Eric D. Jones, who practices in both the Burlington and Lebanon, N.H. offices, will be the new chair of the Employment and Labor Practice Group. Jones represents regional and national employers in a broad range of matters, including the defense of employment disputes before state and federal courts and enforcement agencies. He regularly defends employers in lawsuits and administrative proceedings involving claims of sexual harassment, discrimination, wrongful discharge, wage & hour and leave law violations.

Jennifer Smith was recently voted 2008 Employee of the Year at Otter Creek Awnings, Sunrooms & Custom Closets of Williston, Vermont. Smith, a resident of Jericho, joined Otter Creek in 1997 in the role of Office Manager. Jennifer Smith’s dedication, dependability and careful work have made her a critical player at Otter Creek, and her compassionate approach to Human Resource Management has earned her the respect and admiration of the staff. The Employee of the Year award is given to the individual who provides exceptional service to Otter Creek in the eyes of the employees.

Michael Burak, a member of Burak, Anderson & Melloni, has been named by Super Lawyers magazine as one of the top attorneys in Vermont. Only 5% of the lawyers in New England received this peer recognition and professional achievement award. Anja Freiburg and Shane McCormack were also named as “Rising Stars” by Super Lawyers magazine. The “Rising Star” designates the top 2.5% of up-and-coming attorneys in Vermont.

Dinse, Knapp & McAndrew, P.C. a business and litigation law firm with offices in Burlington, Vermont and Plattsburgh, New York announced today that two attorneys have joined the firm. Andy MacIlwaine joined the firm as an associate in September, 2008. MacIlwaine practices litigation with emphases on civil cases, including professional malpractice defense and commercial litigation. He is a graduate of Vermont Law School and Denison University.