REACHING THE 50-year mark in a chosen profession is a milestone for anyone, including those attorneys who this year are celebrating their 50th anniversary in the practice of law. These attorneys have seen NH's legal community grow from a small, close-knit bar to a much larger, less familial group of lawyers.

For the first time, this year's group of 50-year members will be honored at the NHBA 2001 Annual Meeting, June 21-24. These members were traditionally honored at the Bar's Mid-Winter Meeting. Following are a list of this year's 50-year honorees and profiles of some of the honored members. Additional profiles will appear in the next issue of Bar News.

There were certainly challenges for Joan S. Bucklin in the early days of her career as an attorney-a profession dominated by men 50 years ago.

Bucklin's father was an attorney, and her brother became one shortly after she; it was "genetics," she said, that influenced her to pursue law as a career. After two years of college, she applied to Harvard Law for early acceptance, only to be told the school didn't accept women into its law program. Boston University did, and it was there that Bucklin earned her law degree.

Bucklin was admitted to the Mass. Bar in 1951 and joined the Boston law firm Nutter, McClennan & Fish, where she worked in the taxes, trusts and estates department. She worked with one other female attorney, but neither was listed on the firm's letterhead. "Those were the days," she quipped.

She left the firm, and the practice of law, in 1955 to start and raise her family of four daughters, with husband Benjamin, to whom she was married for 37 years before he passed away in 1991. One of their daughters, Katherine Bucklin Stearns, is a NH Bar member with a solo practice in New London.

Bucklin returned to practice in 1980, when she was admitted to the NH Bar. She started a solo practice out of her home in New London, doing trust, estate and tax work, until retiring in 1999. She now keeps herself busy "trying to catch up on my life"-attending to personal affairs and maintaining her large New London home.

Her work ethic is what Bucklin is most proud of when looking back on her career as an attorney. "I was always honest, followed the rules, worked hard, and had a good relationship with my clients," she said.

The most marked change Bucklin sees in the profession is the acceptance of women. She recalls stories that during World War II law firms hired female lawyers, only to "bounce" them after the war in favor of males. She said that she took her share of "jazz" from men in her early years as a lawyer. But Bucklin has seen all that change: She points out that at Harvard-the law school that wouldn't admit her because of gender-a recent graduating class was 51 percent female.

Overall, Bucklin looks back fondly on her career, particularly her years as a NH Bar member. "There was a good relationship among the lawyers, and the judges were fair and good. I really enjoyed my work. I can't imagine having done anything else," she said.

John D. Goethel was admitted to the NH Bar in 1977, but went on inactive status just two years later. Goethel currently resides in an assisted living facility in Hampton and was unavailable for interview.

Born in 1923, Goethel served in the military as a bombardier on a B-17 during World War II. He flew six missions and was shot down during his last, spending hours in the North Sea during a hurricane until rescued from the 20-foot swells by an aircraft carrier. He was the last member of the bomber's flight crew to be rescued. "He's lucky to be alive after that," said one of his two sons, David Goethel, of Hampton.

Goethel then received a discharge from military service and enrolled at Boston College, where he earned his bachelor's degree. He decided to become an attorney and earned his law degree from Boston University in 1950. He was admitted to the Mass. Bar in 1951 and served as associate corporate counsel for the John Hancock life insurance company for most of his career.

Goethel continued to work for John Hancock after being admitted to the NH Bar in 1977, but also did wills and other legal work while practicing in NH. David Goethel, a commercial fisherman, describes his father as "a lawyer by trade, but a fisherman by heart"-many of the cases he took in NH were to assist fisherman on a pro bono basis. "A lot of practicing law seems to be knowing whom to call to get something straightened out. He did a lot of that for people in the fishing industry," said David.

Just two years after being admitted to the NH Bar, Goethel had to go inactive because of health problems. At that time, his doctor advised him that he "should not attempt to again practice law," Goethel wrote in his request to go to inactive status.

Goethel was an avid fisherman, often going fishing with his son, until about two years ago, when health problems forced him to stop.

Goethel's wife, Barbara, passed away over 20 years ago.

Arnold P. Hanson Sr. knew since his teenage years that he wanted to be a lawyer. "I wanted to be able to help people in trouble or who needed help," he said.

His career aspirations were fostered by talks with his Lutheran minister, with whom he would discuss philosophy and other matters. Despite his father's urging him to become an electrical engineer, Hanson left the engineering program at UNH-where he enrolled after serving in the U.S. Navy from 1943-46-in favor of the liberal arts program. After graduation from UNH in 1948, Hanson followed his dream, earning his law degree from Boston University Law School and being admitted to the NH Bar in January 1951.

Hanson opened a solo practice in Berlin, where he did civil trial work as a plaintiffs' attorney in personal injury cases and some criminal trial work. He maintained his solo practice until 1960, when he and attorney Arthur Bergeron formed Bergeron & Hanson in Berlin. There, Hanson said, "we changed all the rules": they had a street-floor entrance at a time when most law firms were on the upper floors, and they were open through the noon hour, unlike most law firms.

