Kudos to Champlain College on LEED Platinum Certification

March, 2012 - Paul Frank + Collins congratulates Champlain College on the grand opening of its LEED Platinum Award winning Roger H. Perry Hall and Student Welcome Center. Perry Hall is one of only three buildings in the state of Vermont to earn platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified structure. PF+C Director Mark G. Hall worked with the College from the beginning to the end of the project supporting the purchase,  zoning changes, development agreements, permitting, construction contracting, and financing to help the college achieve its goals. Hall said of the project, “This was an absolute gem of a project developed with a very special group of professionals with both local and national expertise. It’s particularly fitting that the building is named for former Champlain College President Roger Perry, who has been instrumental in developing the master plan for the present campus. Having been land use and construction counsel for the college throughout the master plan process, I’m very proud to have been a part of the result.” Platinum LEED certification is the highest certification a building can be awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council. The certification recognizes five areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environment quality.

David M. Pocius Featured in the Leader Spotlight of DRI's "The Voice"

March, 2012 - Paul Frank + Collins Director, David M. Pocius was chosen to be in the Leader Spotlight of the Defense Research Institute’s February E-newsletter, “The Voice.”  The Defense Research Institute describes itself as, “the leading organization of defense attorneys and in-house counsel.  Membership in DRI provides access to resources and tools for attorneys who desire to provide high-quality, balanced and excellent service to their clients and corporations.”  Attorney Pocius currently serves as co-chair of the Legislative Liaison Subcommittee of DRI’s Young Lawyers Committee which is in charge of the legislative tracking for the Defense Research Institute.  At PF+C, Mr. Pocius’ practice focuses on commercial litigation and defense as well as property, construction, and employment law. Paul Frank + Collins represents clients in a wide variety of proceedings including insurance defense and employment defense.

Lawyers on the Move

March, 2012 - Matthew A. Ferrigno attended the Defense Research Institute (DRI) Insurance Coverage and Claims seminar held in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday, March 28 through Friday, March 30.  The seminar participants enjoyed the unique opportunity to learn from insurance industry leaders, lawyers, and policyholder counsel.  Mr. Ferrigno is a member of the Insurance Services and Litigation teams at Paul Frank + Collins.

March, 2012 - Allen D. Webster attended the Annual Meeting of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel in Miami Beach.  Mr. Webster is the Chairperson of the ACTEC fellows from the state of Vermont.

Paul Frank + Collins Employees Support Local Farmers Through The Intervale Food Hub

February, 2012 - Ten PF+C employees recently began taking home fresh, local and organic fruits and vegetables thanks to the CSA (“Community Supported Agriculture”) through the Intervale Food Hub. This week’s veggie bounty came with pea shoots, mesculun greens, yellow onions, carrots, red skinned potatoes, mushrooms and apples.  Subscribers can also choose from an array of options that include fresh breads, eggs, and Vermont cheeses. The Food Hub supports local farms and makes healthy eating very convenient as the foods are delivered to the firm weekly for employee pick-up (saving some time and gas money too)! Subscribers save an average of $10 to $15 a week compared to purchasing similar products from grocery stores and can pay on-line (another Green perk)!

This year, the Intervale Food Hub has brought together over twenty farmers, over 160 spring-subscription members and twenty area businesses and institutions. Subscribers receive the weekly Food Hub e-newsletter which outlines each week’s share contents, identifies the farms that produced the food, provides community information about fun local food related events and gives information about the farmers who participate. Lastly, Food Hub e-news provides information about the different veggies and great recipes to make the most out of the share. For those who were unable to join the spring share, summer shares will begin the week of June 4th and run through the week of October 22nd. To sign up for a summer share or for more information about the Food Hub please visit www.intervalefoodhub.com.

PF+C Director Stephanie J. Mapes Speaks at CICA 2012 International Conference

March, 2012 – PF+C Director Stephanie J. Mapes will be a speaker at the CICA 2012 International Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona on Tuesday, March 13. The Captive Insurance Companies Association (CICA) was founded by risk managers in 1972 to provide the foremost education, networking and leadership for captive and risk retention group professionals. This year’s conference marks 40 years of leadership in the Captive Industry for the CICA.  Attorney Mapes will present on the topic of “Board Governance:  Thorough Board Education Impacts Captive Results.” The session will detail the process and instrumental impact of upfront education with board members for the captive/Risk Retention Group (RRG) board. She will also discuss the importance of sharing evaluation tools, processes and procedures to create a well functioning board member. Ms. Mapes is a member of the Captive Insurance team at Paul Frank + Collins and will become the team leader upon Director Alan Port’s retirement in June, 2012. She is a member and past chair for the Legislative committee of the Vermont Captive Insurance Association (VCIA) and a member of the Government Affairs Committee of the National Risk Retention Association (NRRA). 

PF+C Attorneys Educate the Community about Differences Between B Corporations and Benefit Corporations

March, 2012 – Paul Frank + Collins Attorneys Christopher J. Leff and Benjamin L. Gould were featured in the Innovate Business section of the Burlington Free Press discussing the advantages and differences between B Corporations and Benefit Corporations. Benefit corporations continue to spring up around Vermont, despite vagueness in the certification process. Leff and Gould answered questions surrounding this complicated topic with Dan D’Ambrosio of the Burlington Free Press. Mr. Gould and Mr. Leff are members of the Business Services and Taxation Team at Paul Frank + Collins. See the full article for more information.

