Our Leadership

The Campaign is overseen by a Steering Committee, comprised of the chairs and two additional members of the Boards of Directors of NH Legal Assistance and 603 Legal Aid.

2022 Campaign Steering Committee

Chair Deborah Butler
G. Dana Bisbee, Chair, NHLA Board
Deborah Kane Rein, Chair, 603 Legal Aid Board
Rory Parnell
Emily Rice
Erin Vanden Borre

The Campaign is supported by the Campaign Leadership Council, an all-volunteer committee of New Hampshire community leaders dedicated to the idea that equal justice for all makes our state stronger.

A message from the Campaign Leadership Council Chair

I write to you today from a world transformed from the one we knew in January 2020. And yet, for thousands of people in New Hampshire, the world is very much the same.

For them, income was and still is uncertain. Home, for too many people, has always been dangerous.

One thing remains constant: Because of you, legal aid is there to help.

Your support of legal aid was critical to the nearly 12,000 people served by New Hampshire Legal Assistance and the Legal Advice & Referral Center in 2020, and has enabled a seamless experience in 2021 as LARC merged with the Pro Bono Program in June 2021.

A young pregnant woman who fell behind on rent when the pandemic eliminated her job. Another young woman who graduated high school early, thanks to special education support secured by her legal aid team. A mother reunited with her son after the boy’s father kidnapped him across state lines and evaded law enforcement for weeks.

Thank you for helping us make all of this possible. And now, onward we fight.

In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, your support is more important than ever before. Civil legal aid attorneys and paralegal advocates are one of the best-equipped teams to help clients resolve problems that threaten their families’ safety, shelter, and economic security.

NHLA and 603 Legal Aid have faced a surge in need they expect will continue throughout the coming year:

• Unemployment insurance claims are at an all-time high. Legal aid is providing expert assistance with appeals of denial of benefits like food stamps and Medicaid.
• Tenants and homeowners who cannot pay their rent and mortgages will face eviction and foreclosure. Legal aid is helping tenants and homeowners understand their rights and navigate the legal process.
• New Hampshire police departments are already seeing alarming spikes in domestic violence calls. Legal aid is assisting survivors divorce their abusers and secure child support and compensation for medical bills so they can heal and restart their lives in safety.

Your continued support for civil legal aid will help ensure that low-income people throughout New Hampshire can resolve civil legal problems, stabilize their households, and participate in the revival of our communities. For businesses that are attempting to reopen, civil legal aid for their entry level and modestly compensated employees will be a key to the business’ success.

Thank you for your support. May you and your families be safe and well.

 

 

 

Michael A. Delaney, Campaign Leadership Council Chair
Director, McLane Middleton

2022 Campaign Leadership Council Members

Mark Beaudoin, Nixon Peabody
William L. Chapman, Orr & Reno
Lewis Feldstein, Concord, NH
Maggie Goodlander, UNH School of Law
Rachel Goldwasser, Key Capture Energy
David Gottesman, Gottesman and Hollis
Courtney Herz, Sheehan Phinney Bass + Green
Megan Hilson, Brady Sullivan Properties
Matthew Houde, Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Anne Jenness, Gallagher, Callahan and Gartrell
Charlene Lovett, Claremont, NH
Jim Merrill, The Bernstein Shur Group
Mary Rauh New Castle, NH
Emily Gray Rice , City of Manchester
Ellen Soucy, Bangor Savings Bank
Alexandra Sosnowski, Northeast Delta Dental
Martha Van Oot, Jackson Lewis
Danette Wineberg, UNH School of Law