199 Main Street
Burlington, VT 05401
dir: 802-846-8326
Tenacious litigator focused on defending businesses.
Walter Judge represents businesses in the state and federal courts of Vermont, Massachusetts, and Maine in commercial matters (contract disputes, unfair competition, etc.), intellectual property litigation (enforcement of copyright, trademark, and trade secret rights) and in products liability and personal injury defense. He defends retail establishments, premises owners, trucking companies, institutions, and individuals against negligence and personal injury claims. In 2019 Walter obtained a $3.6 million jury verdict in federal court on behalf of an aviation company against a competitor. He is a member of several prestigious legal and trial organizations, such as ABOTA, FDCC, IADC, and DRI. Walter also chairs DRM’s Food & Beverage Law Practice Group.
Walter has tried twenty one cases to jury verdict in federal and state courts. In his intellectual property practice, he protects businesses against trademark and trade secret theft by ex-employees. In his product liability practice, he defends manufacturers of automobiles, food products, toy and recreation equipment, construction materials, consumer goods, and pharmaceuticals. In his transportation practice, he has defended large trash haulers against accident and personal injury claims. And in his retail and premises liability practice, he defends stores and property owners against slip/trip-and-fall-type claims. Walter represents businesses in consumer fraud claims brought by the state and private parties. He also conducts trials and appeals in both state and federal courts, as well as mediations and arbitrations.
Walter has also presided over numerous contested cases as an acting Small Claims judge in the Vermont court system.
Walter has been successfully trying liability cases for almost three decades and most recently Walter has:
- Won a $3.66 million jury verdict in federal court for a business client. This commercial verdict was the 61st largest in the United States in 2019.
- Won many defendant’s verdicts for supermarkets against customer’s trip-and-fall claim.
- Obtained low verdict for supermarket against customer’s permanent brain injury claim from falling shelf.
- Won defendant’s verdict for trash hauler against personal injury claim and won the subsequent appeal.
- Has won numerous defendant’s verdicts for retailers, private individuals, and product manufacturers against liability claims.
- Won $25 million judgment for trade secret theft against ex-employee and his new employer.
Walter also frequently provides updates and alerts regarding changes to the law that could impact his clients' business.
Boston College Law School, J.D., cum laude, 1990
Columbia University, M.A. International Affairs, Presidential Scholar, 1987
Colby College, B.A., History, 1982
Massachusetts, 1990
Maine, 1991
Vermont, 1992
- American Bar Association, 1991
- Defense Research Institute (DRI), Member and former State Representative for Vermont
- International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC)
- Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC)
- Tri-State Defense Lawyers Association (Maine, NH, and Vermont), founding member
- Vermont Bar Association, various committee leaderships
- American Board of Trial Advocates
- Listed in Best Lawyers in America © 2021
- Chambers USA: Leading Lawyer in Vermont
- Listed in Best’s Directory of Insurance Defense Attorneys
- New England Super Lawyers®, 2010-2020
- Elected by Vermont Bar to the VT. Judicial Nominating Board, which screens candidates for all state judgeships
- Leadership Champlain, 1997
- Various non-profit boards
German
- VT Federal Court Rules in Favor of Vermont and Against Alleged Patent Troll in Preliminary Decision
- DRM Litigation Partner Walter Judge Submits Amicus Brief To Vermont Supreme Court In Products Liability Case
- Walter Judge Authors Top 10 Legal Blog Post for October
- History Sniffing: Updates On Current Litigation
- Mansfield Heliflight, Inc. v. Freestream Aircraft USA, Ltd., 2019 WL 5081061 (D. Vt. Oct. 10, 2019)
- Underwood v. Risman, 414 Mass. 96, 605 N.E.2d 832 (1993) (lead paint/landlord-tenant/consumer protection)
- Vermont Microsystems, Inc. v. Autodesk, Inc., 88 F.3d 142 (2d Cir. 1996) (trade secrets/computer software)
- White v. Quechee Lakes Landowners’ Association, Inc., 170 Vt. 25, 742 A.2d 734 (1999) (indemnification/products liability)
- McKinnon v. F.H. Morgan & Co., Inc., 170 Vt. 422, 750 A.2d 1026 (2000) (choice-of-law/products liability)
- Smith & Croyle, LLC v. Ridgewood Power Corporation, 111 F. Supp. 2d 77 (D. Mass. 2000) (contract/fraud/consumer protection)
- Macia v. Microsoft Corporation, et al., 152 F. Supp. 2d 535 (D. Vt. 2001) (trademark infringement)
- Pcolar v. Casella Waste Systems, Inc., 2012 VT 58, 192 Vt. 343, 59 A.3d 702 (2012) (personal injury/negligence)
- Bindrum v. NuQuest Bridge Pointe, 2016 VT Unpub. Lexis 150 (August 19, 2016) (professional negligence/Medicare)
199 Main Street
Burlington, VT 05401ph: 802-863-2375
dir: 802-846-8326
cell: 802-343-6887
wjudge@drm.com
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