By Katherine Hedges
Katherine Hedges is
the Chair of the New
Lawyers Committee.
She practices civil
litigation and corporate
law at Hage
Hodes Professional
Association in Manchester, NH.
The New Lawyers Committee (“NLC”)’s mission is to support newer members of the New Hampshire Bar as they begin practice within the state. Our target audience includes both attorneys who have passed their first bar within the last few years and attorneys who have practiced for any length of time in other states but who have only become admitted to the New Hampshire Bar within the last few years. The NLC focuses on providing programming, resources, and networking for newer attorneys to make them feel welcome and assist them with building a successful practice in New Hampshire. Here are a few highlights of the projects that the NLC is currently working on:
Traps for the Unwary
Traps for the Unwary is a publication of the New Lawyers Committee that provides practice tips for newer members of New Hampshire Bar. The publication covers a wide range of practice areas. The NLC updates the publication every couple of years, and the NLC is currently working on an extensive revision, which will include some new practice areas. Checkout the seventh edition of Traps for the Unwary and see what it has to offer you and your practice today.
Volunteer Opportunities
We believe that supporting residents of New Hampshire who are in need is an important part of being responsible members of the community. The NLC has hosted one month of Lawline for the last couple of years, which is a service that the New Hampshire Bar Association organizes to provide community members access to anonymous legal advice for one evening each month.
The NLC also regularly participates in the Walk Against Hunger to benefit Families in Transition – New Horizons, and the NLC has organized a team again this year. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the walk has gone virtual this year but will still be occurring on May 17, 2020. While we will not be physically together this year, we invite the entire New Hampshire Bar to join us in supporting this great cause while completing a 5k walk in your neighborhood and maintaining social distancing. You can join our team by signing up at https://support.fitnh.org/team/289579. Watch the New Hampshire Bar Association’s social media accounts for more details.
Ongoing and Upcoming Projects
The NLC has enjoyed hosting a social after Midyear Meeting for the last few years, and we are currently planning a fun virtual event for newer lawyers to connect during social distancing. We look forward to making an announcement about the event soon.
The NLC also organizes and/or participates in a number of activities to welcome new attorneys to the bar. The NLC hosts small group dinners with newer lawyers and state and federal judges, which provides newer attorneys an opportunity to learn about the judiciary, get practice tips, and otherwise get to know the judges they will be appearing before. Representatives of the NLC also attend swearing-in ceremonies, and the group hosts a “Bench and Bar Meet and Greet” following the Practical Skills Course in December. This past year, we also held a successful “speed dating” style career panel that allowed attendees to directly interact with the panelists, and we plan to host a similar event again next year. Although many of these events are currently on hold due to the pandemic, we are continuing our work and look forward to resuming these activities when it is safe to do so.
The NLC invites all members of the Bar to take advantage of our resources and programs. The President of the New Hampshire Bar Association appoints members to the New Lawyers Committee in the Summer, and we are looking for a few new members that are interested in becoming more involved with the Bar. If you may be interested, watch for the announcement seeking volunteers in the Bar News in the coming months, or reach out to me to find out more
about participating.