Board of Governors
This Board is the governing body of the Association as authorized by the NH Supreme Court. Its operation and role are defined in the NHBA Constitution, Article V, and NHBA Bylaws, Article III.
Officers
President-Elect
Secretary
Immediate Past President
Governors
Public Sector Governor
Out of State Governor
Governors-at-Large
3-year term
ABA Association Delegates
2-year term
- ABA Association Delegate: Michael J. Iacopino
- ABA Association Young Lawyers Delegate: Lyndsay N. Robinson
3-year term
- ABA State Delegate: Jennifer L. Parent
County Governors
2-year term
- Belknap: William D. Woodbury
- Carroll: John M. Crabbs
- Cheshire: Oliver D. Bloom
- Coos: Leonard D. Harden
- Grafton: Barry C. Schuster
- Hillsborough North: Kyle D. Robidas
- Hillsborough South: Anthony Naro
- Merrimack: Petar M. Leonard
- Rockingham: Caroline A. Epperson
- Strafford: Matthew G. Stachowske
- Sullivan: Vanessa M. Wilson
President
Derek D. Lick
For more than a decade I have volunteered for the Bar Association’s Committee on Cooperation with the Courts, which is charged with fostering communication and cooperation between the bench and the bar. In that role, I have witnessed first-hand the pressing issues facing both those of us who advocate for our clients before the Courts and those in the Judicial Branch who must ultimately make the tough decisions in litigated matters. Additionally, I serve on the New Hampshire Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on the Rules, having first been appointed by the Bar and then by the New Hampshire Supreme Court. There I have attempted to provide helpful input on rules that govern our practice.
I am a member of Orr & Reno where I practice in litigation, focusing of late mostly on land use and planning, construction and real estate disputes, and commercial litigation. I also represent insured parties in personal injury and other matters. I am a member of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, the Defense Research Institute and the Tri-State Defense Lawyers Association.
Outside of work, I serve as the Moderator for the Town of Sutton and for the Kearsarge Regional School District in the Lake Sunapee/Kearsarge area of the State. I also serve as Chair of the Sutton Zoning Board, and as member of the Board of Trustees of my local bank, Sugar River Bank. I also serve on the Board of the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail and Plan NH. Previously, I served on the Board of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen and on the Kearsarge Area Council on Aging, the non-profit organization that operates a senior center serving nine towns in the Mt. Kearsarge area.
I graduated from Boston University with a degree in Journalism and from the Vanderbilt School of Law. Prior to entering law practice, I served as the Press Secretary for U.S. Congressman Martin O. Sabo, the then-Chairman of the House Budget Committee and a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee.
I reside in Sutton with my wife, Debbie and my two daughters, with my two older sons attending or having just finished college.
President-Elect
Robert R. Lucic
Bob has over 30 years of extensive complex commercial litigation experience throughout the United States including administrative agency proceedings, arbitrations, jury trials and appellate practice involving both multi-national corporations and small businesses. Bob serves a wide range of manufacturing clients, including robotics aerospace, defense and high-tech companies as well as national, state and municipal governments. He regularly counsels clients on intellectual property and antitrust compliance issues. Bob’s practice focus includes patent and trade secret litigation; environmental litigation; stockholder and partnership disputes; and investor disputes. He also provides strategic counseling to industrial clients and small businesses. Bob served for six years as the Chair of the Firm’s Litigation Department
Bob serves as an At-Large Member of the New Hampshire Bar Association Board of Governors. He is also active in the Massachusetts Federal Bar Association.
Bob is the firm’s liaison with Lex Mundi, the world’s leading association of independent law firms. He is currently Regional Vice Chair for North America of their Litigation, Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Practice Group and is the Chair Emeritus for the Environmental Practice Group. He served as worldwide chair from 2017-2019. Bob assisted in organizing conferences on climate change in New York (2017) and Paris (2019).
Bob joined the firm in 1991 after practicing in New York City. He also speaks German and French.
