Editorial Submission Guidelines

NH Bar News Submission Guidelines

The NH Bar News is published monthly and is the official publication of the New Hampshire Bar Association. Bar News aims to provide NH Bar members with timely information about the Bar, its members and the practice of law in New Hampshire, and to promote an exchange of ideas about issues facing the legal community.

In addition to publishing news and advice, Bar News also publishes opinions and commentary on the legal profession. Please consult our editorial policy for guidance on opinions.

The Bar News accepts advertising, with certain limitations.

Bar News welcomes articles from members and non-members. Authors maintain full but non-exclusive rights to the submitted material. By submitting material to Bar News, authors grant license to the NH Bar Association to publish content–in whole or in part – in print and online, with attribution.

The NH Bar Association uses a modified version of the Associated Press Style Guide. Articles will be edited to that standard, as well as for length when necessary.

All Writers Should…

• Submit materials in an editable document format. (Not PDF)
• Double-space manuscripts.
• Single-space after each sentence.
• Insert breaks between paragraphs with the return key.
• Legal citations should be abbreviated as much as possible and incorporated into article text. No footnotes, please.
• Include a biographical paragraph of roughly 35 words at the end of the article.
• Write informally and direct your writing to a general legal audience.
• Provide guidance and inform rather than opinionate (except for opinion articles or ‘Morning Mail’).
• Make sure to include your name and practice area section(s), if applicable.

*Please note: The NH Bar Association Board is mindful of the publication’s role in promoting civility, professionalism and other objectives of New Hampshire’s unified Bar, as established in the Association’s Constitution. Submissions that include personal attacks, contain language which may be deemed defamatory, or are inconsistent with or irrelevant to the purpose of the publication will not be published.

Bar News Practice Area Section Articles

Bar News features a different area (or areas) of law each month in its practice-area section (See charts for calendar and submission deadlines). Articles in this section should be between 800 and 1,000 words.

Topics should be broad enough in scope to interest a variety of law practitioners. Successful articles typically inform, provide practical tips, explore intersections of different areas of law, and/or discuss new procedures, rules, laws or case law.

We recommend but do not require advance queries. Scheduled practice areas on our calendar allow for advance planning. When possible, please submit a query two weeks prior to the editorial deadline to news@nhbar.org. Advance notice of topics helps us avoid duplications, but if you have a great article already done, send it to us!

We are sorry that we cannot always publish all of the articles we receive. Some practice-area articles will appear in the online-only version of Bar News .

‘Lessons Learned’

Bar News accepts brief articles of 500 words or less that provide a single tip or law-related anecdote designed to inform or encourage other practitioners. These can be submitted at any time with no advance query. However, timing your submission in coordination with our practice-area calendar is encouraged.

Letters to the Editor/Opinion Articles

Opinion articles on issues relevant specifically to New Hampshire lawyers are preferred, but we will consider well-written pieces on regional, national and global issues as well. The “Opinions” and “Letters to the Editor” columns within the New Hampshire Bar News provide a forum for New Hampshire Bar Association member comments, lively discussion, and/or idea exchanges.

Your submission is meant to express your opinion or point of view on a particular topic of interest to you. In writing to us, you have a unique opportunity to discuss issues or frame the discussion, in your own words.

Submitting content to the Bar News does not guarantee publication. We reserve the right to edit any and all submissions for grammar, length, and accuracy. Submissions may be clarified or edited by staff based on space considerations and the number/nature of comments received on any single topic. When responses occur over several issues, the Editor reserves the right to cease printing letters on the subject in question. If substantial revisions are required, we will send you an edited file prior to publication to ensure that we have retained the essence of your original submission and we will not publish your column until we have received your approval on the changes.

The NHBA, in its sole discretion, may decline to run a submission where the language or information is deemed unsuitable or inappropriate for publication. Submissions that attack, ridicule, denounce, impugn a person’s character, or impute immoral or dishonorable attributes to others or evidence bias based on race or ethnicity, gender, age, religion, national origin, disability, and/or sexual orientation – or which could be reasonably construed to do so, regardless of the author’s intent – will not be published.

Additionally, the Bar News will not knowingly publish letters that have appeared in other publications and will not publish anonymous letters. The NHBA also reserves the right to limit the number of submissions we will publish in any year by any particular member or firm.

The NHBA does not necessarily share or endorse any particular views expressed by contributors to the Bar News or other NHBA publications. Publication of a letter/opinion does not imply the NHBA’s endorsement of the author’s views.

Please consult our editorial policy for further guidance.

Please limit opinion pieces to 800 words.

Reviews (Books, technology, services, etc.)

We welcome reviews relevant to the legal profession that focus on software, hardware, books, services, and other tools, products and services that may be of use to members of the legal community.
Reviews should be limited to 600 words. Submit with biographical information and digital (jpg) headshot.

Community Notes

We publish announcements about members being appointed to the boards and committees of charitable organizations and professional associations, winning awards, and receiving other distinctions, in this section. Send announcements and inquiries to  news@nhbar.org.

Coming and Going

Brief text-only announcements about new hires, job changes, new offices, new firms, etc. are published in “Coming and Going” each month as space permits. Send announcements and inquiries to  news@nhbar.org.
(Paid advertisements in our Professional Announcements section are available for announcing new hires, promotions and other news with photos and firm information. See Members-Only Media Kit for rates and sizes.)

At-A-Glance

Bar News seeks members to collect and summarize NH Supreme Court decisions monthly. For more information, contact  news@nhbar.org.

Bar News Editorial Policy

New Hampshire Bar News is the official publication of the New Hampshire Bar Association. Bar News aims to provide Bar members with timely information about the Bar, its members and the practice of law in New Hampshire, and to promote an exchange of ideas about issues facing the legal community.

The Bar News Editorial Advisory Board welcomes letters and articles on substantive legal matters, law practice and other topics of interest to Bar members. Submissions must include the author’s name, address and phone number. Submissions via e-mail are encouraged. Submissions will be considered from Bar members and others with an interest in New Hampshire’s justice system. The Board is mindful of the publication’s role in promoting civility, professionalism and other objectives of New Hampshire’s unified Bar, as established in the Association’s Constitution and by its Board of Governors.

Submissions that include personal attacks, contain language which may be deemed defamatory, or are inconsistent with the purpose of the publication, will not be published. Submissions that relate to pending litigation or partisan politics will be closely scrutinized. The Editorial Board reserves discretion to accept or reject articles or to consider exceptions to the length guidelines for subjects of extraordinary interest to the Bar.

Contact Information

All submissions to Bar News are subject to editing for length and style. Editorial submissions should be sent to news@nhbar.org. For advertising information, contact advertising@nhbar.org.

Feedback regarding Bar News editorial content and requests for additional copies should be directed to news@nhbar.org

To submit items for Community Notes or Coming and Going or for more information about At-A-Glance, please contact Advertising & Sponsorship Sales Coordinator Assistant  news@nhbar.org.

Inquiries about website content, press contacts and all other NH Bar Association communications, write to the  Director of Marketing & Communications.

Editorial Submission Deadlines for 2023