 Paul Frank + Collins Welcomes Allen D. Webster

February, 2012 - Paul Frank + Collins is pleased to announce that Allen D. Webster, CPA, of South Burlington has joined the firm as Of Counsel to work on the firm’s Business Services + Taxation, Commercial Finance and Trusts + Estates teams.  Attorney Webster is a cum laude graduate of Cornell Law School and holds an MBA Degree from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College.   A licensed Certified Public Accountant, he also holds a LLM degree in taxation from Boston University School of Law.  He comes to PF+C following many years of practice at Lisman, Webster & Leckerling, P.C.

Mr. Webster’s corporate and commercial law practice work focuses on tax matters, including mergers, acquisitions and the sale of businesses.  He also advises individual clients on a broad range of tax related matters and represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service and the Tax Court.  A significant portion of Mr. Webster’s practice is devoted to sophisticated estate planning, including planning with the use of revocable and irrevocable trusts and partnerships.  He has lectured extensively on estate planning and tax matters throughout the United States and Canada. 

Mr. Webster has been a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel since 1997 and currently serves as Vermont State chairperson.  He has been selected by his peers for inclusion in editions of The Best Lawyers of America since 2003, and has been acknowledged in New England Super Lawyers in the area of Trust and Estates since 2006.  He served as an officer of the American Association of Attorney Certified Public Accountants for five years and held the position of President in 2000.  He is currently a director of the Association and also Trustee of the Attorney-CPA Foundation.

PF+C Director and Vice-President, John Draper said, “We are very pleased and excited to have Allen join us at PF+C.  His expertise and many years of experience in estate planning, taxation and commercial law make him a superb addition to our firm.  Allen has been widely recognized as an exceptional lawyer in his fields of practice, and will fit in perfectly with our very talented team.”

Mr. Webster commented, “I was thrilled to be offered the position at PF+C.  I already knew quite a bit about the firm from my prior practice in Burlington and from my good friend of 35 years, Alan Port.  My first five weeks here have been great.  Everyone here has been friendly and helpful and the work environment is very professional.  I know I am going to enjoy practicing here.”

 David M. Pocius and Peter J. McDougall Become Directors at Paul Frank + Collins

January, 2012 - Paul Frank + Collins is pleased to announce that David M. Pocius of Burlington and Peter J. McDougall of South Burlington have become shareholders and directors of the firm.

 Attorney McDougall is a member of the Captive, Business Services, and Insurance law teams at Paul Frank + Collins.  His practice involves advising clients in the captive insurance industry regarding regulatory compliance, entity structure and corporate governance.  Mr. McDougall also assists clients on general business matters and on issues involving various aspects of the financial services industry.  He received an LL.M. from the Morin Center for Banking and Financial Services Law at Boston University, his J.D. from Vermont Law School and his B.S. degree from the University of Vermont. He is admitted to practice in both Massachusetts and Vermont. As an active member of the community, McDougall is currently the president of the Champlain Community Services Board of Directors which he has served on since 2007, as well as a member the of the Government Affairs Committee of the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce.

 Attorney Pocius’s practice focuses primarily on commercial litigation and medical malpractice defense.  He is also a member of the property and development and employment law teams.  Mr. Pocius received his J.D. from Vermont Law School and his B.S. degree in Biology from Emory University.  Before coming to PF+C, Mr. Pocius was a Judicial Law Clerk with the State of Vermont.   He is an experienced litigator with trial experience stretching from state and federal courts in Vermont and New York to Colorado and the Northern District of Illinois.  He is admitted to practice in the States of New York and Vermont; the federal courts of Vermont, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, and Connecticut; and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.  Mr. Pocius is also active in the community and presently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for Linking Learning to Life, as well as a member of the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival Advisory Board.

 President S. Crocker Bennett said of Pocius and McDougall, “Over the years they have been with us both Dave and Pete have shown themselves to be fine lawyers, accommodating and helpful associates and strong team players. We will be a better firm with Dave and Pete serving as Directors.”

Seven PF+C Attorneys Selected for Best Lawyers^® 2012

January, 2012 - Seven lawyers from Paul Frank + Collins P.C. were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2012 (Copyright 2012) by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.) for the following practice areas:

S. Crocker Bennett, II Commercial Litigation, Medical Malpractice Law and Personal Injury Litigation

Robert G. Cain Workers’ Compensation law

Peter M. Collins Real Estate Law

Gail Haefner Straith Corporate Law, Banking, Intellectual Property and Mergers & Acquisitions Law

Kerin E. Stackpole Employment and Labor Law

Alan D. Port Trusts and Estate

John T. Sartore Commercial Litigation, Medical Malpractice Law, Personal Injury Litigation, Product Liability Litigation, Professional Malpractice law and Securities law.

Since its inception in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.  Because Best Lawyers® is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 39,000 leading attorneys cast almost 3.1 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor.  Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers® “the most respected referral list of attorneys in the practice.”   Steven Naifeh, Managing Editor of Best Lawyers, says, "We continue to believe - as we have believed for more than 25 years - that recognition by one's peers is the most meaningful form of recognition in the legal profession."