Celebrating a Decade of Service

FRIENDS, OLD AND new, will be on hand for the 10th birthday celebration of the Domestic Violence Emergency (DOVE) Project.

The NHBA Pro Bono Referral Program’s DOVE Project, which links volunteer New Hampshire attorneys with low-income victims of domestic violence who need short-term legal representation, will celebrate its first decade of existence at a May 2 luncheon held in conjunction with a full-day, reduced-tuition training session for attorneys. This year’s training session and luncheon will be held at the Highlander Inn in Manchester. (See registration form on this page for information on the training.)

At the luncheon, three Bar members with long-lasting ties to the program will be honored:

Hon. Susan B. Carbon. Judge Carbon, administrative judge of the Grafton County Family Court and also a justice of the Concord District Court, has been one of the state’s most visible proponents of domestic violence prevention and training programs. As the 1993-94 NH Bar president, she made domestic and family violence awareness a priority of her term and was instrumental in helping to launch and promote the DOVE Project. Judge Carbon has participated as an instructor at many of the DOVE attorney training seminars.

Attorney James H. Leary. Since its inception, the DOVE Project has benefited from Leary’s participation as an instructor at an nual training sessions for new DOVE attorneys. He has participated in every major training session the project has held in the past 10 years. Leary, appointed last year to a part-time position as an associate justice of Nashua District Court, also practices with the law firm of Sullivan & Gregg.

Attorney David L. Nixon. The veteran Manchester trial attorney, who joined the DOVE panel in 1996, has played a leading role in encouraging fellow attorneys in the Manchester area and statewide to participate in the DOVE Project. Last year, he conceived the "We Want You" DOVE campaign, which utilized well-known Bar volunteers and DOVE panelists garbed in "Uncle Sam" outfits to provide greater visibility to DOVE recruitment efforts.

Grace Mattern. Mattern, executive director of the NH Coalition against Domestic & Sexual Violence, is a skilled and dedicated advocate for victims of domestic and sexual abuse. She played a prominent role in forging the partnership between the social services community serving victims of domestic violence and the Bar, which has been a hallmark of DOVE’s success. Under Mattern’s direction, the Coalition’s efforts to promote safety and preserve dignity have helped to establish New Hampshire as a forerunner in establishing remedies for victims in civil court.

The DOVE Project receives funding from the federal Violence Against Women Act and the New Hampshire Bar Foundation.

DOVE Registration Form

WE WANT YOU! To implement the idealism that induced you to become a lawyer, serve a vital public interest, and to do what a lawyer should do — help those in need of help. You are hereby called to be a: DOVE VOLUNTEER and assist victims of domestic violence (mostly mothers and children) by championing their causes pro bono in Permanent Restraining Order hearings. Notice: The first six lawyers who (1) volunteer for the DOVE Training Program, and DOVE referral panel, (2) identify the subject of the above photo, and (3) accurately guess the number of military errors shown in the photograph win a free lunch or dinner with the subject. Family members and veterans of the US Marines are ineligible.

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