Attorney Profiles

RICHARD W. DARBY - Partner
RICHARD W. DARBY represents plaintiffs and defendants in general civil litigation; his practice includes commercial and residential real estate, corporate, banking, probate and estate planning, environmental and administrative law. Mr. Darby graduated from the United States Military Academy (B.S., 1966), and the University of Minnesota Law School (J.D., 1973). Mr. Darby was a Captain in the U.S. Army from 1966-1970. He is past Chairman of the Village of Waterbury Planning Commission and currently serves as a director of Revitalizing Waterbury, a director of the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, and a director of the Central Vermont Economic Development Commission. He was a partner in the law firms of Adams, Meaker & Darby from 1975-1980 and Adams, Darby & Laundon from 1980-1987.

ALAN THORNDIKE - Partner
ALAN THORNDIKE has a general civil practice, with concentration in commercial and residential real estate transactions and development, environmental and zoning matters, formation and operation of business entities, estate planning, probate, business and administrative law. Mr. Thorndike was educated at Deerfield Academy and Dartmouth College (B.A., 1968). He was a Ltjg. in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1970-1972. He graduated from the University of Maine School of Law (J.D., 1976) where he served as Associate Editor of the Maine Law Review. He has had leadership roles in the community as President of the Stowe Education Fund and President of the Stowe Rotary Club. Mr. Thorndike has been engaged in private practice since his admission to the Vermont Bar in 1977 and President of the Stowe Rotary Club, and currently serves as a Director of the Stowe Land Trust.

MARK H. KOLTER - Partner
MARK H. KOLTER represents plaintiffs and defendants in general civil litigation, including personal injury, workers' compensation, contract, property, business and probate matters. Mr. Kolter was educated at the University of Vermont (B.A., 1973; M.Ed., 1981) and Vermont Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1984). He was Law Clerk for the Vermont Trial Courts, 1984-1985 and is a member of the Vermont Bar Association and American Association for Justice. Mr. Kolter serves on the Board of Governors of the Vermont Trial Lawyers Association (1993 - Present), served as President of the Vermont Trial Lawyers Association (2001 - 2002), and has been a member since 1987. He was Chairperson of the Workers' Compensation Committee of the Vermont Bar Association (1995 - 1998), President of the Lamoille County Bar Association (1994 - 1998), and a member of the Vermont Bar Association Board of Managers (1999 - 2001).

SHEILA M. WARE - Partner
SHEILA M. WARE represents plaintiffs and defendants in civil litigation in personal injury, workers' compensation, probate, contract and real estate matters. Her transactional practice includes commercial and residential real estate. Ms. Ware graduated from Boston College (B.A., cum laude, 1974) and Suffolk University Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1978). She served as Law Clerk to Honorable Andrew A. Caffrey, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts from 1978-1980 and was an Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Vermont, from 1980-1985. Ms. Ware was a partner in Raphael & Ware in Waitsfield, Vermont from 1986-1994. She served as Director of Planning for Sugarbush Resort in Warren, Vermont from 1994-1995 and joined the firm in 1995. She has been a member of the Professional Responsibility Committee of the Vermont Bar Association since 1985. She served as its Co-Chairman from 2000-2001 and has been its Chairman since 2002. Ms. Ware has also served on the Board of Governors of the Vermont Trial Lawyers' Association since 2001. She is currently its President-Elect.

JAMES A. CAFFRY - Partner
JAMES A. CAFFRY has a general civil practice, which is focused on providing special needs planning for individuals and families living with disabilities. Vermont Special Needs Planning is a practice group within the firm. Mr. Caffry’s practice also includes traditional estate planning, estate administration, environmental law, zoning and land use litigation, real estate transactions, formation and operation of non-profit organizations, corporate law and business planning. Mr. Caffry graduated from the Northfield Mount Hermon School (1984) and Colgate University (B.A., 1988). He also graduated from Albany Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1994), and received a master's degree environmental law from Vermont Law School (M.S.E.L., magna cum laude, 1993). He is a member of the Special Needs Alliance, a national network of lawyers dedicated to disability and public benefits law, as well as the Vermont Autism Task Force, and the Autism Society of America. He is a past member of the Waitsfield Zoning Board of Adjustment and a past director of Mad River Valley Health Center in Waitsfield. Mr. Caffry was an Environmental Litigation Attorney for the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (1994-1997), and an Assistant General Counsel for the American Skiing Company (1997-2000). Mr. Caffry is also admitted to practice in New York.

