The NH Bar Association...Gives You Practice Tools

One of the most valuable services of Bar membership is the free legal research library Casemaker, with caselaw, statutes, and more for all 50 states plus an extensive federal law library. If you havent been to Casemaker for awhile, check it out as it has vastly improved in the past couple of years. Casemaker ELITE is a new interface soon to be the standard for all Bar members that offers Google-like simplicity of searching and the ability to create your own library of saved searches, notations on documents and searches filed by client. Visit the Bars homepage for a link to your legal research portal.

The Lawyer Referral Service of the NH Bar Association supplements any law firms marketing efforts. LRS directs clients potential clients who call the LRS Hotline or fill out an online referral request to LRS panel members in their chosen geographic region and area of practice, all for a low annual membership fee and share 10 percent of net collected fees.

Trained and experienced Lawyer Referral Service staff members screen potential clients, saving you valuable administrative time.

Last year, LRS fielded more than 6,000 calls and referred nearly 2,800 cases. Contact Robin Brown for more information.

Law Practice Management Tools and Law Practice Tips & Resources are two information-packed areas in the For Members area of the website to help you manage your practice.

The Bar Association helps you with tools to guide you in the substance of your practice, including the Practice & Procedure Handbook, published by the NHBACLE program and updated every two years. The Real Property Sections annually updated Real Estate Title Standards is one example of section-produced materials that help attorneys with specific practice-area information. Join a Section to ensure you are in the know.

Cash flow is a key issue for any private practice attorney. The NH Bar Association has partnered with Law Pay Credit Card Solutions to provide low-cost merchant accounts which allow you to take credit card payments in your office, over the phone and online. The service not only allows you to accept credit cards, but it also ensures that your payments comply with trust account compliance regulations, allowing you to focus on more important things.

Autumn isnt just back-to-school time for students; that applies to Bar members, too. Thats because each September the Bar Center opens up its doors to provide members with presentations and facilitated discussions on practical topics in law practice management. This year, presentations include networking best practices, law office accounting, document management, and more.

Also forming this year is a Solo/small firm networking group that will meet monthly to discuss topics of mutual interest. Contact ranocibar@nhbar.org for more information.

The NH Bar Association Keeps You Up-to-Date

For New Hampshire lawyers, by New Hampshire lawyers; thats NHBACLE. Dedicated to providing low-cost continuing legal education programs on topics are chosen by your peers on the NHBACLE Committee. NHBACLE live programs offer more amenities than commercial providers, including meals and refreshments, plus the chance to interact with colleagues. NHBACLE also offers a full array of programming through alternative formats such as webcasts, podcasts and DVDs.

Sections provide members with many ways to connect with colleagues in their practice area. At meetings or on the listservs, section members exchange information on new developments in the law, share updates on pending or recent legislation, and educate each other on best practices. Over 2,000 members currently belong to one or more of the Bars 21 sections.

The Bar News, a professionally edited publication, is the foundation for the Bars communications efforts. Each issue is filled with the NH legal news you will find nowhere else; court and state agency updates, features and news about people in the legal community, and practice-area articles. Each issue includes summaries and listings of court decisions, classified ads and information about Bar Association services, benefits and programming.

Delivered to more than 7,000 email inboxes each Wednesday afternoon, including Bar members, and paralegals and support staff, the e-Bulletin features breaking news updates, event listings, and Suggested Reading links to timely articles from a variety of sources, the e-Bulletin provides a lively briefing on whats important and interesting in the legal profession in NH and beyond.

nhbar.org is updated daily with news, upcoming events, Ethics opinions, legal-related articles, and hosts comprehensive pages devoted to all Association programs and services. nhbar.org is also your gateway to the Member Directory and Casemaker.

Published quarterly online (print editions available), the NH Bar Journal publishes thoughtful and in-depth articles on New Hampshire law and jurisprudence. Themed issues provide clusters of articles on specific topics. The popular Lex Loci column surveying recent NH Supreme Court opinions is now written by David Ruoff.

In an effort to serve members where they are, the Bar participates in social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. These sites build the community of the Bar and offer members new ways to interact.

