HAVE YOU BEEN to the Bar Center lately? During the months of June and July, there's a steady stream of Bar members stopping in, attending CLE video replays, picking up CLE videos or audiotapes, or dropping off payments and forms. In the fall, traffic in and out of the Bar Center at 112 Pleasant Street picks up even more, as members come to section and committee meetings, satellite CLEs, or to pick up research materials from the Bar's lending library. On top of that, attorneys often use the Bar Center to conduct depositions or to confer with Concord-area clients (conference room space is free to members on a reservation-only, space-available basis).

Sometimes you can find a parking space in the lot behind the building. Unless it is late afternoon, count yourself lucky if you do, and say a silent "thank you" to the Bar staff. Many of the Bar's employees choose to park on the street to free up parking lot spaces for guests. However, during the school year these folks are competing for those street spaces with hundreds of students from nearby Concord High School and many spots are not freed up until mid-afternoon.

Parking is just one of the many limitations of the Bar's current quarters. When it opened in 1990, the converted residence served a Bar Association of slightly more than 3,000 members. The Bar now numbers more than 5,300. As a membership organization, the Bar works hard to involve as many members as possible on various projects and committees. This means more people than ever are using the Bar Center in serving their profession. Even more than the numbers, the complexity of services the Bar delivers has grown. Consider the growth in computerization that has occurred since 1990. Over time, the upkeep of the building as it ages becomes more costly. Meanwhile, the space itself is becoming less efficient for 21st century operation. The mix of office and meeting rooms is inflexible and is no longer sufficient to meet member needs. Obtaining hotel meeting room space (required for any meeting of more than 50 people, the capacity of the Bar's three conference rooms combined) is a mounting expense over which the Bar has little control.

As a result, the NHBA Board of Governors Committee on Administration of the Bar, composed of Bar members serving on the BOG and the Finance Committee and Bar executive staff, has begun exploring other options for the Bar Center, emphasizing economy, efficiency and greater convenience for members. In the current marketplace, there are encouraging signs that the Bar can find alternative space that will cost less per square foot and offer more to Bar members. For example, Bar members appreciate CLEs held at the Bar Center, so the idea of a location with more and larger meeting rooms is being considered. And did I mention more parking?

This search for alternatives is being pursued cautiously yet creatively, bearing in mind that while Bar members appreciate the services of their Association, no one wants to see an increase in Bar over head showing up in their dues bills. I assure you that while we are thinking "outside of the box," we are keeping a close eye on the bottom line.

As the process continues, we will endeavor to keep Bar members informed of our progress. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me at jandrews@nhmunicipal.org or 224-7447 or contact NHBA Executive Director Jeannine L. McCoy at jmccoy@nhbar.org or 224-6942.

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New Hampshire Bar Association
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phone: (603) 224-6942 fax: (603) 224-2910
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