NHBA e-Bulletin - August 28, 2013
In This Issue
IMPORTANT: Unblock Private Numbers
Test Drivers Wanted - Online Library Options
More on Panel Voir Dire
NHMCLE Notifications Sent
Deadline for Judge Apps
Lawline Seeks Volunteers
Brown Bag Meetings on Call Center Transition
Manchester Bar Association Golf Tournament
Experienced Attorneys Wanted
Pro Bono Case Summaries - Now More Accessible
CLS Thanks Donors
Suggested Reading
Thank You to Our Sponsors!
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Practice & Procedure Manual

NHBA-CLE Program List
 

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IMPORTANT: Unblock Private Numbers
Since the transition of the Circuit Court to one phone number for all locations (1-855-212-1234), all Circuit Court phones have become private lines. For this reason, all outgoing calls from Circuit Court locations show up on caller ID as "Blocked." These calls are not received by parties that have enabled an anonymous call rejection feature on their phones.

If your phone is set up to block private numbers, all calls from Circuit Court clerk's offices will now be blocked. Many Superior Court numbers are already private, and by Jan. 1, all will be private. To receive calls from the courts, deactivate the blocking feature or provide a number to the courts that will accept calls from private numbers.

For Fairpoint landlines (Centrex Plus business service), press *87 to deactivate anonymous call rejection. For other carriers, please contact your service provider for deactivation instructions.

Test Drivers Wanted - Online Library Options
Access to Casemaker, our online legal research resource, is a prized member benefit. The Bar Association will continue to offer an online caselaw library, but we are seeking member input on Casemaker and a similar service, Fastcase.

Bar members are invited to attend live demonstrations from both providers on successive Wednesdays. Bring your laptop, eat pizza, and test drive both services. (No charge, no CLE credit.)

  
Casemaker
 
Fastcase
Presenter: Jim Corbett, Casemaker's marketing director and legal research expert Phil Rosenthal, CEO of Fastcase
Date: Weds., Sept. 25 Weds., Oct. 2
Time: 5:30-7 p.m. 5:30-7 p.m.

Interested in learning more? Contact Lisha Brosseau for details on how to obtain a temporary Fastcase log-in. For more about Casemaker, look to the top banner on the Casemaker home page for "Videos" "Help" and "Webinar" for additional training resources.

More on Panel Voir Dire
The web version of the recent Bar News article on attorney-led voir dire includes comments from NH Superior Court Judge Jacalyn Colburn that didn't make it into print.

"I routinely allow it in criminal cases when either party requests it... In my opinion, any reasonable tool available to select a fair and unbiased jury is a tool worth utilizing," Judge Colburn said. Check out Bar News online for more.

Do you have comments on this or another article in Bar News? We appreciate your feedback. Please email us at news@nhbar.org.

NHMCLE Notifications Sent
Did you receive a pink form from NHMCLE? If so, check out this handy flow chart for information about compliance. This page is also accessible via the NHMCLE page at www.nhbar.org. If you received a white form, and everything looks accurate, no action is required.

Questions? Email MCLE@nhbar.org or contact the NHMCLE staff at (603) 715-3222.

Still need credits? The NH Bar Association's CLE Program offers plenty of programming. Visit the NHBA�CLE Product Catalog. There are hundreds of options available, both for self-study and live credit.

Deadline for Judge Apps - 8/30
The NH Judicial Selection Commission is still accepting applications for two superior court judge positions. The application period closes this Friday, Aug. 30.

Superior Court applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Friday. Each applicant must submit the application and all accompanying documents, including writing samples, via email only to jscapplications2013@gmail.com.

Contact commission co-chairs Emily Gray Rice (665-8824) or Jim Rosenberg (225-7262) with any questions. The application has been revised this year and may be downloaded from the websites of the Governor or the NH Bar Association.

Lawline Seeks Volunteers - 10/9, 12/11
The NH Bar Association seeks volunteer lawyers to staff the Lawline phones from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9, and Wednesday, Dec. 11. Lawline provides free legal advice to the public through the generosity of New Hampshire attorneys, who answer calls from one main location or several locations (home or office). For more information, please contact Lisha Brosseau, (603) 715-3229.

Brown Bag Meetings on Call Center Transition
Brown bag lunch discussions about the superior court's transition to the centralized call center will be held at noon, Tuesday, Sept. 3, at the Hillsborough County Superior Court (South) in Nashua and 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12, at Carroll County Superior Court. Those courts will transition to the call center as of Sept. 24.

Manchester Bar Association Golf Tournament - 9/17
Early bird registration ends Sept. 4 for the Manchester Bar Annual Outing and Lobster Bake, to be held Sept. 17 at Candia Woods Golf Course. The 18-hole shotgun scramble will tee off at noon. Cocktail hour begins at 5 p.m., with the lobster and steak dinner to follow at 6 p.m.

Cost: Golf and dinner is $125/pp, or $100/pp if registered by Sept. 4. The cost of dinner only is $50/pp, or $40/pp if registered by Sept. 4.

Please mail/fax/email your registration and payment no later than Sept. 10 to Kara M. Simard at Borofsky, Amodeo-Vickery & Bandazian, P.A., 708 Pine St., Manchester, NH 03104. Fax: 625-8351, email: ksimard@e-atty.net

Experienced Attorneys Wanted
The New Lawyers Committee Mentor Program has guided new lawyers in their transition into the NH legal community since 1999. The program seeks seasoned attorneys who want to give back to the profession by sharing their experience and wisdom with new lawyers. The program is particularly in need of two attorneys in the Manchester and Nashua areas to fill current needs in the following areas of law: intellectual property, criminal practice, and general practice

Please contact Rosemarie Atwood, member services coordinator and New Lawyers Committee liaison, or call (603)715-3214 to find out how you can help.

Pro Bono Case Summaries - Now More Accessible
Help End the Wait: Take a Pro Bono CaseThere is now an easy way to access the Pro Bono cases referenced in last week's e-bulletin - with a maximum of two clicks. (Sorry for any prior inconvenience!) Simply click on the icon image to the right. If already logged into the Bar's website, you will be directed to case summaries right away. If not, log in to the Members Only part of the site and look for the same Pro Bono icon image. One click will bring you to the case summaries.

Pro Bono has many cases, in addition to those dealing with family law and domestic violence, with clients who have been waiting a long time for help. There are Chapter 7 Bankruptcy cases in every county that are waiting to be referred. Other case types include: wills and basic estate planning, criminal record annulment, and debt collection. Several attorneys have stepped up to help clients in need, but many would-be clients are still waiting for representation. Please contact Margaret Gilsenberg, 603-715-3203, to help end the wait for a client in need of legal services. If not you, who?

CLS Thanks Donors
The Campaign for Legal Services raised more than $310,000 last year to support the efforts of the Legal Advice & Referral Center, NH Legal Assistance, and the NH Bar's Pro Bono Referral Program, to increase access to justice. Hundreds of individuals, law firms, corporations and other organizations contributed. The full list of 2012 donors is published in the 2012 CLS Donor Report. For more information and to contribute this year, please visit www.nh-cls.org.

Suggested Reading

Should Law School Be Two Years?
A blog post from The Washington Post examines Obama's suggestion last week that law school should be two years instead of three. The author points to the British system as a possible alternative. Read more.

Planning For The End: New Hampshire's Advance Directive Gets An Update
A three-part series by NHPR's Todd Bookman looks at the recent law change and efforts to increase the number of New Hampshire residents who have completed advance directives. Read more.

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