THE GOVERNOR AND Executive Council confirmed Judge Martha R. Crocker as a justice of Milford District Court and James H. Leary as special justice of Nashua District Court on June 26. Crocker was most recently a special justice in Jaffrey-Peterborough District Court and Leary is an attorney with the Nashua law firm Sullivan & Gregg.

Crocker earned her law degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center in 1979 and was admitted to the New Hampshire Bar the same year. She was assistant county attorney for Cheshire County from 1980 to 1984, then in private practice with Tower, Bean and Crocker, which later became Tower, Crocker & Mullins, in Jaffrey. She was appointed associate justice of Jaffrey-Peterborough District Court in 1985, and has also sat as a special justice in district courts across the state, including in Manchester and Nashua.

Crocker has taught trial advocacy at Franklin Pierce Law Center and has served as a United Way volunteer.

Now confirmed as a full-time justice, Crocker will spend three days a week on the bench of Milford District Court and her remaining workdays in other courts. She had not yet been sworn in by Gov. Shaheen at press time, nor was she available for comment on her elevation to full-time judge. She is expected to be sworn-in in early August, at which time she will begin her new duties.

Leary is also a graduate of Pierce Law and was admitted to the NH Bar in 1984. He began his career with the Firm of Kahn, Brown, Friedman & Leary, which in 1995 merged with Sullivan & Gregg. He does primarily civil trial work in the areas of administrative law and family law. He has been active in the Bar’s Pro Bono Referral Program and was the 2001 recipient of the Pro Bono Attorney of the Year award for Hillsborough County – South.

Leary was sworn in by Gov. Shaheen on July 10 and began his judicial duties on July 22. As a part-time special justice in Nashua District Court, he sits on the bench at least one day a week. Leary replaces Nashua District Court Special Justice Arthur O. Gormley, Jr., who retired last October after having reached the mandatory retirement age of 70.

Shortly before he assumed his new judicial duties, Leary said he looks forward to the opportunity to interact with people as they deal with issues within our court system. "The district court is the point at which the majority of people have interaction with the judicial system. You face a tremendous variety of issues involving all areas of the law – you essentially have to be a jack-of-all-trades. I’m excited about the chance to serve in that capacity," he said.

One of the challenges Leary anticipates as a judge, he said, is keeping current on the law. "That will be critical to applying the appropriate law to the appropriate situations so that I can dispense justice in an expeditious manner, while at the same time ensuring my rulings are fair," he said.

Home | About the Bar | For Members | For the Public | Legal Links | Publications | Online Store
Lawyer Referral Service | Law-Related Education | NHBA•CLE | NHBA Insurance Agency | NHMCLE
Search | Calendar

New Hampshire Bar Association
2 Pillsbury Street, Suite 300, Concord NH 03301
phone: (603) 224-6942 fax: (603) 224-2910
email: NHBAinfo@nhbar.org
© NH Bar Association Disclaimer