Sarah J. Butson

Sarah J. Butson is an Associate at DRM in Burlington, Vermont, who focuses on labor and employment law. She advises employers on compliance and human resources matters involving hiring, discipline, termination, reductions in force, wage and hour practices, investigations, and sexual harassment. Her practice also includes labor relations, management training, and employment litigation. She works with employers to address workplace issues before disputes escalate and to respond effectively when claims arise in court or before administrative agencies.

Sarah earned a J.D. from Northeastern School of Law, where she served as Online Forum Editor for the Northeastern Law Review and Finance Chair of the Student Bar Association. She received a B.A. in Political Science and English Literature from Principia College. Her academic background supports careful legal writing, policy analysis, and practical communication. Those skills are central to advising employers on changing workplace rules, documenting personnel decisions, evaluating risk, and presenting clear positions in employment disputes.

Sarah has defended employers in complex class and collective actions and represented clients in federal and state courts and administrative tribunals. Her matters have included wrongful discharge, discrimination, and wage and hour disputes. She has obtained a favorable Vermont Department of Labor determination, drafted severance agreements and workforce communications during restructurings, assisted with collective bargaining negotiations, and secured an arbitration decision upholding an employer’s termination for just cause. She previously practiced labor and employment law at an international firm in Boston.

Sarah J. Butson provides employers with a combination of counseling and litigation experience across day-to-day workplace management and higher-risk disputes. Her work helps clients structure employment decisions, investigate concerns, manage labor relationships, and defend claims under state and federal law. By pairing practical advice with courtroom and administrative experience, she supports employers in responding to immediate workforce problems while building policies and practices designed to reduce future conflict and maintain legal compliance.

Law Office Affiliations

• Attorney, Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC
• Member, Massachusetts Bar Association
• Member, New Hampshire Bar Association
• Member, Vermont Bar Association
• Secretary, Green Mountain Human Resources Association
• Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Opera House at Enosburg Falls
• Board Member, Miss Vermont Scholarship Organization
• Leadership Champlain Class, Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce (2024)
• Member, Vermont State SHRM Council
• Member, Vermont Ethics Commission
• Member, Society for Human Resource Management

Licensed State

• Massachusetts
• New Hampshire
• Vermont

Education

• Northeastern University School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Principia College
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Awards & Badges