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New Hampshire Bar Association

About the NHBA

Overview

President: Paul W. Chant
Location: Concord, New Hampshire

Website: www.nhbar.org

Mission and History

In 1873, the New Hampshire Legislature created the "The Bar Association of the State of New Hampshire." In 1967, the state legislature changed the name of the organization to the "New Hampshire Bar Association."

The NHBA grew into the oldest statewide integrated (mandatory membership) bar association in the United States. The bar association in New Hampshire is incorporated under the laws of the state and follows its Bylaws and Constitution.

The mission of the New Hampshire Bar Association is: "Supporting Members of the Legal Profession and their Service to the Public and Justice System." NHBA requires lawyers in New Hampshire to complete at least 12 credits of Continuing Legal Education on an annual basis. Members receive the monthly New Hampshire Bar News and the quarterly New Hampshire Bar Journal.

Contact the NHBA

New Hampshire Bar Association

2 Pillsbury Street Suite 300

Concord, NH 03301

www.nhbar.org

Office: (603) 224-6942

Fax: (603) 224-2910

Online Profiles

More About the NHBA

Governance and Membership

The New Hampshire Bar Association is governed by six elected officers in the Board of Governors, eleven members elected by county, five members elected at large, a public sector governor, and an ABA Association Delegate. The administrative tasks of the NHBA are carried out by dedicated staff members.

A recent report found that in 2017, the membership of the New Hampshire Bar Association was listed as 7,771. Out of the active status members, 3,472 were in New Hampshire and 1,880 were out of state members. According to the member database portal maintained by NHBA, nearly half of the active members in New Hampshire were located in one of three counties - Hillsborough, Merrimack, or Rockingham.

The NHBA's funding comes from members' dues and non-dues revenue. The NHBA's budget for FY 2017, ending May 31 was $4,200,964 with approximately 46% of that budget coming from members' dues.

NHBA Committees

The NHBA has nine standing committees and four special committees including:

Cooperation with the Court
Continuing Legal Education
Delivery of Legal Services
Dispute Resolution
Ethics
Finance
Gender Equality
Legislation
New Lawyers

The Special Committees of the NHBA include:

Leadership Academy Steering Committee
Communications Advisory Council
Public Protection Fund Committee
Public Sector Award Committee

Programs Operated by the NHBA

The NH Bar Association operates several programs for the benefit of the public, including several programs to help them find an attorney including:

NHBA Lawyer Referral Service (LRS)
(603) 229-0002
LRSreferral@nhbar.org

The NHBA Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) provides attorney referrals to members of the public who have legal problems from personal injury and consumer matters to family law and can afford to pay for legal services.

Reduced-Fee Referral Program
(603) 715-3290
Reducedfee@nhbar.org

The reduced-fee referral program connects lower-income individuals who are able to pay some amount for legal services with lawyers who will take their case at a reduced rate.

The Pro Bono Referral Program
(800) 639-5290
(603) 224-3333

The Pro Bono referral program connects low-income individuals with volunteer attorneys who provide free legal services in family law, bankruptcy, consumer, housing and senior citizen matters.

Lawline
(800) 868-1212
Volunteer lawyers provide free legal information over the phone on the second Wednesday of each month from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

Additional Resources

New Hampshire Bar Foundation - A "Resolution of Cooperation" dated September 18, 2003, created the rules for the operation of the New Hampshire Bar Foundation. The nonprofit, grant-making charitable foundation supports civil legal aid for the disadvantaged and law-related education in New Hampshire.

Bar Rules for Attorney Advertising in New Hampshire - Find information on bar rules and ethical opinions for lawyer advertising, law firm web design and marketing, and listings in online attorney directories.

List of Legal Organizations in New Hampshire - List of legal organizations and bar associations in New Hampshire including the New Hampshire Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NHCDLA), the NH Justice Association (NHAJ), and NH Women's Bar Association (NHWBA).