CHRISTOPHER NORDLE - Partner
CHRISTOPHER J. NORDLE has a general civil practice with a focus in the areas of environmental law, zoning, land use litigation, and real estate transactions. His other practice areas include formation and operation of business entities, estate planning, estate administration and general civil litigation. He provides representation to clients before municipal panels, Act 250 District Commissions, the Environmental Court and the Probate Courts. Mr. Nordle has a degree in chemistry from Clark University (B.S., 1995) and graduated from Vermont Law School (J.D., cum laude, 2004) where he served as Senior Notes Editor and 2003 Summer Executive Editor for the Vermont Law Review. He also served on the Moot Court Advisory Board. Mr. Nordle is admitted to practice in the State of New Hampshire as well as the State of Vermont.

E. DARBY HERRINGTON - Associate
E. DARBY HERRINGTON has a general civil practice with a focus in several areas including family law.  Trained in Collaborative Law, Attorney Herrington represents men and women in family matters, including divorce, legal separation, civil union dissolution, pre- and post-nuptial agreements, spousal maintenance (alimony), property disputes, parentage, parental rights and responsibilities (child custody), parent-child contact (visitation), child support and modification/enforcement.  Her practice also includes commercial and residential real estate, estate planning, estate administration, corporate and business formation and planning, and general civil litigation.  Ms. Herrington graduated from the University of Vermont (B.S. 1995), and the University of Maine School of Law (J.D. 2000), where she served as a member of the Moot Court Board.  Ms. Herrington has been in private practice since 2001, as a sole practitioner in Manchester, Vermont from 2003-2008 and as an associate attorney at Winburn Law Offices in Manchester and Bennington, Vermont from 2001-2003.  Ms. Herrington is also admitted to practice law in Maine and is a member of the Vermont Bar Association and the Vermont Association for Justice.

AVERILL LAUNDON (OF COUNSEL)
AVERILL LAUNDON, of counsel to the firm, practices as Averill Laundon, PLC, with respect to commercial, corporate, securities, environmental, public utilities, and real estate law, and also serves clients with estate planning matters. Mr. Laundon was educated at Andover, Massachusetts (1956), Yale University (B.A., 1960); University of Southern California Law School and Yale University Law School (L.L.B., 1967). Mr. Laundon was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. He was an associate in the law firm of White & Case, LLP, New York, N.Y., 1967-1969 and Goodwin Procter LLP, Boston, Massachusetts, 1969-1972; and was General Counsel to the Vermont Public Service Board, 1972-1975. Mr. Laundon was a partner in the firm of Gilbert, Laundon & Mello, Burlington, Vermont, 1975-1977 and Darby Stearns Thorndike Kolter & Ware, LLP and predecessor firms, 1980-2000. Mr. Laundon is also admitted to practice in Massachusetts and New York. He is a member of the Vermont Bar Association.

GEORGE STEARNS (IN MEMORIAM)
GEORGE K. STEARNS practiced law in Stowe for 38 years and was a founding partner in the law firm of Stearns and Thorndike, one of the predecessor firms of Darby, Stearns, Thorndike, Kolter and Ware, LLP.
 Mr. Stearns was educated at The Taft School, Trinity College (B.A., 1971) and Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., 1974). He served as Chairman of the Town of Stowe Zoning Board of Adjustment, Chairman of the Board of Lamoille Home Health Agency and Hospice, and was a Trustee of Copley Health Systems. Mr. Stearns was also a founding director of the Stowe Land Trust..