Amber L. Barber, a matrimonial and family law attorney at the northern New England law firm Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC, was installed as president of the Vermont Bar Association on September 21 at the organization's 134th Annual Meeting, held at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, Vt.
Elected to serve as president-elect in 2011, Barber has spent the past year working alongside James F. Carroll, who remains on the VBA Board as immediate past president, and attending training sessions for bar presidents from across the country. An active member of the Family Law Section of the VBA, Barber has served the VBA in leadership positions previously as a representative of the VBA Young Lawyers Division, as a member of the Board of Managers, and as chair of the board's Operations Committee.
“I am honored and humbled that my colleagues have given me the opportunity to lead the Vermont Bar Association as its president,” Barber said. “I look forward to working with the members to determine how the VBA can best support them in meeting both the opportunities and challenges of the evolving practice of law.”
“The VBA is lucky to have such dedicated volunteer board members who work tirelessly to improve and advance our profession,” said Robert Paolini, executive director of the VBA. “Amber is a determined leader and will continue that tradition as a strong voice for lawyers, the rule of law, and the relationship between the bench and the bar. As the practice of law is changing at a rapid pace I am grateful to have a president who understands that we must adapt to those changes. I’m looking forward to working with her this year.”
An experienced litigator and negotiator, Barber handles all aspects of divorce and civil union dissolution, including those involving complex financial issues and extensive marital assets, post-judgment modifications and court order enforcement issues. She received her law degree from the Albany Law School of Union University. Barber resides in Burlington.
The Vermont Bar Association was incorporated in October 1878. Since that time, membership in the association has grown from a handful to 2,220. The VBA is the professional face of the attorney profession in Vermont and its purposes in part are to assist the members in improving the law, to cultivate the science of jurisprudence and to promote reform in the law and to facilitate the administration of justice. Over the years, the VBA has been a recognized voice in policy making and legislative initiatives.
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