
Democracy Under Fire
This year’s meeting will focus on the rule of law and civics engagement. Anyone who is interested in how the rule of law failed to prevent the holocaust and the horrible consequences of that failure should attend. Lessons from the past should inform us about the present and the future. If you are interested in or concerned about civics and civics engagement today, you should attend this meeting.
Why You Should Attend
Connect with colleagues, add valuable information to your professional toolkit, and celebrate the legal profession at the premiere legal community event in New Hampshire. Past attendees attest that the Midyear Meeting:
- “Applied to practitioners of all sized firms, and private or governmental or corporate.”
- “As always the Bar staff put together and executed a fantastic event.”
- “Well prepared, clear and engaging. I appreciated the NH-specific references.”
- “Excellent speakers… well-versed and passionate.”
Post-Meeting Cocktail Reception
The New Hampshire Bar Association & the New Hampshire Historical Society
Cordially invite you to a Cocktail Reception Friday, February 16, 2018, 5 – 6 p.m.
In celebration of The Democracy Project: Renewing History and Civics in New Hampshire Schools
Brief Remarks by Professor Robert Putnam, Professor of Public Policy at Harvard and Author of Bowling Alone, and Elizabeth Dubrulle, Director of Education, NH Historical Society
Pricing & Registration
Pricing
$200 – Members
Includes:
- Morning CLE
- Afternoon CLEs
- Honors & Awards Lunch.
*Attorneys who have been members for less than three years.
Democracy Under Fire
This year’s meeting will focus on the rule of law and civics engagement. Anyone who is interested in how the rule of law failed to prevent the holocaust and the horrible consequences of that failure should attend. Lessons from the past should inform us about the present and the future. If you are interested in or concerned about civics and civics engagement today, you should attend this meeting.
Ann O’Rourke (Weber) and William Frederick Meinecke, Jr.
In the Museum’s Law, Justice, and the Holocaust program, participants seek to critically examine the pressures faced by German jurists under the Nazis. Using legal decrees, judicial opinions, and case law of the period, they study the role of judges in the destruction of democracy and the establishment of the Nazi German state. Judges were among those inside Germany who might have effectively challenged Hitler’s authority, the legitimacy of the Nazi regime, the hundreds of laws that restricted political freedoms and civil rights, and the guarantees of property and security. And yet the overwhelming majority did not. This close scrutiny of the past provides a framework for a debate on the role of the judiciary in the United States today: What is the responsibility of judges to the legal system as a whole? What have been the challenges to a fair and impartial administration of justice in the United States today? What can judges do to ensure that the kinds of failures that led to the Holocaust do not happen here?
Hon. Nancy Gertner (ret.)
Judge Gertner will discuss the role of the judiciary in light of the recent election and divisions within our nation. How does the judiciary fulfill its role when the leaders of our nation attack the courts, judges, and juries? How do judges uphold the role of the third branch of government when the executive or legislative branches denigrate courts who strike down or hold unconstitutional administrative or legislative actions?
Robert D. Putnam
Professor Putnam will be speaking on Social Change and Civic Engagement in America from 1900 to 2020. These years involve some the most dramatic changes in our democracy. In his book Bowling Alone, Professor Putnam argues that the nation has undergone an unprecedented collapse in civic, social, associational, and political life, particularly since the 1960s. In his more recent book, Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis, Professor Putnam looks at the growing issues of our nation’s inequality of opportunity.
Registration
REMEMBER those days of law school? Wonder what that old law school classmate is up to now? Well, the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Midyear Membership Meeting presents the perfect opportunity to reunite with fellow alumni of your law school: Law schools are invited to host dinners in conjunction with the Feb. 16 meeting. Bar staff will assist by providing contact information of Manchester area restaurants for making group dinner arrangements, a sample invitation letter and response form, and a set of alumni mailing labels. If you are interested in coordinating a law school dinner for your alumni, please contact Lisa Boisvert.
Scheduled Alumni Events
Northeastern University School of Law
Dinner Details Date: TBD Time: TBD Place: TBD Contact Talesha Saint-Marc
Suffolk University Law School
Dinner Details Date: Thurs, March 15 Time: 6 p.m. Place: Bedford Village Inn Contact Jennifer Parent 603-628-1360 Join your Suffolk Law School colleagues as we recognize fellow alum Chief Justice Linda S. Dalianis and hear from Dean Andrew Perlman.
University of NH School of Law
Dean Megan Carpenter will be in attendance!
Cocktail Reception Details Date: Fri, Feb.16 Time: 6-8 p.m. Place: Waterworks Café Contact Caroline K. Leonard 603-545-3662 RSVP Online
University of Virginia School of Law
Dean Risa Goluboff will be in attendance!
Dinner Details Date: Weds, April 18 Time: 6 p.m. Place: The Foundry Contact Bret Gifford

Joni Esperian

Justice Bobbie Hantz Marconi

Judge Nancy Gertner
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.
Established on the occasion of Judge Hollman’s retirement from the Superior Court bench in 2003, the Gender Equality award is designed to honor Judge Hollman’s efforts in advocating for gender equality in the NH legal system.
This year’s recipient, Joni Esperian, is the Executive Director of the NH Commission for Human Rights in Concord. Prior to holding this position, she worked as a trial lawyer in state and federal courts. A cum laude graduate of Stony Brook University, she earned her law degree from the UNH Law Center. Volunteering her time to improve practice is a way of life for Esperian. She has given talks to the New Lawyers Committee on how to bring cases before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and has written for the NH Bar News on Best Practices for bringing complaints before the NH Human Rights Commission. She has also volunteered in high schools for the Bar Association’s annual Law Day and has been on the Pro Bono Honor Roll countless times. She was a founding member of the NH Women’s Bar Association and has served as its president. In addition, she was awarded the Excellence in Service Award by the Manchester NAACP Chapter in 2013.
NH Supreme Court’s Justice Bobbie Hantz Marconi is the guest speaker. Additional remarks will be provided by Judge Nancy Gernter.
Exhibitor / Sponsorship Information
Exhibitors and Sponsors, Midyear Meeting at the Downtown Manchester Hotel (formerly the Radisson Hotel/Center of NH) in Manchester is an opportunity to develop contacts directly with attorneys to promote your company’s services.
- 500 + members in attendance last year
- Exhibitor area located in the break/luncheon area
- Direct contact with the attendees
- Two breakout sessions
Learn more about exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities!
Exhibit or sponsor one of the NH Bar Association’s many events and gain access to our network of more than 7,800 attorneys, as well as other individuals and organizations who work with the legal community. Event sponsorships are an excellent way to advertise your products and services to the New Hampshire legal community. Contact Lisa Boisvert, 603-715-3213, or visit our Meeting Exhibitor/Sponsorship Opportunities page.
Thank you to our Exhibitors and Sponsors!
- AA Dority
- ABA Retirement
- Advanced Resources Marketing
- Arthur Greene Consulting
- Casemaker
- eServices
- Exchange Authority
- Findlaw (a part of Thomson Reuters)
- Inherited Property Solutions
- InReach
- Laurion & Associates, LLC
- LawPay
- NHLAP
- NHBA Insurance Agency
- Rehabilitation Services Associates
- Robson Forensic
- Service Credit Union
- SVDFL Digital Forensics Laboratories