Vermont Attorneys Paolini, Geise and Santos Honored at Justice Gala
December 2025
During our recent Justice Gala event in Burlington, we honored three members of the Vermont justice community for their service to low-income Vermonters with legal needs.
THE RICH CASSIDY AWARD:
Bob Paolini, Esq., Executive Director, Vermont Bar Association
The Justice Gala Awards Committee was thrilled to recognize the career of Bob Paolini with the inaugural Richard Cassidy Award. The award honors the legacy of Rich Cassidy, who devoted his legal career to expanding access to justice in Vermont. Since Rich channeled so much of his effort through the work of the Vermont Bar Association (VBA), it was especially fitting for Bob to receive this award. Through the many years of his leadership of the VBA, Bob has worked tirelessly to improve and expand access to legal services for disadvantaged Vermonters, through his advocacy in the Vermont State House and through ABA Day lobbying in Washington, through his contributions to the state’s Access to Justice Coalition, and especially in the VBA’s Access to Justice initiatives such as the Lo Bono and Incubator programs. We congratulate Bob and thank him for the legacy of his career in support of this critical cause.
About the Rich Cassidy Award
The Rich Cassidy award recognizes a member of Vermont’s legal community whose career has been devoted to promoting equal access to civil legal assistance for all Vermonters, regardless of income. Leadership in Access to Justice takes many forms, including organizational leadership, community and legislative advocacy, organizing and fundraising within the bar and in the broader community, and support for legal services agencies, all with the aim of making the legal system more accessible to those who cannot afford an attorney. The award recognizes the distinguished career of Rich Cassidy, who served tirelessly in many different leadership roles for decades in service of the principles of Access to Justice for all Vermonters.
THE SANDRA BAIRD AWARD:
Nancy Geise, Esq., Attorney at Kolvoord, Overton & Wilson, P.C.
We were especially pleased to recognize Nancy Geise’s untiring support for Legal Services Vermont’s Pro Bono program. Nancy represents clients seeking bankruptcy, and for many years she has been the foundation of LSV’s bankruptcy work. Low-income Vermonters seeking bankruptcy usually cannot afford to pay a lawyer, but it is especially difficult for unrepresented people to navigate the bankruptcy court process. Nancy has taken on a steady stream of clients referred from LSV, either pro bono or at a significantly reduced fee. In 2025 alone she took on 12 of these cases, a number she has replicated year after year. We are deeply grateful for her ongoing service and the generosity of her time in support of LSV’s clients.
About the Sandra Baird Award
The Sandra Baird award recognizes a member of Vermont’s legal community who has devoted their time and energy to providing direct pro bono legal assistance to low-income Vermonters. Pro bono service is critical to expanding access to justice, and support for pro bono attorneys is part of Legal Services Vermont’s core mission. The award recipient will exemplify devotion to providing critical legal support to low-income clients. The award recognizes the tireless career of Sandy Baird, who provided countless hours of pro bono assistance to Vermonters in need, and who for many years singlehandedly operated a free Saturday morning walk-in legal clinic at the Legal Services Vermont office.
THE GUEN GIFFORD AWARD:
David Santos, Esq. (Posthumus), Staff Attorney at Legal Services Vermont
Legal Services Vermont was honored to take the opportunity of the inaugural Guen Gifford Award to recognize the career of our longtime colleague David Santos, who passed away in 2024. We were honored to have his daughter, Maria, accept the award on his behalf. David—who worked together with Guen at LSV—was the backbone of our work representing people facing eviction. David devoted his entire career to working in legal services, in Rhode Island, Georgia, Massachusetts, and for many years in Vermont. A quick look at LSV’s case records shows that he represented low-income Vermonters in almost 15,000 cases. David never said no to a new case, and he was famous for taking on impossible situations (and winning them a good deal of the time). We miss his good humor and tireless devotion to our clients.
About the Guen Gifford Award
The Guen Gifford award recognizes a member of the staff at Legal Services Vermont or Vermont Legal Aid who has devoted their career to providing free legal assistance to vulnerable Vermonters. This award recognizes the tireless efforts of the heroes of Access to Justice, the front-line attorneys, paralegals and supporting staff in Vermont’s statewide legal services agencies who provide life-saving assistance to Vermonters in need, day in and day out, year after year, and whose passion and dedication makes a vital difference in the lives of thousands of people. The award is in grateful memory of Guen Gifford, a staff attorney at Legal Services Vermont whose work exemplified this passion and dedication to making justice a reality for people who are otherwise shut out of the legal system.