New leadership in several key positions, including the governor's office, the NH House of Representatives and Senate, are raising hopes for improved relations between the legislature, the judiciary, and the legal profession.

In addition to the inauguration of Gov. John Lynch, a businessman with legal training (he is an inactive member of the Bar who has a law degree from Georgetown University) several other Bar members have moved into key roles in state government. Among the Bar members in key positions affecting legislation and state government are:

NH House

• James W. Craig, a Manchester attorney and former member of the House Judiciary Committee, was elected House Democratic Leader. Craig said he believes that "the tone is calming down with regard to the judiciary" and that he expects trust and cooperation between the judicial branch and the legislature to improve. Craig's predecessor, Rep. Peter Burling, was elected to the NH Senate. 
  

• Milford attorney and sixth-term Rep. Cynthia Dokmo has been named Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, replacing the retiring Henry Mock. Epsom attorney Tony Soltani has been named vice chair. Continuing on House Judiciary are Bar members Robert H. Rowe and Peter Espiefs. New to the committee is Gregory M. Sorg. 

• Edward P. Moran, an inactive member of the Bar, will continue as Chair of the Children & Family Law Committee, which will play a key role in reviewing potential changes to the handling of domestic relations cases and the implementation of the statewide Family Division.

• David W. Hess, a former Manchester attorney now on inactive status, will serve as vice chair of the influential Education Committee.

NH Senate

Three lawyers have joined Joseph Foster, who had been the lone lawyer in the NH Senate in the last session.

Foster, a bankruptcy law practitioner based in Nashua, was named chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the only Democrat to be named chair of a committee by Senate President Thomas Eaton, a Republican from Keene. Also named to Senate Judiciary is David Gottesman, a Nashua attorney in his first Senate term. Gottesman, a Democrat, is a former president of the NH Trial Lawyers Association.

Also joining the Senate are Burling, of Cornish, and Margaret Hassan, of Exeter.

Governor's Office

Two of Gov. Lynch's top aides are lawyers, a major change from Gov. Benson's administration, where business rather than government or legal experience was preferred and the post of legal counsel was only intermittently occupied. Richard Sigel, an attorney who served as Gov. Shaheen's chief of staff, will play a similar role in the Lynch administration. Katherine Hanna, on leave from the Sheehan Phinney Bass + Green firm, has been named a policy advisor and legal counsel. Hanna, who chaired the Judicial Selection Commission that Gov. Shaheen created to screen judicial candidates, indicated before the inauguration that Gov. Lynch plans to use a merit-based process to help him select judicial nominees. It was also recently announced that Alice Chamberlin, an attorney from Warner, has joined Lynch's office to work on environmental policy issues.

Potential Legislation

In addition to a number of bills concerning family law and the Family Division expansion, Rep. Craig said a renewed attempt at medical malpractice reform is inevitable. A plaintiff's personal injury lawyer, Craig said he isn't sure whether President Bush's comments about trial lawyers and class actions will affect New Hampshire's attitudes towards tort reform. "Are we in New Hampshire going to be paying for the sins of the plaintiff-friendly states with big damage awards?" Craig asked. "I don't know."

Unlike past years, there are only a small number of bills regarding judicial reform. One proposed constitutional amendment would set state judicial term limits of five years.

Legislation of interest to the Bar will be previewed in upcoming issues of the Bar News.

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