Vice President
Sarah M. Dustin
Sarah Mattson Dustin is the executive director for New Hampshire Legal Assistance (NHLA), a statewide nonprofit law firm providing civil legal aid to people with low income and older adults from offices in Concord, Manchester, Portsmouth, Claremont, and Berlin. A career legal aid lawyer, Sarah has been with NHLA for more than 17 years in total. She worked first as a staff attorney, handling a wide variety of cases for individual clients, and later oversaw the organization’s policy advocacy before taking on the executive director role in 2018. Sarah initially joined NHLA with the support of a Skadden Fellowship. She was the recipient of the Bar Foundation’s 2010 Robert E. Kirby Award and participated in the inaugural class of the Bar Association’s Leadership Academy in 2011. Sarah currently serves on the Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission. Sarah earned her undergraduate and law degrees, with honors, from Harvard. She began her legal career as a law clerk with United States District Judge Paul Barbadoro. Sarah serves on the Boards of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Merrimack County Savings Bank, and New Hampshire Mutual Bancorp. She is a lifelong Granite Stater hailing from the Lakes Region and now lives in Contoocook with her husband and two daughters.
Treasurer
Geoffrey Gallagher
To tell you a little about myself, I graduated from Boston College in 2003 and received a degree in social psychology. In 2006, I received a Masters of Arts from Boston College in social psychology with a concentration in affective neuroscience. I graduated from UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, formerly Franklin Pierce Law Center, in 2013. I live in Concord, New Hampshire, with my beautiful wife, Anna Gallagher. While in graduate school, I managed a bowling alley in Davis Square in Somerville Massachusetts. After graduate school, I managed group homes for dual-diagnosed individuals. As a lawyer, I have practiced in both the public sector, as a prosecutor, and private sector, as an associate for Gardner Fulton & Waugh, PLLC and Sulloway & Hollis, PLLC. I am currently privileged to work for the City of Concord. Throughout my career, I have handled a variety of different types of cases in the Superior Court, the Circuit Court, and the New Hampshire Federal District Court. I am dedicated to public service and hard work. To that end, I have served as a member of the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Ethics Committee since 2013 and am the current vice-chair. I also serve as a bar examiner for the New Hampshire Board of Bar Examiners. Additionally, I have previously served as the Sullivan County Bar Governor.
Secretary
Catherine E. Shanelaris
Catherine E. Shanelaris is a founding member and partner with Shanelaris & Schirch, PLLC in Nashua, NH. She earned her B.A. in political science from the University of New Hampshire at Durham and her J.D. from University of New Hampshire School of Law (formerly Franklin Pierce Law Center) in 1992. Cathy is a member of the New Hampshire Bar Association, Nashua Bar Association and Women’s Bar Association. She was formerly the chief staff attorney for the New Hampshire Division of Child Support Services and served as a county governor for the New Hampshire Trial Lawyers Association. Cathy practices law in the domestic relations area including divorce, child support, parenting and guardianship matters. She is a trained marital mediator. She is a member of the NHBA’s Family Law Section and the NHBA’s
Pro Bono Governing Board. Cathy is the Hillsborough South County representative for the New Hampshire Women’s Bar Association. She was appointed by the New Hampshire Supreme Court to the Access to Justice Commission. Cathy is a frequent lecturer on family law topics at continuing legal education programs and is the author of several Bar Journal and legal articles relating to family law issues.
Immediate Past President
Kathleen M. Mahan
Kate is a Litigation Partner at Hinckley Allen, located in their Manchester, New Hampshire office. She practices in a wide range of intellectual property matters, including trade secrets, trademarks, and copyrights, as well as business disputes related to corporate governance, non-compete conflicts, contract actions and other professional disagreements in both state and federal courts, arbitration proceedings, and appeals.
Kate received her J.D., cum laude, from Suffolk University and her B.A., cum laude, from Saint Anselm College. Prior to joining Hinckley Allen, Kate worked a business boutique law firm for more than twelve years, and clerked for both the New Hampshire Supreme Court and the New Hampshire Superior Court.
