Bar News - March 4, 2005
Board of Governors' Actions: Children's Law Section Approved
At its Feb. 17, 2005, meeting, the NHBA Board of Governors took the following actions:
CHILDREN'S LAW SECTION CREATED
In response to a petition signed by 33 Bar members, the Board approved the creation of the Children's Law Section. According to attorney Lucinda Hopkins, who spoke with the Board about the proposal, the section has two aims: to educate Bar members on children's legal issues arising under federal and state law, providing guidance and advice on best practices in such areas CHINs, abuse & neglect proceedings, termination of parental rights, children as victims and witnesses in the courts; and, second, to provide the Bar with an organized section dedicated to children's rights in such areas as civil and criminal legal services for children, custodial issues in divorce and separation, the representation of children by attorneys or by guardians ad litem, and on children's educational issues including special education and juvenile law.
LEGISLATION REVIEWED
The Board reviewed the recommendations of the Bar's Legislation Committee on pending bills of interest to the legal community. (Board members Marilyn McNamara and Gretchen Witt both recused themselves from participation on the legislative portion of the agenda; Martin Honigberg recused himself from votes on HB 212, HB 463 and SB 47.)
John Macintosh, the Bar's legislative representative, highlighted several bills of interest:
HB 686 contains legislation authorizing the creation of the Family Division statewide. Although the implementation of the Family Division is being accomplished through administrative action of the judicial branch, the legislation is advocated by the courts to ensure political support for the concept and to facilitate its implementation. Several members of the Board said that the family division in the pilot counties is not universally popular. Ned Gordon, a former state senator and currently the Belknap County representative on the Board, along with other members of the Board, said that support for the Family Division concept is widespread among legislators and the public. The Board would be most effective in making improvements in the family division by supporting its inevitable implementation rather than appearing to oppose it, they suggested. The Board voted to take an informational position on the legislation.
SB 146 is a bill providing additional funding for NH Legal Assistance through the imposition of a $20 surcharge on most civil filings. After discussion, the Board voted to support the bill, although members expressed concern about the precedent of using a surcharge on court users to support a widespread public policy goal.
The Board voted to oppose HB 541, a bill that seeks to revoke the charter of the New Hampshire Bar Association.
PROFESSIONALISM DAY UPDATE
NHBA•CLE Director Joanne Hinnendael updated the Board on 2005 Professionalism Day, which was held in all but one of the 11 locations despite inclement weather. Past President Russell Hilliard said that at the event he attended in Rockingham County, facilitator Brian Kenyon asked all lawyers in practice three years or less to introduce themselves to the group, thus providing encouragement and visibility for the new lawyers.
UPDATE ON CAMPAIGN FOR LEGAL SERVICES
NHBF Executive Director David Snyder reported that as the campaign for legal services closes out its third year of pledges, the transition to an annual campaign would also include the legal service organizations taking over the running of the campaign.
JUDICIAL COUNCIL UPDATE
NHBA President Elect Richard Uchida reported that the Judicial Council, of which he is a member, is moving ahead with a study of the benefits and drawbacks of part-time members of the judiciary.
WEB SITE DEMO
The meeting concluded with a brief demonstration of the Bar's new Web site, being developed by the Bar staff in collaboration with SilverTech, Inc., of Manchester. The new Web site, to be unveiled this spring, will retain the basics of its current navigation, but with more links to popular portions of the site, a search engine, and a member directory with photos. The site is being overhauled to make it easier to administer and to optimize the site for visibility on search engines such as Google.
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