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language which may be deemed defamatory, or are inconsistent with or irrelevant to the purpose of the publication will not be published.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. Please consult our editorial policy for guidance on opinions.

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 Donna Parker.

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 Donna Parker.
(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 Donna Parker.

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 Donna Parker.

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 Donna Parker.

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

Editorial Submission Deadlines for 2020