Kate is a member of the New Hampshire Bar Foundation Board of Directors as well as the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Committee on Cooperation with the Courts. She also is a long time member of the Daniel Webster-Batchelder Inns of Court. Outside the legal profession, Kate serves on the board of her
Public Sector Governor
Nikolas K. Frye
Nikolas K. Frye was born and raised in New Hampshire and completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor in 2006; Master of Arts in history at the University of Georgia – Athens in 2009; and his juris doctorate at New England Law| Boston in 2012. Nikolas has held an active New Hampshire bar license and inactive Massachusetts bar license since the fall of 2012.
After law school, Nikolas worked part-time at Plymouth Law Center and for a municipal prosecutor in Plymouth, New Hampshire from 2012 to 2013. Next, he worked in general practice in the North Country and the Plymouth area at Samaha Russell Hodgdon PA from the summer of 2013 until February of 2019. Nikolas became a full-time associate at Samaha Russell Hodgdon PA beginning in January of 2014. Following his time in private practice, he worked as an attorney for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Children Youth and Families from February of 2019 until October of 2021. Since October of 2021, Nikolas has served as Hearings Examiner for the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification where he presides in disciplinary and application proceedings for approximately 57 state licensing boards.
Outside of his profession, Nikolas is lucky to have a wonderful family consisting of his wife Michelle (an attorney with the New Hampshire Insurance Department) and two small sons. Before leaving the Plymouth area, Nikolas served on the Campton Elementary School from April of 2019 to April of 2021 and the Village Pond Condominium Association Board from 2016 to 2020. He is a member of Concord Rotary and is an avid hiker who has completed all the New Hampshire 4000 footers (though his current hiking endeavors are limited in scope and elevation gain by his ability to carry his toddler on his back as needed).
Out-of-State Governor
Gar Y. Chiang
I have been a member of the New Hampshire Bar Association since 2017 and am a practicing attorney in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. I have attended all the mid-year and most of the annual meetings because I enjoy meeting the people, attending instructive programs, and receiving inspiring presentations. In 2022, I was part of the Leadership Academy, which provided me exposure and interaction with other NH lawyers, judges, court staff, legislative representatives, media professionals and the diligent staff of our association. As a member of the Board of Governors, it is my hope to take a more participatory role in every aspect of my bar association.
Prior to becoming a lawyer, I worked in management at several high-profile arts and entertainment organizations including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center for the performing Arts, Channel Seven of Australia, and later as the Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Stadium, the venue that hosted the Rugby World Cup Sevens. After a couple of decades working in different cities, states, and countries, I have decided to come back to Boston, to be closer to my family and live in the beautiful New England area where the four seasons blossom and also the country that gave me the education and opportunities. <br><br>
I am living in New England by choice. It has been twelve years of working full time as an attorney in Massachusetts and six in New Hampshire. As a sole proprietor in general practice, I get to listen to many interesting stories from people from all levels of society. Most importantly, I can use my experience of living and working in various parts of America and Asia to help my clients.
I look forward to meeting and sharing stories with fellow member of NHBA at future meetings and events
Governor-at-Large
Charla Stevens
Charla B. Stevens graduated from Boston College Law School in 1984 and practiced law in New Hampshire and Massachusetts until her retirement from full-time legal work in 2021. She spent the last 21 years at McLane Middleton where she chaired the employment law practice group and represented schools and health care practices.
Stevens has established a consulting practice where she continues to offer services to businesses including workplace training, independent investigations, strategic human resources consulting, and mediation and conflict resolution.
During her years of practice, she was recognized as a top employment lawyer by Chambers and Partners, Best Lawyers, Martindale Hubbell, and Super Lawyers, among others. She is the recipient of a number of awards including the Marilla M. Ricker Achievement Award, the Granite State HR Hero Award, the Jack B. Middleton Pro Bono Services Award, the NH Business and Industry Association Above and Beyond Award, and the NH Business Review Business Excellence Award.
Charla has a long history of serving non-profits and professional organizations. She is the Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Granite United Way, a member of the Board of the NH Center for Nonprofits, and a Trustee of Solution Health. She is a commissioner of the board of the New Hampshire Lawyers Assistance Program and sits on the Mental Health and Wellness Committee and the Leadership Council of the Section of Litigation of the American Bar Association. She has served on numerous NH Bar Association committees and is currently a member of the Special Committee on Attorney Wellness.
