Vermont Small Business Law Center outlines 2024 legal needs, referral program and emerging industries

Nicole Colloren, director of the Vermont Small Business Law Center and Clinic at Vermont Law and Graduate School, told the Vermont House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development on Jan. 31 that her program provides statewide legal assistance and education to small businesses and has seen several recurring legal trends in 2024.

The Small Business Law Center provides three core services: educational consults, a paid attorney-referral program run with the Vermont Bar Association, and public educational events. “We provide access to legal services for small businesses,” Colloren said, adding that the center also uses a low-bono panel of about 40 firms and “we pay for up to 10 hours of services, no cost to the business.”

Colloren said the center received intake requests from almost 300 businesses in 2024, completed educational consults with 149, and placed or began placing 168 businesses with attorneys through the referral system. Another 39 were signed up for educational consults through April 15, and the center delivered more than 80 educational presentations and flood clinics last year.

Why it matters: Committee members pressed for details about the program’s reach and how…