Vermont Legal Guides
27 guides covering Vermont topics, each with Caselaw search beside the article.
Where to search Vermont lawFree caselaw search for Vermont — search by citation, case name, or legal issue, with full text and PDFs.
- Adverse Possession in Vermont
Vermont adverse possession: 15 years under 12 V.S.A. § 501. Elements, taxes, color of title, and linked Vermont opinions.
- Are Assets in a Revocable Trust Included In a Beneficiary's Marital Estate?
No. The assets in a revocable trust created by a parent of a beneficiary are not part of the marital estate while the trust remains revocable. What Happens to Revocable Trust Assets in a Divorce? The assets in a trust can be included as par…
- Can I Get Sued After a Car Accident in Vermont? Does Fault Matter?
Vermont car accident lawsuits and fault: modified comparative fault with a 51% bar (recovery barred if you are more than 50% at fault) under 12 V.S.A. § 1036, when you can sue or be sued, insurance rules, and the statute of limitations (Three years for personal injury actions under 12 V.S.A. § 512(4).).
- Castle Doctrine in Vermont: Deadly Force Against Intruders
Vermont castle doctrine: when occupants may use deadly force against home intruders, key statutes (13 V.S.A. § 2305), presumptions, and leading cases.
- Child Custody and Parenting Time in Vermont
How Vermont courts decide custody and parenting time under 15 V.S.A. §§ 665 to 670, including best-interests factors, relocation, and modification.
- DUI Penalties in Vermont
Vermont DUI penalties under 23 V.S.A. § 1201: BAC limits, first-offense range, when a DUI becomes a felony, and ignition-interlock rules.
- How Does Bond Work in Vermont? Bail and Pretrial Release Explained
Vermont bail and bond explained: Bail with conditions of release. Types of release, what judges consider at a bail hearing, forfeiture risks, and linked Vermont opinions under Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 13, §§ 7551 to 7561.
- How Does Eviction Work in Vermont?
Vermont eviction / Ejectment / landlord-tenant eviction under 12 V.S.A. Chapter 169 (ejectment); 9 V.S.A. Chapter 137 (residential rental agreements): notices, filing forum, timeline to a writ of possession, and common tenant defenses.
- How Do You Make a Valid Will In Vermont?
To be valid under Vermont law, a will must be: In writing Signed by the testator in front of two witnesses Signed and attested by two witnesses The requirements to make a valid will under Vermont law are found at 14 V.S.A. § 5 . Who …
- How to File a Lawsuit Without a Lawyer in Vermont: Pro Se Litigation Guide
A practical Vermont guide to representing yourself: what statutes, cases, and rules are; how to draft and file a complaint; how service and Vermont Judiciary eFiling / Odyssey registration work; discovery; evidence; and how LawDiver helps you research authorities in the corpus.
- How to File for Divorce in Vermont
Vermont divorce filing guide: At least one party must have resided in Vermont for 6 months before filing (1 year before a final hearing in many postures). equitable distribution; linked statutes and process overview.
- How to Get a Prison Sentence Reduced in Vermont
Paths to shorten or correct a Vermont prison sentence under Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 13, §§ 7131 to 7136: modification motions, good-time credits, parole, and post-conviction relief — with linked Vermont opinions.
- How to Modify Child Support in Vermont
Step-by-step guide to modifying a Vermont child support order under 15 V.S.A. § 660: what counts as a change in circumstances, when changes take effect, and the cases that matter.
- How to Modify Maintenance in Vermont
Step-by-step guide to modifying maintenance in Vermont under 15 V.S.A. § 758: changed-circumstances standards, retirement and cohabitation rules, when changes take effect, and the cases that matter.
- Is Abortion Legal in Vermont?
Vermont abortion law after Dobbs: protected access. No near-total ban; Vermont constitutional and statutory protections secure abortion access as a fundamental right.. Linked statutes and Vermont opinions.
- Security Deposit Return in Vermont
How Vermont landlords must handle residential security deposits under 9 V.S.A. § 4461: limits, return deadlines, and wrongful-withholding remedies.
- Stand Your Ground Laws in Vermont
Vermont stand-your-ground overview (judicial (case-law) stand-your-ground): duty to retreat, statutes, civil immunity, and controlling cases.
- Surviving Spouse Rights Vermont
A surviving spouse has many rights under Vermont law, including: Intestate Share Exempt Property Maintenance Allowance Homestead Exemption Surviving Spouse Rights In Vermont When There Is No Valid Will When someone dies without a valid will…
- Vermont Child Support Guidelines: How Support Is Calculated
How Vermont calculates child support under 15 V.S.A. §§ 653–669; Vermont Child Support Guidelines, including the income shares, deviations, modification, and leading cases.
- Vermont Evidence Law: Admissibility, Hearsay, and Authenticity
A practitioner guide to Vermont evidence law under the Vermont Rules of Evidence: general admissibility, character evidence, hearsay and its workhorse exceptions, unavailable declarants, depositions at trial, party admissions, dying declarations, medical statements, and a dedicated authenticity section — with case and statute links in the LawDiver corpus.
- Vermont Expungement and sealing of Arrest and Conviction Records
Vermont expungement and sealing begins with Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 13, § 7602, expungement and sealing of record, postconviction; procedure. This guide follows that petition, the records that travel under a different section, and the opinions that have already decided these requests.
- Vermont Spousal maintenance: Eligibility, Amount, and Duration
How Vermont courts award spousal maintenance under 15 V.S.A. § 752: eligibility, statutory factors, duration, and leading cases.
- Vermont Supreme Court: Contract For Mutual Wills Does Not Impact Allowance of Subsequent Will
In the July 2020 Vermont Supreme Court case of In re Estate of Patricia Bixby , the Court reviewed the probate court’s allowance of a decedent’s will, which was challenged on the ground that a contract for mutual wills rendered the subseque…
- Vermont Supreme Court Determines Ownership Of 1979 Cadillac Eldorado In Probate Dispute
A case involving the disposition of a 1979 Cadillac Eldorado, In re Estate of Theodore George , made its way to the Vermont Supreme Court, where the Court determined who rightfully owned the car after decedent’s death. Although it is common…
- Vermont Supreme Court Invalidates Will for Undue Influence
The Vermont Supreme Court, in In re Estate of Crofut , 2024 VT 8, 23-AP-011 (Vt. Feb 23, 2024), gave a comprehensive primer on how to invalidate a will for undue influence under Vermont law. Can an Option to Acquire Property in a Will for B…
- What Happens If I Refuse a Breathalyzer Test in Vermont?
Vermont implied-consent consequences for refusing a chemical breath or blood test under 23 V.S.A. § 1202, including license suspension and evidence use.
- Who Are Next of Kin in Vermont
Under Vermont law, the term “next of kin” is synonymous with “heirs”, “heirs at law”, “relatives”, or “family” when used in an applicable statute or governing instrument. See Chapter 14, Section 314 of the Vermont Statutes . Next of kin in …