Charla is a past director of the HR State Council of New Hampshire and has been active in several HR associations including the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the Greater Nashua Human Resource Association (GNHRA) and the Northeast Human Resource Association (NEHRA).
Governor-at-Large
Kristin G. Fields
Kristin G. Fields is a lifelong resident of central New Hampshire. She is a graduate of Holderness School and Southern New Hampshire University. Kristin graduated from University of New Hampshire School of Law in 2011. Immediately following her admission to the bar in November 2011, she worked as a fellow at New Hampshire Legal Assistance in Concord, assisting low income residents across the state in matters of housing and unemployment benefits. Kristin served as the vice president and treasurer of the Belknap County Bar Association in 2013. Kristin Joined Martin, Lord & Osman, P.A. in May of 2015, after operating as a solo practitioner in Ashland, NH. Kristin focuses primarily in the areas of family law and civil litigation. Prior to practicing law, Kristin was in the accounting field for several years. Kristin resides in Holderness with her husband and daughter. She enjoys attending her daughter’s field hockey, basketball and softball games, as well as her dance performances.
Governor-at-Large
Christine M. Hanisco
Christine Hanisco is an attorney with The Stein Law Firm, PLLC in Concord, and is licensed in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Her practice is focused on third party family building through adoption and assisted reproductive technology, as well as estate planning. Prior to joining Stein Law, she was a public defender for almost 12 years. Presently, she is a member of the New Hampshire Women’s Bar Association, the NHBA’s Family Law and Trust & Estate Law Sections, the American Bar Association’s Assisted Reproductive Technology Committee, and Chairs the Grievance Committee for the Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy. In 2021 she was elected Vice President of RESOLVE New England’s Board of Directors and is Chair of its Governance Committee. She is a graduate of New York Law School (2000) and Saint Anselm College (1993).
Governor-at-Large
Steven J. Dutton
Steven J. Dutton is a director in the litigation department at McLane Middleton, Professional Association in Manchester. Steve focuses his trial practice on commercial matters, including contract claims, corporate governance and shareholder disputes, tax matters, and real estate issues.
Steve is a member of the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Federal Practice, Business Litigation and Appellate Law sections. He is a member of the Executive Committee for the Manchester Bar Association, and served as its President in 2018-2019. Steve is a member of the 2019 Class of the Leadership New Hampshire program and a member of the Union Leader’s 2015 Class of 40 Under Forty.
Steve is a native of Londonderry, New Hampshire, and a graduate of Londonderry High School. Steve resides in Goffstown, New Hampshire, where, among other community service, he serves a member of the Granite YMCA’s Board of Directors and is chair of the Advisory Board for the Granite YMCA of Goffstown, and was previously chair of Goffstown School Board. He was admitted to the New Hampshire Bar in 2005, received his law degree from Brooklyn Law School, and is a graduate of Bates College.
Governor-at-Large
James Shepard
Though James Shepard was born and raised in NJ he has spent the entirety of his professional life in NH. (Except for a brief stint in Maryland for Law School and a year post graduation clerking for Maryland’s equivalent of a superior court judge).
Prior to law school James was a police officer for five years in Littleton, NH. Upon moving back to NH he obtained a job as counsel for the NH Banking Department, then moved on to the NH Department of Safety where he served as a prosecutor for the last 12 years. Jim also maintains a small side practice mostly consisting of family law cases. This side practice gives him the grounding he needs to regularly take on Pro Bono family law cases and DOVE cases.
James previously served on the board of governors as the Merrimack County representative for two terms and during that time was appointed to serve on the Pro Bono board upon which he continues to serve. Attorney Shepard currently serves as a panel member of the Bar Association’s Domestic Violence Advisory Counsel.
Shepard describes himself as a “rare bird” in the bar because he is a government lawyer who also has a solo practice in a “totally different area of law.”
“I think that gives me a unique perspective on the services offered by the bar association and the demands put on the membership by some of our agreements with the court,” he says.
