by Bob Paolini, Esq.
Interview with Sophie Zdatny
May 23, 2014
Bob Paolini: Sophie, I know you spoke at
the last VBA meeting but I think there are
a number of people in the bar that don’t
know you. Tell us a little bit about you. I
know you work for Dinse, Knapp & McAndrew in Burlington. How long have you
been there?
Sophie Zdatny: I joined Dinse in January 2009. My husband and I moved to Vermont six years ago when my husband took
a position at the University of Vermont. We
lived in West Virginia for fourteen years
before moving to Vermont. I received my
JD from West Virginia University College
of Law and practiced law in Morgantown
for several years. I was also an adjunct lecturer at the law school for several semesters. After a two-year federal clerkship with
Judge Irene Keeley of the Northern District
of West Virginia, I worked in a three-lawyer firm, specializing in employment law.
My interest in access to justice was sparked
by the multi-generational rural poverty in
West Virginia and its associated legal challenges, as well as my work with immigration clients.
BP: At some point you joined the Vermont Bar Foundation Board. Do you remember how that came about?
SZ: There was a vacancy on the board,
which I applied