Vt. Memo to the Bar, Sept. 3, 2025

SUPREME COURT OF VERMONT

OFFICE OF THE COURT ADMINISTRATOR

THERESE CORSONES, ESQ. Mailing Address

State Court Administrator Office of the Court Administrator

Therese.Corsones@vtcourts.gov 109 State Street

Montpelier, VT 05609-0701

Telephone (802) 828-3278

FAX: 802 828-3457

www.vermontjudiciary.org

TO: Members of the Vermont Bar

FROM: Teri Corsones, Esq., State Court Administrator

RE: Promulgated and Proposed Rules, eFile and Serve and Public Portal Information,

Filing of Exhibits & Other Miscellaneous Info

DATE: September 3, 2025

For your information, please find:

• Standard Practices Feedback Form

• Promulgation Order Amending Administrative Order No. 18 (Duties of Chief Superior

Judge)

• Proposed Order Amending Rule 4(d)-(g) of the Vermont Rules of Probate Procedure

• eFile & Serve and Public Portal Information

• Filing of Exhibits for Evidentiary Hearing

• Miscellaneous

Standard Practices Feedback Form

The Judiciary has a Standard Practices Committee that works to improve operations by

developing standard business practices throughout all divisions and units in the state. There is a

Standard Practices Committee Feedback and Suggestions Form, available on the Committee’s

webpage https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/about-vermont-judiciary/boards-and-

committees/standard-practices

Members of the bar and court users are invited to share experiences and ideas for addressing

situations where practices may differ across court locations or staff. Thank you for your help in

identifying opportunities to promote greater consistency and clarity in court operations. Please

note, if you have a concern or question regarding a particular case, please contact the court

directly.

I. PROMULGATED RULE AMENDMENTS

Promulgation Order Adding 4(c)(3) to Administrative Order No. 18 (Chief Superior Judge)

https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/PROMULGATED-AdministrativeOrder18AddingNew4(c)(3)-

-STAMPED

This Order was promulgated on September 2, 2025, effective immediately.

The amendment to A.O. 18 adds paragraph 4(c)(3), which provides that the Chief Superior

Judge reviews and approves all standing orders prior to their implementation and use in the trial

courts. The new provision also indicates that absent good cause found by the Chief Superior

Judge, all standing orders must contain a sunset date.

II. PROPOSED RULE AMENDMENTS

(NOTE: THE FOLLOWING AMENDMENTS HAVE BEEN PROPOSED AND HAVE NOT BEEN

APPROVED BY THE SUPREME COURT.)

Proposed Order Amending Rule 4(d)-(g) of the Vermont Rules of Probate Procedure

https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/PROPOSED--VRPP4(d)-(g)--FORCOMMENT

The proposed amendment to Rule 4(d) uses the term restricted mail instead of certified mail

to enable initial service by commercial carrier and expands avenues for providing notice when

restricted mail notice does not appear to be effective for a variety of reasons, including but not

limited to evasive parties and unreliable or unknown mailing addresses. In addition, the proposed

change to V.R.P.P. 4(d)(4) specifies that service by other means may include email or other forms

of social media if ordered by the court. The proposed amendments move service by publication

from 4(e) to 4(d)(3) and provide the court with more discretion over the specifics of publication

to provide the best opportunity for actual notice. Proposed Rule 4(e) pertains to proof of service

and is modified to include requirements of proof with respect to the various forms of service.

Paragraphs 4(f)-(h) are relettered (e)-(g).

Comments on these proposed amendments should be sent by November 1, 2025, to Hon.

Kathryn Kennedy, Chair of the Advisory Committee on the Rules of Probate Procedure, at the

following address:

Hon. Kathryn A.C. Kennedy

Kathryn.Kennedy@vtcourts.gov

III. eFILE & SERVE AND PUBLIC PORTAL INFORMATION

eFile and Serve has provided information for court users who are not receiving email notifications

and who question whether their email addresses have mistakenly been placed on a “Suppression

List.” Here’s a link to information in that regard Why was my email placed on the Suppression

List? – eFile (zendesk.com). Here’s another link for court users who wish to have their email

addresses “Safelisted” to ensure proper delivery

https://odysseyfileandserve.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360046887411.

All Superior Courts, including the Environmental Division, the Judicial Bureau, and the Supreme

Court use eFile and Serve. Please use the following links to access the electronic filing and portal

systems and for more information.

