Doug DiSabito’s Path to Becoming an Elected Attorney
In his role as a State’s Attorney, Doug DiSabito is the chief law enforcement officer of his county. He is responsible for overseeing all appeals to the Vermont Supreme Court and the prosecution of criminal and juvenile cases within Grand Isle County, Vermont.
DiSabito loves working within Vermont’s Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs—but getting to this point in his career wasn’t easy. He says he can trace back much of his success as a prosecutor to his education at Concord Law School.
“I can’t speak highly enough of Concord,” DiSabito says. “Without Concord Law School, I would not be where I am today in my law career.”
How DiSabito Found Concord Law School
In 1998, DiSabito graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Castleton University. He was interested in exploring law school, but few options were available in his area. Having moved to Grand Isle County, Vermont, shortly after completing his undergraduate degree, he found the only law school in Vermont was now a two-hour drive from his home.
While searching online for information on law degrees, DiSabito came across Concord Law School. “I soon decided that this is something I wanted to do,” he says. In 2003, he enrolled in Concord Law School’s Juris Doctor program.
The Learning Experience
DiSabito describes his first year at Concord Law School as a wake-up call. He remembers failing the first quiz in his contract law class and fighting the urge to become discouraged. “I knew I needed to have a different mentality,” he says.
DiSabito’s perseverance paid off. At the end of his first year, he passed the First-Year Law Students’ Examination administered by the State Bar of California.
What DiSabito remembers most fondly from his experience at Concord is the lectures. “We didn’t have video at the time, but you could type in questions for the professors. It was amazing being able to learn from lecturers who were so knowledgeable about their topics.”
Transitioning Into a Legal Career
In 2006, DiSabito began working as a court officer in a Grand Isle County courthouse. He was still attending law school at the time, and says that the flexibility of his online courses was what allowed him to balance work and school.
He graduated from Concord Law School in 2007 and flew out to California to take the bar exam. The California Bar Exam is notoriously challenging, with only 43% of applicants from California-accredited schools passing on the first attempt, according to data released by the State Bar of California. In order to pass at the time, you needed to score at least 1440 out of 2000—and DiSabito received a 1439.9521.
Luckily, DiSabito’s education from Concord Law School allowed him to accelerate the process of becoming eligible for the Vermont Bar Exam. “Normally, I would have been required to complete a four-year law office study program. But since I already held a JD degree from Concord, I received a two-year credit toward my office study.”
After completing two years of work under a Vermont superior court judge, DiSabito sat for the Vermont Bar Exam and was admitted to the bar in 2011.
Reaching New Heights
Currently, DiSabito serves Grand Isle County as a State’s Attorney. He was elected to the position in 2014, after beating a three-term incumbent in a contested primary. “Due to the tense nature of the transition, I really stepped into this job without much guidance or support,” DiSabito says. “I think my success in this role shows how well Concord Law School prepared me. I’ve been in this position for over seven years now, and I’m up for reelection again in the fall.”
DiSabito is the first openly gay State’s Attorney in Vermont, as well as the first State’s Attorney in Vermont to complete their Juris Doctor fully online.
“I’m an elected prosecutor and chief law enforcement officer of my county, and I wear my Concord alumni badge proudly.”
Earn Your JD From Concord Law School
Whether you’re looking to become a practicing attorney or simply want to apply legal knowledge to your current career field, Concord Law School can help you reach your goals.
Our Juris Doctor program is designed to help you become a licensed attorney in California, while our Executive Juris Doctor program provides an advanced legal education to those who are not looking to practice law.*
Individual online law classes are also available from Concord Law School. To learn more, request information today.