Vt. Memo to the Bar, Apr. 7, 2026

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 & Proposed Rules, 2026 Update to Appendices to Rules 5 and 6 of the

Rules for Public Access to Court Records, eFile and Serve and Public Portal Information,

Filing of Exhibits & Other Miscellaneous Info

DATE: April 7, 2026

For your information, please find:

• Promulgation Order Amending Rules 2(l), 9, 13(b) and 14 of the Vermont Rules of

Admission to the Bar of the Vermont Supreme Court

• Proposed Order Amending Rule 79(a) of the Vermont Rules of Civil Procedure

• Proposed Order Amending Rule 7(a)(7) of the 2020 Vermont Rules for Electronic Filing, and

Rule 32(a)(1)(E) of the Vermont Rules of Appellate Procedure

• Proposed Order Amending Rule 55(a) of the Vermont Rules of Civil Procedure

• State Court Administrator Directive TC-6—2026 Update to Appendices to Rules 5 and 6 of

the Rules for Public Access to Court Records

• eFile & Serve and Public Portal Information

• Filing and Labeling of Exhibits for Evidentiary Hearing

• Miscellaneous

I. PROMULGATED RULES

Promulgation Order Amending Rules 2(l), 9, 13(b) and 14 of the Vermont Rules of Admission

to the Bar of the Vermont Supreme Court

https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/PROMULGATEDRulesofAdmission2I913band14STAMPED

This Order was promulgated on April 7, 2026, effective July 1, 2026.

The amendments have been made in preparation for the administration of the NextGen UBE in

Vermont in July 2027 and in other jurisdictions prior to Vermont’s implementation.

Rule 2(l) includes the NextGen UBE under the definition of “Uniform Bar Examination.” The

amendment to Rule 9(b)(2) sets the passing score for the NextGen UBE at 620. This score

represents a direct mapping from the passing score of 270 on the legacy UBE. The amendment to

Rule 9(c)(7)(B) incorporates the NextGen UBE into the requirement for refiling an application. The

amendment to Rule 13(b) allows for the transfer of NextGen UBE scores from other jurisdictions

prior to Vermont’s first administration of the NextGen UBE in July 2027. The amendment to Rule

14 ensures that NextGen UBE scores earned prior to Vermont’s first administration of the

NextGen UBE in July 2027 are considered as part of the limitation on admission without

examination.

II. PROPOSED RULE AMENDMENTS

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

APPROVED BY THE SUPREME COURT.)

a. Proposed Order Amending Rule 79(a) of the Vermont Rules of Civil Procedure

https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/PROPOSEDVRCP79aFORCOMMENT

The proposed amendment to Rule 79(a) clarifies the date of entry on the civil docket for

temporary, after-hours orders. There are several types of cases in which parties can seek

emergency relief outside of regular court hours. If these orders are granted, they are effective

right away but are not immediately entered into the case-management system. The proposed

amendment provides that the date of the entry on the docket must reflect the date the order

was signed and effective, not the date the order was actually entered into the case-management

system.

Comments on this proposed amendment should be sent by June 7, 2026, to Bridget Asay, Esq.,

Chair of the Advisory Committee on the Rules of Civil Procedure, at the following address:

Bridget Asay, Esq., Chair

Advisory Committee on the Rules of Civil Procedure

BAsay@stris.com

b. Proposed Order Amending Rule 7(a)(7) of the 2020 Vermont Rules for Electronic Filing, and

Rule 32(a)(1)(E) of the Vermont Rules of Appellate Procedure

https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/PROPOSEDVREF7a7andVRAP32a1EFORCOMMENT

The simultaneously proposed amendments to Efiling Rule 7(a)(7) and Appellate Rule 32(a)(1)(E)

are to update the format requirements for electronic documents based on technical changes to

the electronic filing system. The rules currently preclude electronically filed documents or

appellate briefs from containing embedded hyperlinks or internal bookmarks because these

caused format errors that prevented documents from being properly processed. Due to system

changes, it is now permissible to include internal links, which point to other places within the

same document. For example, a link in the table of contents to that part of the document.

Therefore, the proposal deletes the restriction against including these internal links. The language

of the rest of the rule is clarified to indicate that external live links to other documents or

websites are still not permitted.

Comments on these proposed amendments should be sent by June 7, 2026, to Hon. John A.