Reminders for eFile Users:

Attorneys must select the party they represent as the “person responsible for fees” in the Fee

section of the filing process. Additionally, when the attorney represents more than one party,

attorneys should continue to select the same party as the “person responsible for fees”;

otherwise, the attorney will incur an additional efiling use fee.

eFile & Serve. eFile and Serve is the platform through which you electronically file with the

courts. To access eFile, please visit https://vermont.tylertech.cloud/OfsWeb/Home

You can access user guides through the “User Guides” link in the “Self Help” window. You can

also access docket-specific user guides and a new Frequently Asked Questions on the judiciary’s

website at www.vermontjudiciary.org/efiling

For technical support regarding eFile, please contact Tyler Technologies at 800-297-5377 or

efiling.support@tylertech.com

If you have procedural questions about eFile, please email the judiciary at

EFileSupport@vtcourts.gov

Odyssey Public Portal. The Odyssey Public Portal allows you to view your case files. To access the

portal, please visit https://portal.vtcourts.gov/Portal Before you can view your case files, you

must first register in the portal and then request elevated access. The Public Portal User Guide

contains instructions on how to register and request elevated access. You can read the user guide

on our website at https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/about-vermont-judiciary/public-portal

For technical support regarding the Public Portal, please contact the Vermont Judiciary’s

HelpDesk at itsupport@vtcourts.gov When emailing, please write “Public Portal” in the subject

line.

IV. FILING OF EXHIBITS FOR EVIDENTIARY HEARING

Per the 2020 Vermont Rules for Electronic Filing, all electronically filed documents (including

exhibit lists and exhibits) must be submitted in PDF format. The Vermont Judiciary’s website

provides detailed instructions on how to submit exhibits for use at trials and other kinds of

evidentiary hearings. https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/FilersGuidetoExhibitsforHearings

V. MISCELLANEOUS

a. Court Forms

Court forms are constantly being updated. Please refer to the judiciary website for the most up-to-date forms, https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/court-forms

Please use the link below to report any form question, concern or issue

http://www.vermontjudiciary.org/website-feedback-form or you can access our Website

Feedback program at the bottom of each web page.

b. Obligation under A.O. 41

Attorneys are reminded that an “attorney must report to the State Court Administrator within

thirty days any change of the office mailing or electronic mail address” and that “[n]otice sent to a

reported address is sufficient even if not received by the attorney because of failure to report the

proper address or failure of delivery not caused by the court.” A.O. 41, § 4(c). To update changes

in your contact information, please access your attorney account with the Attorney Portal

c. Receipt of Court Notices and Orders (eCabinet)

The Vermont courts send all court-issued documents (hearing notices, orders, etc.) to attorneys

by email using the email addresses registered in a system called eCabinet. Attorneys may register

up to three email addresses in the system and are responsible for keeping the information

updated. The email address(es) registered in eCabinet are not used for service of documents filed

by opposing parties, which is done through service contacts in Odyssey File & Serve.

To create an eCabinet account or update an existing account, attorneys must contact the

Judiciary helpdesk through one of the methods listed below. Please include your attorney bar

license number in your communication.

• Email itsupport@vtcourts.gov

• Telephone the Judiciary helpdesk at 802-828-4357

• Use the online form eCabinet Registration/Update (cognitoforms.com)

Updating information in the Attorney Portal or in eCabinet does not automatically notify the

other. It is your responsibility to update both. If you are a member of the Vermont Bar

Association, you will also need to separately notify the VBA.

d. Notice of Vacation

Attorneys may notify the superior courts of their vacation schedules by emailing

CentralClerkReview@vtcourts.gov. The information will be available to all trial courts, including

the Probate Division and the Judicial Bureau, for scheduling purposes. Attorneys do not need to

send notices separately to each county or division of the superior court.

If attorneys wish to also notify the Vermont Supreme Court of their vacation schedules, they

should copy supremecourt@vtcourts.gov on the email. Any questions, please

contact centralclerkreview@vtcourts.gov.

e. Vermont Judiciary Migrating Virtual Hearing Capabilities

The Vermont Judiciary is migrating virtual hearing capabilities from Webex to Zoom in calendar

year 2025. Please be on the lookout for additional communication from the Judiciary regarding

migration of individual counties and training sessions. More information can be found at

https://zoom.vtcourts.gov including timelines and documentation about using the Zoom

platform.