March 19, 2014

In this Issue


Transnational organized crime (TOC) groups are targeting attorneys across the United States with a sophisticated debt-collection fraud scheme. The TOC groups hire unwitting attorneys to represent them for a fraudulent legal scenario, solicit them to deposit large counterfeit checks into their client trust accounts, and then persuade them to immediately wire the deposited amount to a foreign bank account controlled by members of the TOC group.

A recent advisory issued by the FBI provides more information on how the scheme works, offers measures to help mitigate the threat, and advises about how to report incidents to law enforcement.

 

nullStarting this spring, prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys in Strafford and Cheshire counties will go before a superior court judge to discuss a defendant's case prior to indictment by grand jury.

As part of the NH Superior Court's Felony Case Flow initiative, the superior courts in Cheshire and Strafford counties have been designated as pilot courts for the Initial Appearance Pilot Project. The pilot project will start June 2 in Strafford County and July 1 in Cheshire County. Rules for the Pilot Project have been drafted and circulated for comment and will be sent to the Supreme Court for review in April.

Chief Justice Nadeau is holding the following brown bag lunch meetings to discuss the pilot project:
Strafford County Superior Court
Noon, Thursday, April 10
   Cheshire County Superior Court
Noon, Thursday, May 15
The supervisory judges and clerks for those counties will also be present. All criminal practitioners in these counties are invited to attend. Copies of the rules will be circulated at the brown bag meetings.

An article in the March issue of NH Bar News briefly discusses the pilot project, which will be covered in more depth in the April issue.



NH Attorney General Joseph Foster issued a warning Monday about a series of phone calls being made to New Hampshire citizens, mostly women, purporting to inform people of their eligibility for payments under a class-action settlement related to the use of surgical mesh. The callers allegedly represent that they are calling on behalf of a federal agency or on behalf of a law firm.

The callers ask their targets for personal information related to their bank accounts and medical history.

Anyone receiving such a call is asked to contact the Attorney General's Office at 1-888-468-4454 to report the call.



In a contested race for the vice presidency of the NH Bar Association, David Ruoff of Howard & Ruoff is running against Scott Harris of the McLane firm.

The NHBA Board election takes place via online ballots to be sent out April 1 (for a two-week voting period.) The March issue of NH Bar News lists the full slate of candidates. Complete profiles and statements will be posted with the ballots.

Because the NHBA Board of Governors ballot is sent as a bulk email message from ElectionsOnline, it may end up in your email application's spam filter. To ensure that you receive your ballot, please ask your IT personnel to white-list [email protected]. If you are your own IT department, please consult these white-listing instructions (certify senders' addresses as valid) for various email applications such as Comcast, Yahoo and Apple.



You know you do it. We know you do it. Help spread the word about it.
Justice For All Challenge A new initiative unveiled by NHBA President Jaye Rancourt at the NHBA Midyear Meeting encourages Bar members to sign up and be counted for the formal and informal pro bono service they perform each year.

The Justice for All Challenge is designed to celebrate the spirit of volunteerism of the NH Bar. Justice for All seeks to capture the broad array of legal services donated by New Hampshire attorneys, including cases accepted through the Bar Association's Pro Bono Referral Program, legal services offered independently to individual clients, and time spent advising nonprofits that assist low-income residents of New Hampshire.

Sign up at the Justice for All Challenge webpage.



Get Paid What You're WorthThe NHBA Gender Equality Committee presents "Get Paid What You're Worth," a seminar on negotiating pay, promotion, terms and conditions throughout your legal career.

This seminar is for attorneys and law students.
When: 5:30-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 9
Where: NHBA Seminar Room, 2 Pillsbury St., Concord
Led by national speaker Lauren Rikleen, this comprehensive workshop is designed for attorneys who want to:
� Be fairly compensated
� Negotiate a flexible work schedule
� Get the best work assignments
� Advocate for yourself if you are unfairly excluded from opportunities
� Get recognized for achievements
The cost is $50 for attorneys, $35 for unemployed attorneys, and $25 for law students. Learn more or download the registration form.

This program is not offered for NHMCLE credit.



The Federalist Society The New Hampshire Lawyers chapter of the Federalist Society invites members of the bar to attend a debate of the question, "Can NSA monitoring of domestic communications be reconciled with individual constitutional liberty interests?" on Wednesday, April 2, 2014, at UNH Law School.

Participants will be former NH Supreme Court Justice and former US Congressman Charles G. Douglas III and former deputy assistant secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, Paul Rosenzweig. The debate will be moderated by UNH Law Professor Calvin Massey.

Light refreshments will be served from 5-5:45 p.m. The debate will take place from 6-7:30 p.m. To RSVP, call Bryan Gould at 224-7761 or email [email protected].


The NH Supreme Court is seeking volunteers to serve on the Advisory Committee on Rules. There currently are two vacancies - one for an attorney and one for a non-attorney. Appointments will be made by the Supreme Court. Applications for appointment are due by March 31.



Like it or not, if you are in private practice, you are rated on AVVO.
Illinois State Bar Journal takes a look at the critics and supporters of this controversial lawyer-rating website. Read more.

Lo-Mac: Resources for the law office Mac and iOS user
A new program of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, Lo-Mac offers a collection of links and resources for attorneys using Apple products or who are looking to make the switch. 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, [email protected].

Mesmer & Deleault, PLLC
Business, Patent, Trademark, Estate Planning, and Litigation Attorneys, 668-1971. www.biz-patlaw.com.

McLane Law Firm
The McLane Law Firm combines legal excellence with creative thinking and superior client service to construct innovative and winning legal strategies. email address: [email protected], phone: (603) 625-6464.

New Hampshire Bar Association
2 Pillsbury Street
Suite 300
Concord, NH 03301
(603) 224-6942
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