Orr & Reno's attorneys have decades of collective experience in defending legal malpractice and attorney misconduct claims, as well as providing general advisory services on ethics, risk management and trust accounting issues. In this practice group, we have joined seasoned litigators who are rated as Best Lawyers in legal malpractice defense with long standing members of the New Hampshire Bar Association Ethics Committee responsible for drafting changes to the New Hampshire Rules of Professional Conduct and addressing attorney misconduct issues. Working together, they are especially suited to providing high quality legal services in all venues, including state courts and disciplinary bodies.

Members in this practice area are:

Richard Uchida
In addition to serving as President of the New Hampshire Bar Association from 2005 to 2006, Richard has been a long-standing member of the Bar Association's Ethics Committee. He has had an active practice of defending lawyers in disciplinary matters for many years. As an adjunct professor, he taught Professional Responsibility at the UNH School of Law for a number of years, and is a frequent lecturer on ethics at numerous continuing legal education seminars. He served on the New Hampshire Supreme Court Professional Conduct Committee from 2003 to 2004, and as a member of the Ethics Committee, helped draft the current rules of professional conduct.

Jim Bassett
Jim has more than 25 years of experience representing clients in regard to a wide variety of legal issues, including professional liability and ethical matters. He has an active trial practice in both state and federal courts, and recently worked closely with attorneys at the New Hampshire Supreme Court's Attorney Discipline Office in regard to a disciplinary matter before the Professional Conduct Committee and a hearing panel. Jim has an active appellate practice, and has briefed and argued dozens of cases before the New Hampshire Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Emily Rice
Emily is a highly-experienced professional liability defense counsel who represents lawyers and other licensed professionals in both civil and disciplinary forums. She chairs the Rules Committee for the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and is a member of the New Hampshire Supreme Court Rules Committee. She is a frequent presenter on ethics topics for continuing legal education programs. Emily is recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for legal malpractice defense, by New England Super Lawyers for professional liability defense, and by Chambers USA. She is an adjunct faculty member at the University of New Hampshire Law School where she teaches pretrial advocacy and trial advocacy in the Daniel Webster Scholars program. Prior to beginning her career in private practice, Emily was chief of the Bureau of Civil Law in the New Hampshire Department of Justice.

Bill Chapman
Bill has served as a member of the New Hampshire Bar Association's Ethics Committee for more than 20 years. He is also a member and post chair of the Bar's Professionalism Committee. Bill was recognized by the Bar in 1999 as the recipient of the E. Donald Dufresne Award for Outstanding Professionalism. He has written numerous articles about the topic including “Lawyer-Client Sex: A Per Se Violation of Rule 1.7(b)” published in the NH Bar News; “ABA Model Rule 1.18: Lawyering and the Prospective Client” and The ‘Prospective Client' Under Model Rule 1.18 and Motions to Disqualify,” published in Media Law Resource Center LibelLaw Newsletter.

Maureen Smith
A long-standing member and currently serving as Chair of the New Hampshire Bar Association's Ethics Committee, Maureen is closely involved in professional conduct rule revisions, Committee ethics opinions and ethics guidance to New Hampshire lawyers. She served on the New Hampshire Department of Justice Ethics Committee for many years and provided training to public sector employees on New Hampshire's newly revised professional conduct rules. Maureen regularly speaks on emerging issues for Bar-sponsored continuing legal education series and business events. Her practice includes counseling and defense in professional conduct matters.

Practice Focus

• Counseling in ethics, risk management and trust accounting
• Professional liability and legal malpractice claims in all courts
• Representation in attorney misconduct and disciplinary matters

Members in this Practice Area