Wanda I. Otero

Partner

Wanda has a 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 employer can enforce a non-competition agreement against a former at-will employee, even if the only consideration the at-will employee received for entering into the agreement was 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 counsels clients on 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.

Wanda’s practice also 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.

Originally from New York City, 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. She currently serves on the Board of the Vermont chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Education

Temple University Law School (J.D. 2001) (Law Review, Moot Court, Trial Team); State University at Albany (M.A. 1993); Wesleyan University (B.A. 1991)

Bar Admissions

Admitted to state and federal courts in Vermont, Pennsylvania and New York

Memberships

Vermont, Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations; Vermont and American Associations for Justice; Vermont ACLU; National Institute of Trial Advocacy Alumni Association; National Institute of Trial Advocacy Advocates Association