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2 New Hampshire Bar News (n.s.) 1 (1991-1992)

handle is hein.barjournals/nhbn0002 and id is 1 raw text is: 7\e w (-ftn'pdlli .IUUTCE 3UNDER LAW N Vofume 2, WNlmber 1 Page 1 June 5, 1991 Bar's Lawyers' Assistance Committee Creates Ombuds Program On Gender Bias The Lawyers Assistance Committee (LAC) recently created a special ombuds program to deal with gender bias in the profession. The Gender Bias Ombuds Program was originally recoipmended to the New Hampshire Bar Association's Board of Governors by the Committee on Women in the Profession to deal with concerns and complaints from attorneys or judges relative to problems of gender bias encountered both in and out of court, and in the daily practice of law. These concerns, while serious, do not rise to the level of expressed ethical violations or misconduct that would invoke the jurisdiction of the Profes- sional Conduct Committee or Judicial Conduct Committee. The purpose of this program is to provide a non-judgmental exchange between various constituencies of the Bar, in an effort to educate lawyers and judges about adverse impacts and effects of gender bias. The program has been formulated in response to a perceived need and desire of many attorneys throughout the state to have a source of problem-resolution without invoking any form of disciplinary action. This program also dovetails with one of the original recommendations of the Task Force on Women in the Bar, namely to continue educating the Bar about problems of gender bias and, in turn, eliminate its presence from our protession. Ombuds Higher Participation Expected Court Order Gives IOLTA Program Opt-Out Status On May 17, the Supreme Court of New Hampshire amended Court Ru'e 50 and 50-A to convert the New Hampshire Bar's Interest On Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) Program to an Opt-Out program. Bar leaders hope that the court order will result in a greater percentage of New Hampshire attorneys and law firms who participate in the IOLTA Program. Adopted in New Hampshire in 1982, IOLTA provides con- siderable funding to legal services programs for the poor and to public legal education programs. To date, IOLTA has granted over $4.5 million for civil legal services and over $480,000 for public education about the law and administration of justice. A proposal to change the IOLTA Program to an Opt-Out program was forwarded to the Supreme Court by the New Hampshire Bar Foundation in an effort to increase participation by making it easier for attorneys and law firms to join. Partici- pating attorneys and law firms will complete an Authorization to Financial Institutions form which will allow the Bar Foun- dation to verify that interest is being forwarded to the program and authorizes the Bar Foundation to convert non-interest bearing trust accounts to IOLTA accounts. The court order requires parties who do not wish to participate in IOLTA to file a Notice of Declination by August 1, 1991. to page 9 IOLTA Bar's Lawyer In Every School Program Reaches Thousands of N.H. Students Concord attorney David K. Fries and a room full of students listen as one student answers a question during the Bar's 'Lawyer In Every School' Progrant on May 10. Due to the support of volunteer attorneys and judges, the program once again reached thousands of students at all grade levels In New Hampshire. to page 7 PCC Fees To Increase For 1991-92 Bar Year A growing number of serious cases combined with the need for more staff and larger administrative quarters has re- sulted in a substantial increase in the Professional Conduct Committee budget for 1991-92. The New Hampshire Supreme Court has approved an overall budget that has increased from $164,240 to $389,664.50. The amount to be raised from the mem- bership of the New Hampshire Bar Asso- ciation has increased from $135,608 to $306,603.42. For the past few years, New Hamp- shire lawyers who have been admitted five years or more have been assessed $50 annually while lawyers admitted less than five years have been assessed $40 annually. An increase in the size of the New Hampshire Bar Association has al- PCC Fees to page I I

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