Midyear Meeting 2019

Learn about and compare challenges to the First Amendment in the past and today. Have the rights guaranteed in the First Amendment been interpreted differently over time? Explore how the new public square that is social media affects our understanding of our basic rights to free speech and freedom of expression. Discover how important conversations affecting the first amendment are playing out on college campuses across the nation.

Mark your calendars!

Why You Should Attend

Connect with colleagues, add valuable information to your professional toolkit, discover products and services which make your work day easier, and celebrate the legal profession at the premiere legal community event in New Hampshire. Past attendees attest that the Midyear Meeting:

“Well prepared, clear and engaging. I appreciated the NH-specific references.”

“Excellent speakers… well-versed and passionate.”

Of Dogma and Desire: The American History of Pressing Freedom, Religion, and the Right to Speak

Robert McWhirter

“Freedom of the Press” is the American creed. From the penning of the Declaration of independence on, the United States has stood for freedom of speech, even if we have not always respected it fully for all. This dynamic presentation explores the historic principles and intentions that guide the framers in crafting the First Amendment. Through history and strife, what has right of free speech and free press meant in America? Have we lived up to the Framers’ vision or not? And what does it mean for us today?

Free Speech on Campus: Reports from the Front Lines

Howard Gillman

Chancellor Gillman will provide an overview of recent controversies, discuss the central arguments for prohibiting the censorship of ideas on campus, and review what colleges cannot do when dealing with free speech controversies. He will also provide an update on developments over the last year regarding campus efforts to better prepare for large-scale demonstrations and manage the cost of providing security, and then identify areas of ongoing focus, including policies regarding student disruption of campus events. Finally, he will discuss the mission of the new University of California National Center on Free Speech and Civic Engagement (for which he acts as co-chair of the advisory board),   and solicit advice on how best to realize the research and educational mission of the center.

The New Public Square: First Amendment Issues in the Digital Age

Ramya Krishnan

Social Media companies and information platforms have a profound but poorly understood influence on public discourse. In what is sometimes labeled the “digital public square”, they decide who gets to speak, what can be said, and who gets heard. Discover the quasi-governmental role the companies play in setting the boundaries and terms of public discourse and explore some to the questions this phenomenon raises.

The breakfast has become a must-attend event for attorneys working in all areas of the law and in various practice settings, as a way to connect with colleagues and support the work of the Gender Equality Committee.

This year’s breakfast speaker will be Lauren Rikleen, president of the Rikleen Institute for Strategic Leadership and author of the upcoming book, “The Shield of Silence: How Power Perpetuates a Culture of Harassment and Bullying in the Workplace.” She will address such topics as strengthening multi-generational teams, women’s leadership and advancement, and implementing strategies to minimize the impact of unconscious bias.

Congratulations to Attorney Holly Haines, from Abramson, Brown & Dugan, who has been selected to receive the 2019 Hollman Award and will be honored at the breakfast for her efforts to advance gender equality within the state’s legal community.

This event is sold out! Call Cheryl  at (603) 715-3260 to be put on the waiting list.

Thank you to our breakfast sponsors!