Gov. Peter Shumlin appointed Huntington attorney Brian Valentine to fill Magistrate Judge Shelley Gartner’s seat on bench of the Family Division of Vermont’s Superior Courts.
Valentine is a partner in the Burlington law firm Mickenberg, Dunn, Lacks & Smith, PLC. His practice centers on family law, including collaborative divorce, since 1995 according to a news release. He is a chairman for the Collaborative Law Section of the Vermont Bar Association and has been appointed by the Vermont Supreme Court as the Family Bar’s representative to the Vermont Council on Domestic Violence since 2012.
Valentine volunteers in the Chittenden Family Court as a guardian ad litem – a third party appointed by the court to advocate for the best interests of a child in a divorce or parental rights and responsibilities case. He also volunteers as an instructor of the pro se divorce education course, which teaches participants in divorce cases to represent themselves if they cannot or choose not to use a lawyer.
“Brian’s passion for helping Vermonters faced with the difficult circumstances of family court litigation, combined with his thoughtful demeanor, strong intellect, and range of experience will serve the Vermont Judiciary very well,” Shumlin said in the release.
“As a family lawyer, I have always derived great satisfaction in assisting my clients in navigating through difficult patches of road in their lives. As a Family Division Magistrate, I look forward to being of broader service to Vermonters, treating them with dignity, listening to their voices, and being fair and clear in making decisions that impact their families,” said Valentine in the release.
Valentine is married to Kirstin Schoonover, who Shumlin appointed to the Vermont trial bench earlier this week.