The Bar Association Speaks for the Profession

Within the confines of court decisions regarding permissible activity by a unified bar association, the NHBA Board of Governors and the Legislation Committee monitor proposed legislation of interest to the profession and the administration of justice. In a few selected cases, the Bar, based on a vote of the Board of Governors and with input from concerned members of the Bar or Sections, takes an advocacy position on legislation or funding issues.

Through the Committee on Cooperation with the Courts, Sections, periodic bench-bar meetings, and other venues and forums, the Bar communicates on behalf of the profession with all levels of our courts, state and federal. The Bar provides a central clearinghouse for the courts and for executive branch agencies to receive feedback on initiatives or problems.

The Bar Association regularly fields inquiries from local and national (and even international) news media, seeking expertise on specific NH legal issues. These queries are referred to attorneys with appropriate expertise or, in the case of profession-wide issues or NH Bar policy questions, to the Bar President as the official spokesperson. The NH Bar also solicits and coordinates Bar volunteers for public speaking engagements, produces public information materials on the law, and helps communicate how lawyers are contributing to their community through pro bono service and community involvement.

Through administration of the Public Protection Fund (PPF) established by Supreme Court Rule 55 and funded through member fees, the Bar Association enables the provision of some compensation to clients who have suffered losses due to rare instances of attorney theft. The PPF is a mechanism that demonstrates the professions commitment to accountability. Also, the Bar Association operates the Dispute Resolution Committee, which provides attorneys and clients with a voluntary process for resolving disputes.

The Bar Association participates in ABA entities to communicate the voice of NH lawyers in national legal circles. The Bar Association also represents the profession as a whole in dealings with legal and other professional organizations on joint endeavors or communications.

The NH Bar Association Preserves the Culture of NH Practice

Every day, the New Hampshire Bar Association promotes a higher standard of professionalism and collegiality among the membership. The Ethics Committee, through its formal opinion work and its informal advisory service, conducting annual Professionalism Day events, pricing CLE and meetings to cover costs and promote the widest possible attendance at live programs these are a few of the ways that the NHBA, every day, promotes professionalism.

Portions of the Bars website are dedicated to tools that provide guidelines for conduct the Litigation Guidelines, Professionalism Creed, and the Bars section listserves facilitate members helping members to stay up to date and to provide the best possible service to their clients.

The Bar Association, from the first day of a members admission, strives to make members feel they are special as members of the NH Bar Association. The Bar Association, in conjunction with its New Lawyers Committee and with the support of the Judicial Branch, conducts receptions after admissions ceremonies. The New Lawyers Committee conducts an ongoing mentor program to provide new lawyers (or those new to a practice area) with one-on-one support, orientation and encouragement, and an annual Meet & Greet reception, as well as other events.

The major meetings of the Association the must-attend Midyear Meeting, this year on March 7, and the more casual atmosphere of the Annual Meeting at the start of summer provide invaluable opportunities for members to celebrate the special character of the New Hampshire Bar Association. The Midyear Meeting, in particular, has benefitted from subsidies by the NHMCLE Board that have helped to reduce the cost and increased attendance of Bar members from all sectors. The Midyear and Annual Meetings feature award presentations and recognition of members special status honorary 50-year members and members of the judiciarythat reinforce the sense of community for NH lawyers.

The Bar Association treats every members call with care. In fact, the Bar Center strives to live-answer all calls made to its Member Hotline at 603 715-EASY (3279.) Members are encouraged to call the Bar Association if they are need but do not know where to turn. Friendly, prompt response is our goal for each inquiry, whether by email, phone or in person.

Your NH Bar Leverages Your Public Service

More than 18,000 hours of legal services were contributed by Bar members last year through the Pro Bono Referral Program. The Pro Bono Referral Program, in conjunction with Bar leaders, the Judicial Branch, executive and legislative branch, social services agencies and community funders, to assess legal services needs and the changing legal and administrative environment. This enables the Pro Bono program to innovate in new methods of legal services delivery and to identify new opportunities for volunteer service.

The staff of the Pro Bono program strive to not just place cases with volunteer attorneys, but to make sure that the cases are geared to the lawyers ability and experience, that support services and mentoring are available, and that the attorneys have the necessary information to work on the case. Ginny Martin, Associate Executive Director for Legal Services, oversees Pro Bono. Contact her at 603-715-3221 or gmartin@nhbar.org.