Over the past year James says he’s spent the majority of his free time building an addition on his house and raising goats. He looks forward to being involved with the board once again. “I ran for the board again,” he said, “because I missed the level of service and involvement in the operation of the organization that I experienced in my last turn.”
Belknap County Governor
William D. Woodbury
Bill is a Co-Managing Member of Normandin, Cheney & O’Neil, PLLC, in Laconia, New
Hampshire. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a B.S. in Microbiology in
1995 and received his J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law in 2003. Prior to attending
law school, Bill spent eleven years as an Emergency Medical Technician for a major pre-hospital
care provider in southern New Hampshire and Maine.
Bill represents clients in a variety of legal areas before New Hampshire’s State and Federal
Courts. He maintains an active Family Law practice and routinely represents women and men in
matters ranging from divorce to complex child support and relocation actions. As these matters
are highly emotionally charged and often involve the ongoing welfare of children, Bill works
hard to find practical and creative solutions that will be sustainable, not only in the short term,
but well into the future.
Carroll County Governor
John M. Crabbs
Associate, Cooper Cargill Chant, PA; J.D. The John Marshall Law School (now UIC Law School), Summa Cum Laude 2016; B.A. St. John’s College, Annapolis; admitted to N.H. Bar, 2022; admitted to Illinois Bar, 2016; member, NHBA New Lawyers Committee; member, Pope Memorial Library Board of Directors, school board moderator, Eaton, New Hampshire.
One summer day in my youth, my parents—both lawyers—dragged me and my sisters to a picnic hosted by their county bar association. The only thing that I really remember was that a popular attorney (who later became an unpopular judge) performed a magic routine for the children. It is my earliest memory of sleight of hand, but the picnic left an impression for another reason. Even at that age, I understood that the work of lawyers was adversarial. Still, the members of the bar could come together and genuinely enjoy each other’s company. That realization stuck with me.
Many years later—after I’d played some tournament croquet, circumnavigated the globe, and taught English in the Far East—I moved to Chicago to attend law school. My plan was to get my degree and get out. But after I graduated, I secured a series of judicial clerkships with trial and appellate judges, as well as an adjunct professorship at my alma mater. My wife—from Bartlett—patiently stayed in the big city with me, all the while extolling the virtues of Northern New Hampshire. Eventually, she prevailed, and we left the City of Broad Shoulders for the Mount Washington Valley. As ever, my wife was right.
In the years since I moved to Carroll County and joined Cooper Cargill Chant, I have been blessed with the opportunity to give back to the community in a number of ways. I have taken on several pro bono and court-appointed matters. I also serve as school board moderator for my town and as a member of my local library’s board of directors.
Cheshire County Governor
Oliver D. Bloom
Oliver Bloom is a criminal defense attorney at Lothstein Guerriero in Keene. He was born in Peterborough and grew up in the sleepy town of Richmond right here in Cheshire County. He is a 2012 graduate of Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. For eight years, he worked in politics and national security, primarily nuclear weapons policy, and has a master's degree in War Studies from King's College London. He graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 2023 (Go Blue!). While in law school, instead of returning to Washington, he spent two summers interning for Richard Guerriero and was recruited to join his firm once he graduated.
He is excited at the prospect of representing Cheshire County on the NHBA Board of Governors and collaborating with attorneys from across the state. If elected, he will ensure that the needs and perspectives of our county are represented. He hopes to serve his colleagues, build on the work Monique Schmidt accomplished during her time as representative, and contribute to the important work the NHBA does on behalf of its members and our state.
Coos County Governor
Leonard D. Harden
Len Harden is sole practitioner located in Northern New Hampshire, primarily serving Coos County and Northern Grafton County. Len is a trial lawyer with offices in Coos and Grafton County. He has been helping people facing all levels of criminal charges for over 30 years. Len has been a frequent presenter and coordinator for many CLEs in NH and nationally. He enjoys sharing information and teaching others. He has extensive training and certifications on field sobriety testing, forensic science, chemistry, trial advocacy and trial experience.
