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NEW HAMPSHIRE
An Official Publication
of the New Hampshire
Bar Association
June 15, 2022 Supporting members of the legal profession and their service to the public and the justice system. Vol. 33, No. 1
Still Going Strong
New Hampshire's Five Longest-Practicing Attorneys Share
Insightful Anecdotes From the 1950s Until Today
An Invaluable Real-World
Law Education for New Lawyers
By Scott Merrill
Three hundred and twenty-seven
years-that's the combined amount of time
New Hampshire's five longest practicing at-
torneys have been at it.
Since the 1950s, George Walker, Vic-
tor Dahar, Bob Welts, Al Casassa, and Jack
Middleton, have been serving their clients
through multiple generations and shaping
the legal landscape of New Hampshire.
While each of these men are slowing down
in their own ways-Dahar comes in at 7:30
a.m. these days rather than 6:00 a.m. as he
did for years-each of them continues to
enjoy going to work.
As we spoke, each one helped me to
understand what it was like to live and work
in New Hampshire's legal community long
before I was born.
Jack Middleton
Jack Middle-
ton, who celebrated
his 93rd birthday in
January, grew up in
the suburbs of Phil-
adelphia and came
to New Hampshire,
ultimately, because
of his love of the
mountains.
Hissformative
alpine experiences
came when he and
his brother were
sent by their parents
to summer camp in Maine because of the
polio epidemic in the 1930s.
He recalled hikes up Mount Chocorua
in New Hampshire's Sandwich Range as
part of his time spent with the camp, and it
was the mountains that led him back to New
England for three summers to work for the
Appalachian Mountain Club, while attend-
ing Lafayette college in Pennsylvania, and
as a caretaker at a building in Tuckerman
Ravine.
During law school at Boston Univer-
sity, Middleton returned to the Appalachian
Mountain Club to run Dolly Copp camp-
ground, and then spent a year at the Mount
Washington Observatory.
Twenty days up and 10 days down,
he says, referring to his time spent working
at the observatory. I learned that I wanted
to stay in New Hampshire, but I didn't want
to make a career out of working up there.
Middleton was hired by John McLane
Jr. in 1956, and he became the tenth law-
yer to work at the firm that bears his name
today, McLane Middleton. Today, the firm
employs over 100 attorneys specializing in
over 30 areas of practice, and has offices in
Manchester and Boston.
In the early days, Middleton says he
had a general practice, as was the case with
many attorneys at the time.
The idea was to do everything. I did
wills and deeds, litigation. Whatever came
UP.
His base salary in 1956 was $3,800 a
year with a 10 percent end-of-year bonus.
Dollars then versus dollars now are
totally different, he says. My friends
from law school were making the same at
ddi
big firms in Boston.
Middleton tried his last case in 1987
due to hearing trouble but says his primary
interest has always been in litigation.
We tried a lot more cases in those
early days, but over the years the area of
civil litigation has shrunk tremendously, he
says. Mediation has really put a dent in the
ability for young lawyers to get trial experi-
ence. Everything settles.
He recalled trying fender bender cas-
es where he had the opportunity to spend a
lot of time with lawyers from Sheehan Phin-
ney or Devine Millimet, and it was during
these interactions, he says, that he formed
lasting bonds with other attorneys.
[T]hey had big insurance company
ATTORNEYS continued on page 18
NH Superior Court law clerks standing in the library of the Rockingham Superior Court. From left
to right: Michaela Dunn, first-year law clerk; Stephani Roundy Knights, Law Clerk Supervisor; Eric
Monty, second-year law clerk; and Zachary Carlson, second-year law clerk. Photo/Tom Jarvis
Clerkships Offer Unparalleled Perspective on the Judicial System
By Tom Jarvis
Sometimes we know what we want,
but we don't know how we want it. Law
school students or recent law school gradu-
ates may know they want to be lawyers, but
not necessarily where they want to focus
their practice. There are several paths a new
lawyer can take to figure it out but becom-
ing a law clerk is one of the more beneficial
ones. Clerkship offers practical experience
in the nuts and bolts of the New Hampshire
legal system that can help you focus your
eventual practice area and begin building
CLERKS continued on page 8
For the Love of the Arts
Attorney Amanda Nelson Serves Artists' Legal Needs
By Kathie Ragsdale
Most law firms are named
after their founders or princi-
pal attorneys, but Amanda L.
Nelson chose a Latin phrase
for her Dover, New Hampshire
practice: Artium Amore.
It means for the love
of the arts and it reflects the
firm's dedication to serving
the artistic community and its
unique legal needs.
A native of Londonderry,
New Hampshire, Nelson comes
by her love of the arts honestly.
Her mother's side of the family boasted
several visual artists, including one who
made graphic designs for children in the
late Victorian and early Edwardian pe-
riod, and her paternal grandmother and
great aunt were both pianists.
Nelson's paternal grandfather played
the violin, and it was his instrument -
now 102 years old - that she used when
she took up the violin while still at Lon-
donderry Junior High. She continued
playing for some 20 years, per-
forming at venues from sym-
phonies to an opera.
At the University of New
Hampshire, she played for the
school's symphony orchestra
while earning a bachelor's de-
gree in History and Interna-
tional Affairs. She envisioned a
State Department career, but a
summer study abroad program
at the Sorbonne in Paris altered
the trajectory of her future.
It really did change my
life, Nelson says of that summer, which
she spent exploring the City of Light's
many museums, cathedrals, and historic
sites. I suddenly found a passion in the
museum and antiquities and arts world.
Everywhere you went, it was history and
culture. I absolutely fell in love.
NELSON continued on page 16
Opinions.........................4-5
NHBA News..................... 6-26
N H BA. CLE ......................22-23
Practice Area Sections ...27-35
NH Court News ..............36-39
Classifieds.......................39-43
Periodical Postage paid at Concord, NH 03301
603 Legal Aid Milestone. 603 Legal Aid
celebrated their one-year anniversary on
June 2 with a party attended by members
of the NH legal community. PAGE 3
A History of Pronouns. Attorney John,
C. Carroll responds to Gregory Sorg in a
letter to the editor. PAGE 4
50-year members. See our special
50-years of law practice supplement
inside this edition.
50-year Supplement Inside
4)
Municipal & Governmental Law and
Intellectual Property Law
Spotting IP chain of custody issues in
M&A transactions; products and patents
for machine inventors; zoning regulations
for short-term rentals; the difficulty of
advisory committes under right to know
laws and more. PAGES 27-35
Courts. Check out the list of newly
appointed and retiring judges from 2021-
2022. PAGE 36](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.barjournals/nhbn0033&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)