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State research · Vermont

Child-centered divorce and custody lawyers in Vermont.

Three lawyers whose public records show meaningful child-focused work, substantial family-law depth, professional stature, and a useful first-party online presence.

Research reviewedAugust 17, 2026
01Editorial score92/100

Williston · Vermont

Nanci A. Smith

Nanci Smith Law

Smith’s background includes representing children as counsel and guardian ad litem, leading legal-services work and practicing family law exclusively for more than two decades. Her public materials describe a lower-conflict model that takes psychological risk to children seriously and seeks to preserve a workable parental relationship after divorce. She also has a litigation foundation, important because a child-centered practice must recognize when negotiation is unsafe or inadequate. Her teaching and bar leadership add professional credibility. The current website strongly emphasizes collaborative and mediated work, so prospective clients with a contested case should confirm scope, but it provides a detailed biography, substantive explanations and direct contact.

Why the children-first signal is real

Former counsel and GAL for children, substantial legal-aid leadership and public education on lower-conflict divorce, psychological risk and preserving workable parental relationships.

Divorce and custody depth

Practicing since 1992 and exclusively family law since 2005, with litigation, mediation and collaborative experience.

Professional stature

Family-law teaching, bar-section leadership and long service in access-to-justice organizations.

Children 29/30Case depth 24/25Stature 18/20Online presence 14/15License confidence 7/10
Visit attorney profile ↗Custody practiceContact the firm
Verification note and limitations

Status note: Prepublication exact-name verification required

Confirm that the firm currently accepts the needed form of contested representation; verify Vermont status and discipline.

02Editorial score88/100

Burlington · Vermont

Amber L. Barber

Barber & Waxman

Barber brings nearly three decades of exclusive family-law work across custody, visitation, complex divorce, mediation and litigation. Her public approach emphasizes solutions designed to remain workable for families after the case, and her involvement in military parental-rights legislation is a concrete signal of attention to parent-child continuity under difficult circumstances. Her professional stature is exceptional for Vermont: current materials report AAML Fellowship and Diplomate status in the American College of Family Trial Lawyers. The boutique firm site is clear and credible, with an individual profile and direct contact, although it offers fewer substantive child-focused resources than Smith’s site. That difference accounts for the second-place ranking.

Why the children-first signal is real

Public approach emphasizes sustainable family solutions, and her work on military parental-rights legislation reflects attention to parent-child continuity.

Divorce and custody depth

Exclusive family practice since 1998 covering custody, visitation, complex divorce, mediation and litigation.

Professional stature

AAML Fellow and American College of Family Trial Lawyers Diplomate reported on current professional materials.

Children 23/30Case depth 25/25Stature 20/20Online presence 13/15License confidence 7/10
Visit attorney profile ↗Custody practiceContact the firm
Verification note and limitations

Status note: Prepublication exact-name verification required

Verify Vermont status, professional memberships and discipline before publication.

03Editorial score84/100

Burlington · Vermont

Michelle A. Tarnelli

Tarnelli & Hughes

Tarnelli’s practice covers contested and settled family matters while also offering an interdisciplinary collaborative model. Her public materials discuss family-focused parenting plans, and her work in adoption and assisted reproduction broadens her understanding of how legal parenthood and child relationships are formed. She also handles appeals, adding depth when a case presents unusual legal issues. The child-centered evidence is meaningful but less distinctive than Smith’s direct child-representation background, and the professional-stature record is not as strong as Barber’s. Even so, her first-party biography and family-law page are clear and useful, and a Vermont collaborative-practice directory provides additional corroboration.

Why the children-first signal is real

Collaborative and interdisciplinary practice with family-focused parenting plans and experience in adoption and assisted-reproduction matters.

Divorce and custody depth

Contested, settled and collaborative divorce and family-law matters, including appeals and parenting disputes.

Professional stature

Long family-law practice and recognized collaborative-divorce participation.

Children 25/30Case depth 23/25Stature 15/20Online presence 14/15License confidence 7/10
Visit attorney profile ↗Custody practiceContact the firm
Verification note and limitations

Status note: Prepublication exact-name verification required

Verify Vermont status, discipline and the current balance of contested versus collaborative work.

Before you hire anyone

A shortlist is the beginning of diligence, not the end.

Kids First Divorce is an independent editorial publication. We do not represent you, refer you to counsel, certify any lawyer, or predict any result. Selection is based on publicly available information reviewed as of the date shown.

Confirm the lawyer’s current license and disciplinary history with the official state authority. Interview the lawyer about conflicts, fees, availability, geographic coverage, relevant experience, strategy, and whether their approach fits your family’s actual facts.

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