Bar News - May 3, 2002
Malpractice Insurance Disclosure, Admission by Waiver Proposed
THE SUPREME COURT Advisory Committee on Rules has scheduled a public hearing for Wednesday, June 26, 2002, to hear testimony on a number of proposed rules changes affecting various aspects of law practice and court procedure.
Among the proposed rules changes:
- Allowing admission without taking the NH bar exam for attorneys admitted in other states (and in good standing) who have been in practice at least five of the last seven years, except in Vermont, where attorneys in practice at least three years would have the option to waive the exam;
- An accommodation policy and forms to be used to apply for accommodations for disabled applicants taking the bar exam;
- A new Rule 1.17 of the Code of Professional Conduct requiring disclosure to clients that the attorney does not have a minimal level of professional liability insurance coverage ($100,000 per occurrence/$300,000 in aggregate);
- A conduct rule regarding communications of fields of practice allows use of the term "specialist" for specialties certified by ABA-accredited organizations;
- Making permanent the temporary rule for the acceptance and processing of cases on the 3JX docket;
- A new Rule 50-a clarifying that attorneys active for any part of the reporting year must file a Certificate of Compliance for trust accounting;
- Adoption of a Code of Ethics for Rule 170 neutrals and other changes to the Rule 170 process;
- Modification of rules of evidence to allow inferences made from claims of privilege in non-criminal cases.
Copies of the specific changes being considered by the Rules Committee are available on request from the secretary of the committee at the NH Supreme Court Building, Noble Drive, Concord, New Hampshire 03301 (Phone 271-2646). The changes being considered are also available on the Internet at www.state.nh.us/courts/supreme.htm.
See pages 28-29 for text of the public hearing notice and selected appendices.
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