Len is proud to be the first in his family to graduate with a college degree. He obtained a degree with honors from Queen’s University at Kingston, Ontario, Canada and then a law degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center (Now known as University of New Hampshire).
Len’s entire career has been spent defending citizens that are accused of crimes. He began working in NH with Thomas A. Rappa in Woodsville, NH and then moved further north to manage Sisti & Twomey’s Lancaster Office and he has been on his own based out of Lancaster since 2003.
This is Len’s second stint on the Board of Governor’s representing Coos County. He loves living and working in northern New England and enjoys each and every season to the fullest extent possible.
He looks forward to working with others from across the state to help elevate professionalism, collegiality and the quality of life for all lawyers in the state. He wants to share his competitive, positive attitude and bring a high degree of energy to the NHBA Board of Governors.
Grafton County Governor
Barry C. Schuster
Barry Schuster has practiced business, real estate and municipal law since 1978. He represents individuals, businesses and municipalities in a wide range of transactions and resolving disputes involving land use, real estate and corporate and business matters. A trial lawyer with thirty-five years of experience, Attorney Schuster regularly appears before municipal boards, litigates in New Hampshire and Vermont trial courts, and has appeared in more than thirty appeals before the Supreme Courts of New Hampshire and Vermont. He also served for many years as a superior court mediator.
Attorney Schuster actively participates in a number of civic organizations and has served on the boards of health care organizations, bank advisory committees and numerous community service boards and committees. He was elected to the Lebanon School Board for eight years and chaired the Board for a three year term where he has served for over 20 years. An active cyclist, he and his wife have logged miles biking over hill and dale throughout N.H. and Vt., over mountain passes in Colorado and “cols” of the French Alps.
Attorney Schuster is a graduate of Brown University and Villanova University School of Law and pursued a year of study at the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College.
Attorney Schuster is admitted to practice in New Hampshire and Vermont and is a member of the New Hampshire Bar Association, Vermont Bar Association and the Grafton County Bar Association.
Hillsborough North County Governor
Kyle D. Robidas
Since 2013, Kyle D. Robidas has worked as a staff attorney at the New Hampshire Public Defender (Manchester, NH), where he defends indigent clients. He is a member of the Hillsborough County North Drug Court Team, liaison to the Manchester Veterans Court, and a member of the New Hampshire Public Defender Trial Skills Training Team. He is also an active mentor to several new lawyers. Robidas is a graduate of Norwich University and the University of New Hampshire School of Law. Kyle is a native of New Hampshire, originally from Colebrook. When he is not practicing law he enjoys spending time outside with his family.
Hillsborough South County Governor
Anthony Naro
Tony Naro is a criminal defense and domestic relations attorney in private practice at Naro Law PLLC in Nashua, NH. Prior to entering private practice, he was a public defender for over a decade, working as a trial attorney in Rockingham County, Hillsborough County, and as an Assistant Appellate Defender in Concord. Tony handles misdemeanors and felonies, including assaults, sex crimes, drug case, and DUI offenses. He has argued cases before the New Hampshire Supreme Court, tried dozens of cases before juries across the State, and appears in all ten New Hampshire counties. Tony’s domestic relations practice includes divorce, parenting, child support, restraining order, and guardianship matters in the Family Division. He is also proud of a strong Pro bono practice and regularly volunteers for the DOVE Project and 603 Legal. Tony also volunteers his time on the Board of Directors for the Friends of New Hampshire Drug Courts, and is a member of the Hearings Committee for New Hampshire’s Attorney Discipline System. Tony earned his B.A. from the University of Massachusetts – Boston in political science and Africana studies. He earned his law degree from Suffolk University Law School in 2008 where he graduated with high honors
Merrimack County Governor
Petar M. Leonard
Petar Leonard is a shareholder and member of the litigation department at Orr & Reno, in Concord, where he focuses his practice on complex domestic relations issues. Petar currently serves on the Granite United Way Community Impact Committee and is a Collaborative Divorce New Hampshire board member. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, where he teaches family law for the Daniel Webster Scholar Miniseries course. Petar served on the NHBA CLE Committee for several years and enjoyed chairing several family law CLEs during that time. Petar received his law degree from the University of New Hampshire School of Law and is a graduate of University of Oregon.
