Gov. Peter Shumlin announced Wednesday that he will appoint a Burlington-based attorney to fill one of Vermont’s judicial vacancies.
Tom Carlson, an attorney with the firm Langrock, Sperry and Wool, LLP, is the first name to come out of the process as the state moves to fill some superior court judge vacancies.
Carlson, a Hinesburg resident, has worked at his current firm for more than two decades, where he has handled a range of legal cases from family law to business litigation, according to a release from the Shumlin administration.
He completed mediation training at Harvard Law School and the Center for Dispute Resolution in Washington, D.C.
Carlson will replace Superior Court Judge Linda Levitt, who is retiring.
“Tom brings a long track-record of a diverse practice and profound legal and emotional intelligence,” Shumlin said in a statement. “His thoughtful presence, coupled with his deep sense of fairness, gifted writing, and proven record of service to the bar and his community will serve the Vermont judiciary well.”
There are currently four vacant judicial posts in Vermont, with two more due to open up when judges retire at the end of this month and the beginning of September, Judge Brian Grearson said in an interview last week.
The state is due to appoint three judges and one magistrate this summer, Grearson said.
The court system has seen significant delays in recent, in part because of the vacancies, and in part because there has been an increase in filings recently — particularly in cases on the juvenile docket, which take considerable resources and time, Grearson said.
