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Bar News - June 20, 2003 After 50 Years, Some Honorary Members Still Practicing TWENTY-THREE MEMBERS of the Bar will be honored at the 2003 NHBA Annual Meeting in recognition of their 50 years of service to the public as members of the legal profession. A number of this year’s honorary members continue to practice in some capacity even after 50 years as attorneys. The following are brief sketches of four of this year’s honorary members, all of whom continue to practice law part-time. More profiles will appear in subsequent issues of Bar News.
"I am very satisfied to still be able to practice law and enjoy it," Dill said from his law office in Island Pond, Vermont, where he does title, closing and probate work. The 80-year-old Dill works half days at his law office. Dill was admitted to the Mass. Bar in 1952 and started law practice in Greenfield, Mass. In 1955, he was admitted to the NH Bar and joined the Portsmouth law firm of Boynton & Waldron. He also served as an associate justice of Rye Municipal Court. After 33 years of practicing law, he gave up his then-office in Kittery, Maine, so that he and his wife, Claire, could run an inn in Vermont – but he didn’t end up fully retiring from practice. He opened an office in Lancaster, then later gave up NH practice and become solely a Vermont lawyer. Dill said the peak of his trial work career came when he won two successive jury cases in Rockingham and Strafford counties. One of the decisions was even appealed to the Supreme Court and upheld. When asked who his role models in the law have been, Dill responded, "Various judges and politicians who have maintained their integrity for the survival of our great country." Dill has served on a number of civic organizations, including as chair of the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce and as chair of the Portsmouth-Kittery Armed Services Committee, which lobbied to keep Portsmouth Naval Shipyard open. Dill and his wife have three children and five grandchildren.
Smith completed his naval service and joined the Concord firm of Upton, Sanders & Upton, where he worked for a year before going to work for the State Department. He spent the remainder of his career as a government lawyer for the State Department. Smith helped to negotiate a treaty with Mexico for the return of a portion of land that belonged to Mexico that the U.S. refused to relinquish for some 60 years, despite an international arbitration award in Mexico’s favor. He cites his help in negotiating the treaty and in drafting the legislation that would return the land to Mexico as a highlight of his career. When thinking back on why he became a lawyer, Smith said that he "thought it was an honorable profession and a way of being of service." Smith continues to work part-time for the U.S. State Dept. as a consultant, making about three or four trips to Washington, DC, each year in that capacity. He enjoys playing golf and tennis, and also serves on a number of community boards. He is president of the New Hampton Historical Society, chair of the New Hampton Heritage Commission and a member of the town’s Village Precinct Commission. Smith has four children from his first marriage. He is married to Jane B. Smith. Ralph Stein of the Stein Law Office in Salem said that reaching the 50-year mark in his law practice isn’t overwhelming to him, "it’s just an ongoing process." Stein, a 73-year-old sole practitioner, continues to operate his general practice. Stein said that a particularly proud career moment for him occurred when he represented a client on a rape complaint and got the charges dismissed. "I walked out of the courtroom thinking I had made a difference in that person’s life. It was more rewarding than any fee I received," he said. "My career has taught me that the fee is not related to the satisfaction." Raised in Lawrence, Mass., Stein served in the U.S. Army, stationed in Germany. He graduated from Boston University Law School in 1953 and practiced in Mass. before joining the NH Bar in 1970. He said that he learned much about the law from B.U. Law Professor Tom Lambert, who taught torts and domestic relations. "I still quote many of his remarks and the clichés and phrases he used when he was lecturing," he said. Stein and his wife, Mildred, have two sons who are both attorneys in Boston, Mark-Brian and Russell Stein. William H. Craig’s way of marking 50 years in the practice of law: "Keep coming into work every day." Craig, 75, of Craig, Wenners, Craig & Capuchino in Manchester, decided to become a lawyer because his father was one. He said that his proudest career accomplishment is having practiced for 50 years. A Manchester native, Craig served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He earned his law degree from Boston University and was admitted to the NH Bar in 1952. His career highlights include working as a U.S. attorney, serving in the NH Legislature and maintaining a trial practice for much of his career. He gave up his trial practice about 10 to 15 years ago to focus on a general office practice. He has been a nearly permanent fixture on the Manchester Planning Board, having served on the board for 38 years, including 10 as chair. Craig has been married twice and has four children, including Manchester attorney James W. Craig, who practices with him. 2003 Honorary Bar Members
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