Due to the appointment of US Magistrate Judge Landya B. McCafferty as a district judge for the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire, applications are being accepted until Friday, Jan. 17 for the vacant full-time magistrate judge position. Additional details. Download the magistrate judge application form.

The NH Bar Association Midyear Meeting - Friday, March 7, at the Radisson/Center of NH in Manchester - provides great programming and a full day of CLE credit at a very affordable price.

Check out the two CLEs - "Can't We All Just Get Along?" and "Making Your Case with Better Memory" both featuring national speakers.

The early bird deadline has now been extended! Register by Feb. 7 to attend both the morning and afternoon programs, as well as the honors and awards luncheon, for just $100 ($50 for new lawyers).

Find out more and register for Midyear Meeting on the bar's website.

Volunteers are sought for the championship of the NH High School Mock Trial competition, taking place on the weekend of Feb. 15-16 at Rockingham County Superior Court in Brentwood. Judges for the competition are especially needed on Saturday.

The high school mock trial competition was previously organized by the NH Bar Association. The Bar continues to provide assistance with materials. The program teaches students about the judicial system and trial advocacy, encourages discussions of justice and ethics, and provides high school students important contact with professional role models in the legal profession. The program can only work, though, with the support of local attorneys and community members.

Please use the registration form to indicate which rounds you can judge. For more information, please contact Kyle J. Skinner, coordinator.

The NH Bar Association Board of Governors is accepting nomination petitions for vice president, governor at large (two vacancies, three-year terms), county governors representing Belknap, Carroll, Cheshire (special election to complete one-year term), Hillsborough North, Hillsborough South, Strafford and Sullivan counties, and an association delegate to the American Bar Association House of Delegates. To be on the ballot for the April 2014 election, nominations must be submitted by March 1, 2014, to Secretary, NH Bar Association, 2 Pillsbury St., Suite 300, Concord, NH 03301-3502.

Governors representing a county must have at least 10 signatures and officers or governors at-large must have at least 25 signatures. Download the petition from the Bar's website.

Who: All New Lawyers Committee members and all NH new lawyers.

What: Happy hour for new lawyers. The New Lawyers Committee will provide the appetizers. You buy your own drinks.

Where: Strange Brew, 88 Market St., Manchester, NH

When: Thursday, Jan. 16, 5:30 p.m. (or whenever you get out of work)

Please RSVP to Kristina McNamara.

In honor of Judge Albert J. Cirone Jr. and his retirement from the 2nd Circuit Court in Lebanon after more than 25 years, there will be an open house from 3-6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30, at the courthouse, located at 38 Centerra Parkway in Lebanon.

Light refreshments will be served, courtesy of the Grafton County Bar Association. For more information, please contact Clerk Pam Kozlowski or by calling 1-855-212-1234.

Today is the deadline for applications to the NH Supreme Court Committee on Character and Fitness. The committee has two vacancies. Committee members attend four meetings per year to consider applications and to interview applicants. More formal hearings may be scheduled as necessary.

Anyone interested may download an application form from the NH Supreme Court website, or request it from Sherry M. Hieber, general counsel, NH Supreme Court Office of Bar Admissions, at (603) 224-8806. Contact Hieber with any questions and send completed applications to her at 4 Chenell Drive, Suite 102, Concord, NH. 03301.

The Union Leader and Concord Monitor recently reported on the rise of digital currency Bitcoin, featuring NH attorney Seth Hipple, who is accepting Bitcoin payment from clients.

Learn more about Bitcoin at the Enterprise Center at Plymouth, which is hosting a free workshop from 4-5:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 23, at 1 Bridge Street in Plymouth. (Not eligible for NHMCLE credit.)

L. Michael Couvillion, an economics professor at Plymouth State University, will discuss the currency, its advantages and disadvantages, and its potential for use in business. Space is limited. Call 603-535-3222 or contact Kim@EnterpriseCenterNH.com to reserve a seat.

A training seminar on workplace negotiation skills advertised for Jan. 23 has been postponed. The NHBA Gender Equality Committee program, featuring author Lauren Rikleen, will be rescheduled.

The Lawyer Bubble
NHPR reports on "The Lawyer Bubble" - a fancy way of describing the shrinking number of new jobs for lawyers and the decline in law school applications. Listen.

Blogger's Incarceration Raises First Amendment Questions
The New York Times covers the Alabama blogger who is now on a list of imprisoned journalists worldwide, and he's the only person on the list in the Western Hemisphere. Read more.

NHBA Insurance Agency
You Protect Your Clients and We Protect You. Exclusively Serving Association Members. Suzanne Morand, AIA, CIC, Senior Account Executive (866) 642-2292, smorand@nhbar.org.

Douglas, Leonard & Garvey, P.C.
Personal Injury, Auto Accidents, Slips and Falls, Wrongful Death, Medical Malpractice, Wrongful Termination, Sexual Harassment, Workplace Discrimination, Divorces, Family Law, Criminal Law and DUI. We can help. Call us today at 1-800-240-1988, or visit our website.