The New Hampshire Bar Foundation Board of Directors is holding an election for an open seat on the IOLTA Grants Committee. The five-member committee reviews IOLTA grant applications, interviews applicants and provides funding recommendations to the NH Bar Foundation Board of Directors each fiscal year. Committee Members are eligible to serve two consecutive five-year terms. Lawyers licensed to practice law in the state of New Hampshire who, individually or through their firm, participate in the NH Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts program are eligible to cast a vote.

Meet the two candidates running for one open seat.

Attorney Kirsten Jade Allen

Kirsten Allen is a partner at Shaheen & Gordon, P.A. and a member of the firm’s business law group, focusing on the challenges faced by New Hampshire business owners in and out of court. She represents clients across a range of industries and also handles contested real estate and probate matters, guiding clients through complex and sensitive disputes toward their desired resolution. Kirsten is committed to supporting access to legal services and public interest law and looks forward to bringing that commitment and her professional judgment to the IOLTA Grants Committee.

Attorney Christine M. Hanisco

Chrissy Hanisco founded Life Stages Law, PLLC, a virtual, boutique law firm focused on adoption, assisted reproductive law, and estate planning for young families in 2024.

Chrissy graduated from Saint Anselm College and New York Law School, and is licensed in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. A former NH public defender, an infertility diagnosis in 2011 led Chrissy to considering private practice and in September 2015 she joined The Stein Law Firm in Concord, NH, where she developed the firm’s adoption and assisted reproduction technology practice.

Chrissy currently serves on the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Board of Governors, as a Governor-at-Large (2019-present), and is active in the Family Law, Solo-Small Firm, and Trust & Estate Law Sections. In addition, she is an active member of the NH Women’s Bar Association and the American Bar Association’s Assisted Reproductive Technology Committee. She is a former Director and Officer (Vice-President and Clerk) of AllPath’s Family Building (2017-2025) (FKA Resolve New England). A member of the Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy since 2016, she was a founding member of its Grievance Committee and served as its Chair from 2017-2024. Chrissy has been voted by her peers as New England Super Lawyer (2024, 2025 and 2026) and Best Lawyers (2024). She has presented on both adoption and assisted reproduction law for the NH Bar Association and the ABA and contributed to the MCLE New England publication Adoption and Reproductive Technology Law in Massachusetts, 2d edition 2018.

The New Hampshire Bar Foundation plays a critical role in providing equal access to justice for New Hampshire citizens. The IOLTA Grants Program provides nonprofit civil legal services organizations with funding that is crucial to their mission. As a former public interest attorney I believe strongly in my responsibility to continue to support and serve these organizations in various ways. I would be honored to serve on the IOLTA Grants committee and to provide stewardship of these limited funds to ensure the greatest impact for New Hampshire civil legal services.

Please be sure to submit your vote. An email with a link to the ballot will be sent on July 13, 2026. Voting All votes must be received by 4:00 pm, July 31, 2026.