On Wednesday, September 15, 2010 attorney Dean B. Eggert will be speaking at a Conference at the Grappone Conference Center, Concord, NH, on the New Bullying Law.  The Conference is jointly presented by the New Hampshire School Administrators Association and the New Hampshire Department of Education.  His presentation will include detailed written materials co-authored by attorney Alison Minutelli.  This seminar is designed to equip educators and administrators to meet their new duties under HB1523.  Attendees may register online at www.nhsaa.org. 

Attorneys Dean B. Eggert and Alison M. Minutelli are providing in-service training to school districts throughout the State of New Hampshire on the new anti-bullying and anti-cyberbullying legislation.  If your school district is interested in scheduling a training session, please contact Amy Marro at amarro@wadleighlaw.com or call (603) 206-7211.

On April 15, 2010, Dean B. Eggert provided written testimony to a Joint Meeting of the Senate and House Finance Committees in opposition to the cuts proposed to the FY2011 Judicial Branch Budget.  A copy of Mr. Eggert's Testimony is available here.

Congratulations to William C. Tucker, a Member of the Firm, on being named the top Real Estate lawyer in New Hampshire by Business NH Magazine.  This recognition appears in the February, 2010 issue of the magazine.

Business NH Magazine selected Mr. Tucker after surveying other New Hampshire lawyers to determine whom they considered to be "top in class" for Real Estate Law.  The Magazine cited Mr. Tucker's excellent work on many of the state's largest real estate deals, as well as his commitment to public service, in awarding him this prestigious honor. 

Christine Gordon, a partner at the firm, was recently nominated to the position of Secretary of Easter Seals of NH.  Christine has been Board Member of Easter Seals since 2007 and also serves as Chairwoman of the Planning Committee.

In seminars and workshops for a number of New Hampshire education organizations, Dean Eggert and Alison Minutelli have recently added significantly to their special education articles. The newest additions are: "Dealing with Discipline Issues Under the IDEA and Section 504," August 7, 2008; "Bullying, Sexual Harassment, and Racial Insensitivity," October 3, 2008; "Avoiding and Defending Retaliation Claims Under Section 504 and the IDEA," October 8, 2008; "Identifying, Preventing, and Responding to Disability-Based Harassment," October 30, 2008; "Key Changes to the New Hampshire Rules for the Education of Students with Disabilities," November 5, 2008; "Understanding Section 504," February 17, 2009.

We are proud to announce that Stephen L. Boyd became the newest member of our firm on January 1, 2009. Steve has been with us as an associate since 2002. He will continue to practice in the areas of commercial litigation, real estate and corporate. Congratulations, Steve.

Congratulations to our newest associate, Pierre A. Chabot, who was admitted to the New Hampshire Bar on November 5, 2008!

On October 29, 2008, Stephen J. Judge and John A. Lassey, both members of New Hampshire's Right-to-Know Oversight Commission, were panel members for a seminar at the Bar Center in Concord, entitled "The Right to Know Law Updated: Open Government in the 21st Century," sponsored by the New Hampshire Bar Association. The seminar provided in depth coverage of right-to-know legislation passed in 2008, which clarified how the law applies to electronic government records and communications. Mr. Judge covered "Limitations on 'Virtual' Meetings" and "What's Next for the Right-to-Know Law?" Mr. Lassey discussed "Communication Outside Public Meetings Under the Right-to-Know Law."

Six members of our Firm have been included in the Best Lawyers in America, 2009 Edition. They are William C. Tucker, Eugene M. Van Loan, III, John E. Friberg, Sr., James C. Wheat, Gregory G. Peters, and Kathleen N. Sullivan.

John Lassey, who serves as Vice-Chairman of the New Hampshire Right-to-Know Oversight Commission, has written an article entitled Summary of 2008 Changes to New Hampshire's Right-to-Know Law (RSA 91-A), which may be downloaded from the New Hampshire Bar Association's web site. Click here, if you prefer the HTML version.

On June 16, 2008, the United States Supreme Court denied a Petition for Writ of Certiorari in Burke v. Brookline School District, No. 07-1175 (2008). The denial implicitly affirmed that plaintiffs cannot recover compensatory damages for alleged violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Attorneys Dean B. Eggert and Alison M. Minutelli represented the Brookline School District. For a summary, read "Supreme Court Denies Parents' Petition for Certiorari."

John Lassey has been asked by the Tri-State Defense Lawyers Association to prepare an article on mediation for publication in the Spring 2008 issue of its newsletter. The article is now posted, and is entitled "Preparing (Your Opponent) for Mediation."

On January 31, 2008, John Lassey participated as a panelist in a seminar entitled Current Issues Impacting Insurance Defense Practice, sponsored by National Business Institute. His topics were "Ethics for Insurance Defense Counsel" and "Effective Negotiation and Settlement Techniques."

Dean Eggert and Alison Minutelli presented a paper on September 18, 2007, to the New Hampshire School Administrators Association entitled "Disability-Based Harassment in the School Setting: An Overview."

John Lassey, who has been mediating personal injury cases for fifteen years, has written an article entitled "Of Potted Plants and Personal Injury: a Contrarian View of Mediation." The article was included in the Fall 2007 issue of New Hampshire Trial Bar News (Vol. 29, p. 169), published by the New Hampshire Trial Lawyers Association.

On August 7, 2007, Dean Eggert and Alison Minutelli provided a special education law update to the New Hampshire Association of Special Education Administrators. The full article, entitled "Special Education Case Law: Recent Decisions," is available on this web site.

Dean B. Eggert and Alison M. Minutelli have written "A Summary of Student Rights." This article was originally presented in a seminar for Pinkerton Academy Administrators on February 12, 2007.

Gene Van Loan has made a significant contribution toward an understanding of judicial review in New Hampshire. See "Judicial Review and Its Limits; Part I (Legitimacy)" in the Autumn 2006 issue of the New Hampshire Bar Journal.

John Lassey has updated his overview of the civil litigation process in New Hampshire from the perspective of small business owners. Read "After the Deputy Leaves: I've been Sued! What do I do Now?" in our "Articles" section.