Dooley (Ret.), Chair of the Advisory Committee on the Rules for Electronic Filing, at the following

address:

Honorable John A. Dooley, (Ret.), Chair

Advisory Committee on Rules for Electronic Filing

John.Dooley@vtcourts.gov

c. Proposed Order Amending Rule 55(a) of the Vermont Rules of Civil Procedure

https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/PROPOSEDVRCP55aFORCOMMENT

The proposed amendment to Rule 55(a) requires a movant to provide the legal basis for service

outside the state when default judgment is sought. Under V.R.C.P. 4(e), service outside the state

can be accomplished by complying with either the manner required for service within the state or

“in any manner in which service may be effected under the laws of the state in which the person

is served.” This amendment seeks to avoid delays in ascertaining proper service when a movant

seeks default judgment and claims that service was made in conformance with out-of-state rules.

The amendment puts the burden on the movant to provide the court with the statute or rule that

contains the service requirements.

Comments on this proposed amendment should be sent by June 7, 2026, to Bridget Asay, Esq.,

Chair of the Advisory Committee on the Rules of Civil Procedure, at the following address:

Bridget Asay, Esq., Chair

Advisory Committee on the Rules of Civil Procedure

BAsay@stris.com

III. STATE COURT ADMINISTRATOR DIRECTIVE

State Court Administrator Directive TC-6—2026 Update to Appendices to Rules 5 and 6 of the

Rules for Public Access to Court Records

https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/CourtAdministratorAdministrativeDirectiveTC6

This Directive was promulgated on April 1, 2026; effective immediately.

Vermont Rules for Public Access to Court Records 5 and 6 have accompanying appendices that

list provisions of statutes and court rules granting specific rights of access to otherwise nonpublic

information or limiting access to judicial branch case records. The Court Administrator is

obligated to update the appendices each year. This directive provides amendments to those

appendices.

IV. eFILE & SERVE AND PUBLIC PORTAL INFORMATION

eFile & Serve. eFile and Serve is the platform to electronically file with all Vermont courts.

https://vermont.tylertech.cloud/OfsWeb/Home

There is a new Family Division efiling code for OCS/DOL RISE referrals (pilot for LE and WN courts

currently) - Family Division new e-filing code Motion for RISE review-MRISEREV.

A new electronic filing code is now available for civil case filings: Motion for Partial Summary

Judgment. This filing code is fully tested and available for use by efilers.

Access user guides through the “User Guides” link in the “Self Help” window and Frequently

Asked Questions on the judiciary’s website at www.vermontjudiciary.org/efiling

Fees. Select the party you represent as the “person responsible for fees” in the fee section of the

filing process. Do not select more than one party or you will incur an additional efiling user fee.

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

Email Notification. If you are not receiving email notifications, see the information on the

suppression list Why was my email placed on the Suppression List? – eFile (zendesk.com). To

ensure proper delivery, please “safelist” your email

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

Vermont Judiciary Public Portal. The Public Portal allows you to view case files.

https://portal.vtcourts.gov/Portal

Registration is required for elevated access. The Public Portal User Guide contains instructions on

how to register and request elevated access.

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.

V. FILING OF EXHIBITS FOR EVIDENTIARY HEARING

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

Exhibit Labeling

Although there is no formal rule governing the labeling of exhibits, it is long-standing practice

that Plaintiff’s exhibits are labeled numerically (e.g., 1, 2, 3) and Defendant’s exhibits are labeled

alphabetically (e.g., A, B, C).

To ensure consistency and to avoid confusion in the record, filers are respectfully requested to

label their exhibits in accordance with this practice.

Additional guidance regarding exhibit labeling and electronic filing procedures is available in the

eFiling Guides published on the Vermont Judiciary website.

VI. MISCELLANEOUS

a. Court Forms

Court forms are constantly being updated and are available on the judiciary website

https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/court-forms

To report any form question or concern use the feedback form on the website

http://www.vermontjudiciary.org/website-feedback-form

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, including hearing notices and orders, to

attorneys by email using the email addresses registered in 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 eFile & 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.

General information on managing login credentials is available Microsoft Word - MANAGING

LOGIN CREDENTIALS v4 4-24

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.

e. Vermont Judiciary Migrating Virtual Hearing Capabilities

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

Supreme Court has fully transitioned and is using Zoom for remote hearings. More information

on participating in remote hearings can be found at Participating in Remote Hearings | Vermont

Judiciary

f. Standard Practices Feedback Form

The Judiciary Standard Practices Committee works to improve operations by developing standard

business practices throughout all divisions and units in the state. The committee invites members

of the bar to provide input through its Feedback and Suggestions Form, available on the

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

committees/standard-practices