TEN NH ATTOREYS were featured in a recent list of 40 individuals under the age of 40 who make New Hampshire a better place to live.

The Union Leader's "40 Under Forty" list, featured in the Jan. 28 issue, includes 10 active NH Bar members that the newspaper pegged as young leaders of our state.

Despite the fact that 25 percent of the "40 Under Forty" list is made up of lawyers, only one of the panelists who advised The Union Leader on candidates for the list was an attorney, Ovide Lamontagne. Among the nominating criteria for the list: professional accomplishments, volunteer accomplishments and "special factors."

Below are the 10 attorneys who were selected for the "40 Under Forty" list and brief excerpts from the profiles that appeared with the list.

...Last year, there were 18 homicides in New Hampshire that Ayotte and her staff are investigating or preparing for trial, not to mention the many appeals that have to be handled and the cases that have never been closed.

...Helping families of murder victims find closure was one of the most satisfying aspects of the 37-year-old lawyer's career as a prosecutor. "I felt that I was directly helping people through a terrifically hard time in their lives," Carter said.

...DiBragdia successfully chaired an endowment campaign at Child Health Services that raised the endowment to more than $1 million. As chairman of the campaign committee, he not only solicited funds directly from companies, but was responsible for running the campaign.

...Laplante, who said he has no political or judicial aspirations, said he has not sought out leadership positions, but rather has focused on "prosecuting a high volume of cases successfully," acknowledging a "type of subtle leadership" that comes from a strong work ethic.

...Former Gov. Stephen Merrill nominated her for the bench when she was only 33 years old. The last five years on the bench have helped Nadeau find her stride, she said, and she feels more comfortable with the responsibilities that come with the robe.

...Now he is a state representative for his hometown of Dover...Reid said some tension between the two branches of government is important because it helps maintain the system of checks and balances the country relies on to limit the power of the government. The tension as of late, said Reid, has turned a bit more antagonistic, and respect among the governing bodies needs to be restored.

... Donna Soucy began her career in politics before she was even old enough to vote. As a student at Trinity High School, she volunteered for various political campaigns. And as an 18-year-old freshman at St. Anselm College, she threw her own hat into the ring and became a candidate for clerk of Manchester's Ward 6, an office she held for three years.

...One of life's forks in the road came after Stephen graduated from law school. He had a chance to make $65,000 a year plus perks in the 1980s working for a law firm in Lansing, Mich. But he took a gamble and waited for an assistant county attorney post to open up in Manchester that paid less than a third that amount.

... James J. Tenn, Jr., according to people who know him, is a hard-working "bundle of energy" who combines the traits of being smart and effective while still being congenial and likeable.

...Attorney Douglas J. Wenners chose a career in the health-care field for a very personal reason: He wants everyone to have the best medical care possible, the kind he received when he battled cancer.

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