Middlebury Office
802-388-6356
Wanda I. Otero-Ziegler

Wanda Otero-Ziegler has an active litigation and appellate practice, focused on employment law for management and individual clients. She has successfully briefed and argued numerous cases before the Vermont Supreme Court, among them Summits, 7, Inc. v. Kelly, 178 Vt. 396 (2005), in which she persuaded the Court that an at-will employer can prevent future competition by an employee, by making the employee’s promise not to compete a condition of employment or continued employment. Wanda has drafted non-competes and other employment-related agreements for local businesses and for national employers for use throughout the United States. She often works with both employers and employees to assess risks in advance of employment decisions and has delved into the intricacies of the Fair Labor Standards Act, laws related to reductions in force, and other laws and regulations governing all aspects of the employer-employee relationship.

Another aspect of Wanda’s practice involves nursing home litigation, including claims of substandard care provided by nursing homes and assisted living facilities that have failed to protect elderly and frail residents against reasonably preventable injuries.

Wanda joined the firm in 2005 after clerking for the Hon. James T. Giles, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and then practicing for two years at another Vermont law firm. Originally from New York City, she currently serves on the Board of the Vermont chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.