In 1980 Bergeron retired, but Hanson kept the law office open with three other attorneys who had joined the firm. After suffering several bad heart attacks, Hanson phased himself into retirement beginning in 1987, finally going to inactive retired status in 1993.

Looking back on his career as an attorney-which included several years as county solicitor (now called county attorney) for Coos County and a term as president of the NH Bar Association-Hanson said that one of his greatest professional accomplishments was keeping his focus on helping people. "I never turned anybody away from my office who couldn't pay me, no matter what kind of case. That was the way I practiced law," said Hanson.

"When I retired, I had a bunch of promissory notes that I never collected on. I never worried about it," he said.

Hanson said he is "disappointed" that not as many attorneys today seem to share that philosophy. "It appears to me that too many people have become lawyers to make money rather than for the love of law. Many are more interested in how much they can charge than how effectively they can represent clients," he said.

These days, Hanson keeps himself busy playing golf and helping his wife of 53 years, Della, around the house. The couple spends six months a year in Florida and six months in Nashua. They have two daughters and one son, former NH attorney Arnold P. Hanson Jr., who practiced with his father for six years before going to inactive Bar status.

Maurice E. Lemelin practiced law for 25 years in NH before retiring due to illness in 1976. He currently resides in a nursing home in Florida and was unavailable for interview.

Born in 1919, Lemelin attended Georgetown University before joining the US Army during World War II, according to his wife, Denyse Lemelin. He was discharged in 1945 and, under the GI Bill, attended Boston University Law School, earning his law degree in 1950. He was admitted to the NHBA in January 1951.

Lemelin began his career in practice with his brother, Emile. Together they opened a Manchester law firm, a general practice where Maurice did a lot of probate and real estate work, divorces and wills. Lemelin continued to run the firm as a solo practitioner for several years after Emile was appointed a probate judge and left the practice.

In 1957, attorney Armand P. Capistran, now a retired district court judge, joined Lemelin in his Manchester law firm, forming Lemelin and Capistran. There Lemelin's practice continued to focus on probate and real estate work. Capistran describes Lemelin as a "very intelligent fellow."

Maurice and Denyse Lemelin were married in 1959, then Lemelin returned to Boston University to get a Master of Laws in taxation, which he received in 1962. After Capistran was appointed to the bench in 1970, attorney Raymond Cloutier, now a probate court judge, became associated with Lemelin The two worked together until Lemelin's retirement in 1976, when he and his wife moved to Florida. The couple has no children.

While practicing in NH, Lemelin also served as director of St. Mary's Bank, Manchester, and was a member of various community groups, including the American Legion and the Elks Club.

Possibly still the youngest person ever admitted to the NH Bar, Kenneth F. McLaughlin graduated from Nashua High School in 1946 and passed the bar exam just four years later.

After graduating from high school, McLaughlin attended St. Anselm's College and took summer classes at the University of New Hampshire. He was accepted under early admission to Boston College Law, where he earned his law degree in May 1950. He passed the bar exam and was admitted to the NH Bar in September 1950, at the age of 22.

McLaughlin put himself through college and law school working as a truck driver and taxidermist. After being admitted to the bar, he continued to work as a tractor trailer truck driver for a year until he had earned enough money to open a law office. He opened a solo law firm in Nashua, working as a trial lawyer, doing a lot of insurance defense and jury trial work.

McLaughlin remains on honorary active status in the NH Bar, but is now involved in a number of other endeavors. He serves as CEO of the family business, Macair, a Nashua-based construction and real estate investment company that builds aircraft hangars and leases them to corporate owners. He also owns and operates a 3,000-acre cattle ranch in Iowa.

McLaughlin's legal career included 18 years on the bench of Nashua District Court, to which he was appointed associate justice at the age of 29, later becoming justice and senior justice. He said that in his long career as a lawyer and judge, it's difficult to recall particular cases that had more significance than others. "It's hard to find one or two things in a career of 50 years," he said.

Like many 50-year members, McLaughlin has seen a marked change in the practice of law. "When I started, I looked forward with anxious expectation to going to work each day, to the collegiality of the association, of my fellow Bar members. It was a pleasant and rewarding experience," said McLaughlin.

"Now the profession is much more technical-the number of motions you have to file, the complicated rules of court. Less work is done on the phone or with a handshake. The practice of law has become very tedious and not as emotionally rewarding as it used to be," he said.

Although no longer a practicing attorney, McLaughlin said he is proud of the fact that, at age 72, he's still working six days a week-five at the Macair corporate office and one day helping run the Nashua Habitat for Humanity crew, which he's done for the last five years. He visits his cattle ranch about every six weeks, recently received his certification as a jet pilot, and he and his wife of 48 years, Mary, spend summers in Ireland in a house McLaughlin built. "Every day I get up and check the obituaries. If my name's not in there, I go forward," he joked.

McLaughlin's family also includes his son, Shane A. McLaughlin-a NH solo practitioner whose practice, McLaughlin Law Office, is located in the same Nashua family-owned building as Macair-and another son and two daughters.

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