Governor Peter Shumlin announced July 30 that he will appoint attorney John Valente, a shareholder and director at the Rutland law firm of Ryan, Smith, and Carbine, Ltd., to the Vermont Superior Court. Valente fills the seat left open by the retirement of Judge David Suntag.
Valente’s practice currently centers around workers’ compensation, employment, and business disputes. He also has a mediation practice and has previously handled property, contract, and civil claims. He is the current chair of the Vermont Municipal Bond Bank, and a member of the Vermont Capital Debt Affordability Advisory Committee. He also serves on the Rutland Economic Development Corporation board, and is a prior chair of the boards of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and the Rutland Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Shumlin praised Valente’s “compassion, fairness, and a long-standing family commitment to our legal system.” Rutland-born Valente is the son of former Vermont trial judge Silvio Valente, also a Rutland native, who served as a Vermont judge for 24 years.
“I am greatly honored that Governor Shumlin has chosen me to serve on the Superior Court,” said Valente. “Our system of justice affects people’s lives on a daily basis and with that comes great responsibility: to be neutral, to be committed to the rule of law and to the administration of justice. I am humbled by this opportunity to serve my fellow Vermonters, as my father did for over two decades.”
John Valente is a graduate of Boston College and Suffolk University School of Law.
