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Bar News - December 13, 2002 Putting Aside Precedent to Pursue the Arts By: Lisa Segal NH Superior Court Judge Philip Hollman, after 17 years on the bench, retires with plans to explore the world of art and music. INSTEAD OF LAW books, legal briefs and contentious cases, NH Superior Court Judge Philip Hollman's days will now be filled with paintings, sculpture and symphonies. Hollman retired Dec. 7 after 17 years as a Superior Court judge. On senior retired judge status, he will assist the court system by hearing cases periodically, but will be freed up to spend his retirement immersing himself in more aesthetic endeavors. He plans to enroll in several college courses in the humanities, art and music, as well as taking a class at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. He also plans to do more reading and travelling. "I'm 65 years old and have been a judge for over 17 years. Although I enjoy judging and the practice of law - I find the law a fascinating profession - there are other things I want to do now," Hollman said. On senior status, Hollman will be able to enjoy the best of both worlds; he will sit on cases on an "as needed and as desired basis," allowing him time to pursue other interests while still serving as judge. "It's a nice compromise," he said. Hollman is already slated to sit full-time in Rockingham County for the months of February and March 2003. Considering Hollman's fondness for the arts, his retirement plans are no surprise. Those who know him know of his enjoyment of singing, particularly of writing song lyrics. Hollman sang with fellow judges Bernard Hampsey and Linda Dalianis (when she was a Superior Court judge) as the "Gate City Mama & Her Papas," a vocal group that would "periodically entertain" at various gatherings. Also, about eight years ago, Hollman and some fellow Superior Court judges wrote and performed a musical comedy skit titled "Disbarment at Elsinore: The Trials and Tribulations of Hamlet's Lawyer" at a meeting of the Daniel Webster Chapter of the Inns of Court. (Hollman was the first president of that chapter, which was the first NH Inn of Court.) The skit went on to win several honors at the national competition of the American Inns of Court. Hollman later expanded the skit into a three-act musical comedy that he and nine other Superior Court judges performed at a tri-state judges' conference. Professionally, in addition to a lengthy career on the Superior Court bench, Hollman represented the Superior Court on the Judicial Council, at the request of then-Chief Justice Joseph Nadeau, for four years in the 1990s and on the NH Certified Mediation Board for three years, also during the '90s. (The Mediation Board develops regulations for certified marital mediators.) Hollman served as the first administrative justice of the Superior Court's marital division from 1994 to 1996, before the Family Division had been established. Hollman has also played a key role in the NHBA's Gender Equality Committee, becoming one of its first members when it was established 14 years ago. He still serves on that committee and will continue to do so in retirement. He said he joined the committee because he saw inequities in the way female attorneys are treated in comparison to their male counterparts. With a daughter in law school, Hollman identified a personal interest in the status of women in the profession. "The goal is that women in the Bar have the same standing as men in the Bar. That status hasn't yet been attained," he said. While there has been progress, Hollman still sees gender inequality in the practice of law in New Hampshire - particularly when it comes to salaries. "Gender inequality exists nowhere near the extent to which it did 10 years ago - great strides have been made - but there are obviously still differences that need addressing, especially regarding economic issues. When you look at what female attorneys earn versus what males earn, there are still substantial differences," he said. Hollman said that through his work on the bench and on various professional committees, he has been able to work "with a wonderful group of judges and others who work in the judicial system." "I am especially proud of having been able to serve on a court where my colleagues have a great deal of skill and ability and where the quality of their judgeship is tremendously high, as well as with court staff who are tremendously competent and have a great deal of devotion to duty. All of these people discharge their responsibilities with a great deal of skill and I am proud to have served with them," he said. Hollman said he will miss the mental challenge of being a judge, as well as the people he worked with. "On the other hand, I'll still be hearing cases, so I won't be giving it up completely," he said. A graduate of Brown University and the University of Michigan Law School, Hollman practiced law briefly in New Hampshire in the early 1960s before joining the Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps, assigned to Loring Air Force Base, Maine. He returned to private law practice in Manchester in 1966 and was appointed to the Superior Court by Gov. Sununu on May 1, 1985. In 1994, Hollman was the recipient of the NHBA's annual award for outstanding professionalism.
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