Kurt Hughes

Kurt Hughes is a Vermont attorney who focuses on divorce, adoption, assisted fertility, guardianships, and family law at Tarnelli & Hughes. He entered private practice in 1988 after serving as a prosecutor in the Chittenden County State’s Attorney’s Office. His work includes settlement-focused guidance and courtroom advocacy when needed. He has helped clients move through divorce, parentage, adoption, and family formation matters with clear advice, careful preparation, and steady support during difficult legal transitions in settled and litigated cases across Vermont courts and hearings.

Kurt earned his J.D. from Vermont Law School and his B.A. from Colgate University. He is admitted to practice in Vermont, the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont, and New Jersey, where his license is inactive. His legal training supports work involving family disputes, parentage rights, probate guardianships, adoption procedures, and assisted reproductive technology. He applies that background to cases requiring careful planning, strong documentation, and practical judgment for clients seeking secure family outcomes.

Kurt has represented clients in hundreds of adoption matters since Vermont’s adoption statute was enacted in 1996. His experience includes adoptive parent representation, birth parent representation, agency work, interstate adoptions under ICPC, contested termination of parental rights litigation, stepparent adoptions, and adult adoptions. He has also assisted families with gestational surrogacy, gamete donation, embryo donation, and parentage orders. His work helps clients understand their rights, meet legal requirements, and protect family relationships through accurate, timely legal action and guidance.

Kurt Hughes has also contributed to broader legal change in Vermont family law. In 2018, he helped write a major update to Vermont’s Parentage Act, which improved legal security for families using surrogacy and other assisted reproductive technologies. He has supported confirmatory adoption legislation and served in professional groups focused on adoption, assisted reproduction, trial advocacy, and family law. Kurt continues to help families resolve sensitive legal matters with professional skill and client-focused service in Vermont courts and planning.

Law Office Affiliations

• Attorney, Tarnelli & Hughes
• Fellow, Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys
• Member, American Bar Association
• Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
• Member, American Society for Reproductive Medicine
• Member, Chittenden County Bar Association
• Member, Vermont Bar Association

Licensed State

• Vermont
• New Jersey

Education

• Vermont Law School
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Colgate University
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Awards & Badges