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Bar News - April 21, 2006 NH Civil Liberties Union Hires Barbara Keshen
Keshen, who has worked for the public defender’s office for 14 years and previously, was a NH assistant attorney general and a prosecutor in Essex County, Massachusetts, said her experience in criminal law totals more than 30 years. She decided it was time to take a position where she could think about and work on “broader, bigger issues.” The New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union, founded in 1968, has relied for the most part on volunteer attorneys to pursue litigation. (Attorney Jon Meyer served as executive director for a period of time, but his administrative and lobbying duties prevented him from serving as a staff attorney.) Keshen said that her role will evolve, but she expects that much of her work will be done in collaboration with volunteer attorneys on the NHCLU legal panel. “It will take some time to figure out how to make the best use of a staff attorney,” she said. Keshen said she was looking forward to the challenges of her new position and did not see her new position as turning away from litigation. “I love being a trial lawyer, and I will certainly have the opportunity to continue to try cases,” said Keshen. Claire Ebel, the NHCLU’s longtime executive director and lobbyist, said: “This is a very exciting step for us,” adding that the presence of a lawyer on the staff will enable the NHCLU to respond more quickly when problems come to the organization’s attention. Ebel thanked the American Civil Liberties Union, which has provided some supplemental funding for the staff attorney’s salary for the first two years. The announcement of Keshen’s hiring occurred during a visit of Anthony Romero, the ACLU’s executive director, who was the featured speaker at the Bownes Lecture at the Franklin Pierce Law Center. Romero, who took office at the ACLU one week before 9/11, said that the challenges to civil rights had multiplied in the wake of the terrorist attacks and the Bush administration’s efforts to combat terrorism. Donations to the ACLU have nearly doubled since 2001 and this has enabled the ACLU to increase its staff of attorneys, as well as provide more support for local affiliates such as the NH Civil Liberties Union. “We can’t just do our work on the national level,” Romero said. “We have to be able to be present and working at the local level.” |
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