New Admittees

NHBA Center Entrance with logo on the exterior window

Welcome to Your New Hampshire Bar Association!

Our goal is to assist you as a new member of the New Hampshire Bar Association (NHBA) any way we can to make your entry into the NH legal community a seamless experience. To that end, below you will find information on the services we offer to assist you in staying informed and in meeting the various requirements you have as a New Hampshire attorney.”

Please feel free to contact our Member Records Coordinator at (603) 715-3208 or memberrecords@nhbar.org if you have any questions.

Requirements and Deadlines

License Renewal

The NHBA license period runs from June 1 through May 31. You will receive your first statement by email on the first of the month following your admission to the State of New Hampshire.

Your invoice will be a total of the NHBA dues and NH Supreme Court fees. You will not receive a separate invoice from the court. Members have 30 days to pay their invoice and 60 days to change their status and receive an updated invoice. NHBA dues and NH Supreme Court fees are prorated for new admittees. Any member whose invoice is not paid at the end of the 30 days will be assessed a delinquency fee. Continued non-payment could result in court hearings.

Complete information on license renewal is found on our 311 Attorney License Renewal  page.

Update Your Information

All members of the NHBA, whether Active or Inactive status, are required to update the NHBA with their most current professional and personal contact information, according to New Hampshire Supreme Court Rule 42(a). Personal/residential contact information is kept in the strictest of confidence and is only released to the courts or the public when authorization has been received in writing from the member.

The NH Supreme Court receives your contact information from the NHBA, so it is imperative that we have the most current contact information for you, so that you do not miss notifications from the NHBA or notifications, hearing dates, or other time-sensitive information from the courts.

To make changes to your information:

Personal Contact Information

    • login to your MY NHBar Portal from our website at www.nhbar.org
    • click on the Update MyProfile link.
    • If you forgot your password use the “Recover Password” link.

Changes to Firm/Organization

    • To make changes to your organization or firm information, including when setting up a home office, download the Firm/Organization Change Form from our website.
    • Once completed, you can either mail the form to our office at the address at the bottom of the form or email the form to memberrecords@nhbar.org.

Continuing Legal Education (CLE)

New Hampshire Supreme Court Rule 53 requires all NHBA members who have been on Active status for six (6) cumulative months or more during the reporting period to meet the CLE obligations.

  • The reporting period for NHMCLE is from June 1 through May 31.
  • Active members must log 720 minutes (twelve hours) of CLE in each reporting year.
  • At least 120 minutes (two hours) of CLE must be in the area of ethics.

Members can log their minutes through the Attorney Reporting Tool (ART) available through their member portal on our website.

Practical Skills

The Practical Skills Course (required by the NH Supreme Court) must be taken within the first two years after being sworn in to the New Hampshire Bar Association. This includes attorneys who have previously practiced in other states.

This course must be taken in person. Watch for COVID related updates.

Member Benefits

The benefits and services that are available to you as a member of the NH Bar Association are varied, wide raging and numerous.  Below are listed a few of the most pertinent to you in the earliest days of your membership. Don’t forget to check out your Member Guide to discover all that is available to you throughout your career.

Mentor Advice Program

The Mentor Advice Program (MAP) is a voluntary program offered by the New Hampshire Bar Association which pairs new attorneys (advisees) with experienced practitioners (mentors) to provide guidance regarding ethical, practical, and professional issues. Mentors and advisees will be paired based upon a variety of factors, including area of practice, size and type of firm or other legal employer, specific preferences/concerns, and geographic location, keeping in mind that geographic location should not be a barrier for an otherwise excellent match.

Applications are also available by contacting the Member Services Coordinator.

New Lawyers Committee

The New Lawyers Committee (NLC) monitors the integration of newly admitted members of the Bar into both the association and the legal profession and plans meetings, provides materials, and educational and social programs to assist new admittees and make them feel welcome to the Bar Association.

Check out the NLC webpage to learn about upcoming events, get involved, and enjoy networking with your peers. New admittees are automatically enrolled in the New Lawyers Forum and will receive the quarterly NLC electronic newsletter.

Traps for the Unwary

The seventh edition of Traps for the Unwary updated in 2020 is a publication of the NHBA New Lawyers Committee which identifies some of the “traps” into which both new and experienced lawyers may fall. Download your copy of Traps for the Unwary now. The NLC also presented a CLE series based on Traps for the Unwary which is available in the NHBA CLE Catalog https://nhbar.inreachce.com/

Traps for the Unwary

When people need help finding the right lawyer, they turn to the NHBA’s Lawyer Referral Service (LRS). Grow your client base by joining the LRS panel and receive referrals for these full fee paying clients . Visit the Join Lawyer Referral Service page for complete program details and forms to sign-up.

Sections

As a new member of the NHBA take advantage of complimentary membership in one or more of our many sections for the remainder of the Bar year!

The New Hampshire Bar Association hopes that you will utilize section memberships as a way to increase your knowledge and strengthen your practice in your chosen area of law. You will have access to a section specific forums and meetings throughout the year.

Membership in one or more of the New Hampshire Bar Association’s sections provides an opportunity for improving knowledge and skills in a particular practice area. Over 2,000 NHBA members currently belong to one or more of the Bar’s sections, which cover a wide array of practice areas from family law to utilities law.

CLE Club and Discounts for New Lawyers

The NHBA CLE Club program offers many CLE opportunities each year – programs that feature some of New Hampshire’s most knowledgeable and experienced practitioners and judges. Topics include a full array of important, timely and practical opportunities for top-shelf continuing legal education.

Join the club and then receive substantial savings (sometimes 50% or more discount) on NHBA CLE programs!