Rockingham County Governor
Caroline A. Epperson
Caroline Autumn Epperson is a dedicated and experienced attorney committed to serving the legal community and advocating for the interests of clients and fellow practitioners alike. Since 2018, she has been a valued member of SKlawyers team. She is based out of Hampton, New Hampshire, where she focuses her practice on family law, business law, and estate planning.
A strong believer in collaboration and professional development, Caroline is eager to bring her experience, leadership, and dedication to the New Hampshire Bar Association Board of Governors. She is passionate about fostering mentorship opportunities, enhancing access to legal resources, and ensuring that attorneys across Rockingham County have the support they need to thrive in their practices. She has built an impressive reputation as a highly effective advocate and negotiator and honors those successes to those that have supported her professional development over the years.
Caroline is an engaged member of the legal and business communities. As an active board member of the Rockingham County Bar Association since 2019, she brings a wealth of leadership experience and a proven track record of community service to this position. She also holds leadership roles in Business Networking International (BNI) and is a New Hampshire Justice of the Peace. She is a proud graduate of Suffolk University Law School (J.D., 2015) and earned her degree with distinction in Health and Biomedical Law and was honored for her pro bono service. Caroline also holds a B.A. from the University of New Hampshire (2010) where her love for the New Hampshire seacoast originated. She is admitted to practice in New Hampshire and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Caroline’s early career was marked by notable achievements including serving as a Donahue Barrett and Signal Health Policy Fellowship recipient and receiving national recognition for her service as an AmeriCorps Attorney at a Boston-based non-profit.
Born in Dover, Massachusetts, Caroline now resides in Newington, New Hampshire with her husband, two young children, and yellow lab. When she isn’t passionately advocating for her clients, she enjoys gardening, skiing, and traveling—activities that allow her to recharge and remain connected to the vibrant New England community she serves. Caroline is eager to leverage her experience, insight, and commitment to public service as a member of the Board of Governors, and looks forward to advancing the legal profession and community welfare in Rockingham County.
Strafford County Governor
Matthew G. Stachowske
I am honored to serve as the Strafford County Governor-at-Large for the New Hampshire Bar Association. For nearly twenty-five years, I have practiced law in New Hampshire with a focus on litigation. In June 2020, I left my partnership at a mid-sized firm in Portsmouth, NH to join Jocelyn Stachowske, Esq. in forming Stachowske Law, PLLC. Over the past 5 years and beyond, the attorneys in our firm have diligently served our clients’ needs resulting in sizeable growth of the firm. I am personally committed to supporting clients who have suffered catastrophic, life-altering injuries—through every step of litigation, including trial—and I proudly honor all referrals. I look forward to working with the New Hampshire Bar Association and the members of the Strafford County Bar.
Sullivan County Governor
Vanessa M. Wilson
Vanessa M. Wilson was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and raised in a town not too far from there, namely, Guilford. She graduated high school there and obtained a B.S. from the University of Connecticut and a J.D. from New England School of Law in 1983. She became a member of the N.H. Bar shortly thereafter.
Vanessa was in private practice in Sullivan County for 28 years, and then worked for the Cheshire County Attorney’s Office for 3.5 years. She currently works as a Staff Attorney for DCYF in the Claremont office.
Vanessa has served on many bar committees in the past. Having finally gotten the last of three children off to college, She wanted to become involved again, and was on the Board of Governors early on in her career, back in 1988-1990.
ABA Association Delegate
Michael J. Iacopino
Mike Iacopino is a criminal defense lawyer. He began his career in the Manchester office of the New Hampshire Public Defender Program from 1984 through 1987. He is senior shareholder at Brennan Lenehan Iacopino & Hickey in Manchester NH where he has practiced for 34 years. His practice includes representation of accused people and businesses in state and federal court. Mike is the current Chair of the New Hampshire Bar Association Legislative Committee. Mike also served for many years on the Committee on Cooperation with the Courts. At the ABA he is a member of the Criminal Justice Section, the Administrative Law Section and the Environment, Energy and Resources Law Section. Mike is a former CJA Panel Representative for the federal District of New Hampshire and a former member of the CJA Panel
Selection Committee. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the New Hampshire Public Defender Program. He received his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of New Hampshire in 1980 and his law degree from Suffolk University Law School in 1984. He is admitted to practice in the New Hampshire state and federal courts, the First Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.
