vhalley@cainhibbard.com

Pittsfield
Tel 413-443-4771
Fax 413-443-7694
DD 413-629-1310

Vanessa practices in the areas of intellectual property protection and licensing, technology and Internet law, corporate and business counseling, civil litigation and nonprofit law.

Vanessa was raised in New York City and the Berkshires, having attended high school at Mount Everett in Sheffield , MA . After spending a number of years traveling and studying abroad, Vanessa received a Bachelor of Arts in Russian Language and Literature, and Political Science, with High Distinction from the University of Toronto (Trinity College). She returned to the Berkshires and in 2006, Vanessa received a Juris Doctor magna cum laude from the Western New England College School of Law. Vanessa served as Editor-in-Chief of the Western New England Law Review, and received numerous awards during the course of her studies, including the American Law Institute-American Bar Association's Scholarship and Leadership Award.

Vanessa has a solid background in litigation, having worked as a Staff Attorney with the Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services, and having interned with both state and federal judges. She also has considerable experience in music licensing, having served as Director of Licensing and Distribution of a small music publishing, recording and arts management label, and she spent a summer on a joint internship with the Canadian company The Co-operators and the prominent Canadian law firm, Lang Michener.

In the Community

In addition to being a lawyer, Vanessa is a singer and spends much of her spare time performing and recording with professional and semi-professional choirs. Vanessa also serves on the Human Rights Committee at Gould Farm. She lives in Monterey with her husband, Shaylan Burkhart, and their son, Wyn Christopher.