Sawyer Burton—Although medical cannabis is now legal in many places, it is routinely prohibited in correctional facilities even if an inmate possesses a valid medical cannabis card.[1] No one has ever succeeded in requesting medical cannabis in a correctional facility under the Eighth Amendment. Even when the legislature explicitly authorizes incarcerated persons to apply for…

Two or more years of paralegal experience is preferred. The Paralegal will work with a team of paralegals, attorneys, and other staff at the firm across several practice areas–Litigation/Regulatory matters (including Energy and Environmental), Business and Finance, Advertising and Consumer Protection, and others. The ideal candidate will have the ability to prioritize and manage many…

Noy Kruvi —New York City’s globally renowned and diverse collection of restaurants makes it one of the world’s top culinary destinations. Economically, the industry contributes billions of dollars to the City’s tax revenue annually.[1] The industry had approximately 23,650 restaurants in 2019, with 317,800 jobs, paid $10.7 billion in total wages, and generated $27 billion in…

Mary Franco—Time and again marginalized neighborhoods, often communities of color or low-income communities, bear the brunt of local pollution due to historic placement of high-polluting power plants.[1] In particular, fossil fuel peaker plants expose nearby low-income and minority communities, or environmental justice (EJ) communities, to disproportionate amounts of particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide.[2]…

Kijana Plenderleith—The LGBTQ+ “panic” defense allows “a jury to find that a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity/expression is to blame for a defendant’s violent reaction, including murder.”[1] Eleven states have banned the use of the LGBTQ+ panic defense; nine more have proposed legislation doing the same. However, not all states that have enacted this…

Madison Prokott—The Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River Basin hold twenty-one percent of the world’s fresh water, bring in billions of dollars to the region annually, and provide water to over 30 million people for uses ranging from drinking and recreation to industry.[1] The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Resources Compact (“Great Lakes Compact”…

Attorneys Vic Westgate and Zoe Sajor are presenting at VBSR’s “Marketing of Vermont/Locally Made Goods: An Origin Story” webinar on September 13, 2021. The presentation will focus on the rules and regulations for applying product marketing claims about Vermont and locally made goods, as well as helpful information in maintaining compliance with such claims. The…

Dunkiel Saunders congratulates its client, Vanguard Renewables, on the startup of its renewable natural gas biodigester at the Goodrich Family Farm in Salisbury, Vermont. The facility utilizes two 925,000-gallon biodigesters to convert 180 tons of food waste and 100 tons of manure every day into renewable natural gas, enough to heat 5,000 homes. Vanguard’s facility…