ABA Association State Delegate
Jennifer L. Parent
Jennifer L. Parent is a director and chair of the litigation department in the McLane Middleton law firm in Manchester, with particular focus on business and employment litigation. She served as President of NHBA from 2011-2012. She served as President of the National Conference of Bar Presidents from 2018-2019, which provides programming to state, local, and metro bar leaders nationally. Parent also served as President of the NH Women’s Bar Association from 2000-2002 and as President of the New England Bar Association from 2018-2019. She served on the NHBA Board of Governors from 2004 to 2008, representing Hillsborough County North. She has participated in a number of task forces and committees of the NH Bar Association, including, co-chair of the Bench Bar Conference in March 2015 and chair of the Committee on
Cooperation with the Courts from 2013-2016. Early on, she was active in the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association, serving as the District 3 Representative for NH and MA. Parent received her law degree from Suffolk University Law School, summa cum laude, and was admitted to the NH Bar in 1995. She received the Robert E. Kirby Award, honoring excellence in advocacy, civility and professionalism of a lawyer under 40 years of age, from the NH Bar Foundation in 2003. She received the 2009 Philip Hollman Gender Equality Award. Parent served as NHBA’s Association Delegate to the ABA House of Delegates from 2015-2020. As State Delegate, Parent chairs New Hampshire’s delegation in the House of Delegates.
ABA Association New Lawyer Delegate
Lyndsay N. Robinson
Attorney Lyndsay Robinson is counsel at Shaheen & Gordon, P.A. Her practice consists of general civil litigation with a focus on family law, estate planning, probate administration, immigration, and other similar fields. Lyndsay graduated from Saint Anselm College with a Bachelor of Arts in politics and a minor in Russian area studies. Upon graduation, Lyndsay attended the University of New Hampshire School of Law. She had the privilege of participating in a rigorous course load and graduating from the University of New Hampshire as a Daniel Webster Scholar. In addition to participating in the honors program, Lyndsay served as a Warren B. Rudman Summer Fellow and an American Bar Association Janet B. Steiger Fellow.
While in law school, Lyndsay had the honor of clerking at the 9th Circuit Manchester Family Division, served as a legal consultant for the State of New Hampshire Court Improvement Project, interned for the State of New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, served as a Rule 36 Student Attorney for the Concord City Prosecutor’s Office, and worked as a law clerk for Tober Law Offices, PA. Lyndsay is an active member of the Bar and dedicated to serving her community. Lyndsay currently serves as the Chair of the New Hampshire Bar Association Family Law Section, Chair of the New Hampshire Bar Association Gender Equality Committee, and Treasurer of the New Hampshire Women’s Bar Association. Lyndsay also serves on the Board for the New Hampshire Bar Foundation. Lyndsay is a member to Chief Justice MacDonald’s advisory board for the New Hampshire Judicial Branch Steering Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. Lyndsay is actively involved with the New Hampshire Pro Bono DOVE Program actively representing victims of domestic violence and stalking. Lyndsay was awarded New Hampshire Bar Association's Pro Bono Program Rising Star in 2020 and was also voted Best Attorney in Greater Nashua by the Nashua Telegraph in 2020. Lyndsay was selected as New England Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2021 and 2022.
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On February 21, 2025, the largest crowd in recent memory gathered at the NHBA’s Annual Midyear Meeting to discuss Civility and the Rule of Law. NHBA leadership recognizes the critical importance of the role of the courts in our government, the need for a strong independent judiciary, and the obligation of lawyers to support the rule of law. The Board of Governors reiterates the promise we made when taking our oath as lawyers to support the Constitutions of New Hampshire and the United States.
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