Volunteering through the Bar Association also includes service on Law Related Education programs such as We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, We the People: Project Citizen, and A Lawyer and Judge in Every School. These established, well-regarded programs provide Bar members with structured opportunities and resources to share their knowledge of law and government with students throughout New Hampshire. This year, in conjunction with the NH Bar Foundation, the "Civics in Action" program aimed at adults was launched.

Robin E. Knippers coordinates the Bars Law Related Education programming. Reach her at 603-715-3259 or at reknippers@nhbar.org.

At www.nhbar.org, visit For Members and click on "Public Service Opportunities" to find out how you can volunteer through the Bar Association.

There are many different ways to volunteer your legal services even if you are not in private practice. Contact Ginny Martin, Associate Executive Director for Legal Services to find out more.

Your NH Bar Helps You Practice Safely, Competently

A crucial service for Bar members is provided by the hard-working volunteers of the NHBA Ethics Committee who provide guidance on compliance with the NH Rules of Professional Conduct in several ways:

• Formal opinions, often on timely topics of wide interest;

 
• Ethics Corner articles answer frequently-occurring questions of ethics and proper attorney conduct;

 
• Informal consultations with Bar members as issues arise. (Contact Ethics Committee liaison Rose Anocibar at 603 715-3214 or at ranocibar@nhbar.org to be referred to an available committee member.

The NH Bars New Lawyers Committee pairs lawyers new to the legal profession or to a practice area with experienced practitioners. The Pro Bono Referral program relies on mentors to assist Pro Bono volunteers when special expertise is needed.

Experienced Bar members serve on the Dispute Resolution Committee which provides voluntary, free mediation services for attorneys in disputes with clients or other attorneys. Contact staff liaison Denice DeStefano for more information.

Part of practicing safely and competently is staying current on the law. The NHBA•CLE program provides continuing legal education for NH lawyers, by NH lawyers with lower-than-market registration fees. Section services such as listservs, programming and publications provide timely and authoritative practice area information.

Click on NHBA•CLE on the website. For section information, contact coordinator Patty Frechette.

Practicing safely means being protected. The NHBA Insurance Agency offers expertise and guidance at the Bar Center from Sue Morand, an insurance professional dedicated to your needs. At www.nhbar.org, visit NHBA Insurance Agency or contact Sue Morand.

Your NH Bar Keeps Track of You

Keeping track of members' contact information, answering questions about the practice status of members, keeping track of NHMCLE credits, and issuing member ID cards may not be glamorous tasks, they are a necessary and important part of the work of your Bar Association.

With more than 5,000 active-status members, NHBA member information changes daily. Attorneys switch firms, law offices relocate, home addresses change, email addresses are added.

The Bar regularly reminds members to keep their member record up to date as important communications from both the Bar Association and the Court rely on the NHBA database. The Bar promptly responds to requests for "letters of good standing" and inquiries from the public regarding the practice status of members.

The Bar Association is zealous in protecting member information and does not provide electronic files of its membership list for any commercial purpose. (A strict policy governs the sale of one-time use mailing labels to legal-oriented vendors. Members may opt-out of inclusion on lists provided to vendors. Contact slakeway@nhbar.org for more information.)

The Bar Association now produces member ID cards produces member ID Cards periodically upon payment of dues, and issues them to all newly admitted members. These ID cards can be used in a variety of situations. A pilot project allowing attorneys with special credentials expedited access to the courthouse, developed in collaboration with Hillsborough County Sheriff James Hardy, is working well at the superior court locations in Nashua and now Manchester.

It is hoped that this program can be expanded to other court sites.

For efficiency, the Bar Center, under an agreement with the NH Supreme Court Minimum Continuing Legal Education Board, administers Supreme Court Rule 53. In recent years, the Bar Association has strived to make the SC Rule 53 compliance process more member-focused. Members can check their compliance status by viewing their online record through the website.

We are eager to take your call. Bar members are encouraged to use the Member Hotline at 603 715-3279 (EASY).