Orr & Reno was pleased to be among the sponsors of the Corporate Governance Project recently completed by the NH Women’s Policy Institute. The research findings from the project were released in late January in the report titled, “Breaking Through the Granite Ceiling in Corporate New Hampshire.” Click Here.

The NH Women’s Policy Institute is a non-partisan, non-profit research organization dedicated to informing policies and decision-making related to women in New Hampshire. The Institute was founded in 2002 on a belief that credible, unbiased data on issues affecting women can inform meaningful policy change, enable the public and private sectors to work together more effectively, and advance the well-being of women in this state.

The New Hampshire Health Services Planning and Review Board (CON Board), on January 17, 2008, unanimously approved plans by Orr & Reno client Northeast Rehabilitation Hospital to build a 33 bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital at the Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth, N.H. Attorneys John Malmberg and Jessica Storey represented Northeast Rehabilitation Hospital, which currently operates inpatient rehabilitation facilities in Salem and Nashua, as well as a network of outpatient rehabilitation centers in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The facility is expected to be in operation in 2010.

Reelected to the firm’s Management Committee were John Malmberg as president and Steve Winer as secretary. Lisa Snow Wade joins the committee as Treasurer. George Roussos has been elected Chairman of the Board.

Attorneys Susan S. Geiger, James F. Laboe and Connie Boyles Lane were elected shareholders and directors of the firm beginning January 2008.

John Malmberg was recently re-elected president of the board of directors of Second Start. Based in Concord, since 1971, Second Start, a private non-profit educational organization, has offered a wide variety of programs designed to improve the economic and educational well-being of New Hampshire residents. Programs offered throughout Merrimack County and all of NH include: adult basic education, job training and career counseling, education and training for at-risk youth and child care services.

Orr & Reno is pleased to welcome Courtney Curran Vore to the firm as a member of the family law practice group. Courtney has extensive experience handling domestic relations issues. Most recently she worked with McGrath & Kane, a domestic relations law firm in Boston. She has participated in numerous trials, involving complex financial issues, large and small business interests, multi-million dollar estates and various complicated financial scenarios.

Orr & Reno is pleased to announce that Denis Parker has joined the firm as a lobbyist with the government relations practice group. Denis is a well-known lobbyist with over 30 years experience working under the Statehouse dome. As the former executive director of the 7,000 member State Employees’ Association of NH, Denis developed and implemented various legislative initiatives requiring interaction with all levels of state government.

CONCORD, NH (December 31, 2007) Seven attorneys from Orr & Reno P.A. were recently selected as 2007 New England Super Lawyers. Orr & Reno is a full-service commercial law firm with a statewide presence and offices in Concord, New Hampshire.

While the annual publication selects only five percent of attorneys in the six New England states for this honor, the attorneys recognized from Orr & Reno represent 20 percent of the firm.

Noted for their work in the following practice areas were:

• William L. Chapman - Appellate
• Peter F. Burger – Business/Corporate
• Susan S. Geiger – Energy & Natural Resources
• Douglas L. Patch - Energy & Natural Resources
• George W. Roussos – Government Relations
• John A. Malmberg – Health Care
• Emily Gray Rice – Professional Liability: Defense

New England Super Lawyers adheres to a rigorous selection process to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource to assist attorneys and sophisticated consumers in the search for legal counsel.

Martha Van Oot recently joined the New Hampshire Bar Foundation as a board member. The New Hampshire Bar Foundation ranks eighth in annual grant disbursements among New Hampshire’s 430 charitable foundations. In 2007, the Bar Foundation awarded more than $1.75 million in grants to two-dozen nonprofit organizations that provide civil legal services for the disadvantaged or law-related educational programming.

Connie L. Rakowsky is collaborating with six other attorneys to present the full-day seminar, Due Diligence for the Buyer of a Small Business, on Friday, January 18, 2008. The interactive seminar will utilize case studies to examine topics such as knowing your buyer, acquisition entity issues, asset related issues, environmental matters and warranties and representation. Attorneys who infrequently represent buyers or have limited training in P&S negotiation and the due diligence process and the paralegals supporting them will benefit from the topics covered in this workshop. Details at www.nhbar.org.

Orr & Reno was recently named a “highly recommended” litigation firm by Benchmark. The publication cited the firm’s “notable expertise in medical malpractice litigation and strong role in media and First Amendment work representing clients including The New York Times, Fortune and The Associated Press.” In addition, four attorneys were specifically noted for their work by their peers.

Ronald Snow was recognized for being tireless in his advocacy and absolutely thorough.

Martha Van Oot was called a rock solid lawyer whether she is representing clients in trial or involved in mediation.

Emily Gray Rice earned attention for her employment, media and civil rights trial and private mediation work.

Steven Winer was recognized for his intelligence, analytical ability and excellent written and oral advocacy.

Orr & Reno is pleased to announce that Jeremy Eggleton and Kate Winstanley have become members of the New Hampshire Bar and joined the firm. Prior to joining the firm Jeremy worked for a decade in non-profit management both overseas and in the United States. Kate was a grant review program specialist for a government contractor in Washington, D.C.

Ten attorneys with the law firm of Orr & Reno P.A. have been selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2008.

Each year, the polling firm Woodward/White performs a wide-ranging search for the nation’s top attorneys and publishes the results.

The Orr & Reno attorneys named in their respective areas of law are:

• Peter Burger: Corporate Law and Real Estate Law
• William L. Chapman: Appellate Law and First Amendment Law
• Susan S. Geiger: Energy Law
• Howard M. Moffett: Health Care Law
• James E. Morris: Real Estate Law
• Douglas L. Patch: Energy Law
• Emily Gray Rice: Legal Malpractice Law
• George W. Roussos: Government Relations and Insurance Law
• Ronald L. Snow: Commercial Litigation, Medical Malpractice Law and Personal Injury Litigation
• Martha Van Oot: Legal Malpractice Law

Since it’s inception in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Because Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 25,000 leading attorneys cast almost two million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their specialties, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

Howard Moffett was recently elected a Trustee of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. Founded by a handful of concerned citizens in 1901, The Forest Society is now one of the country’s most effective statewide land conservation organizations. As a non-profit membership organization, The Forest Society is dedicated to protecting the state’s most important landscapes while promoting the wise use of its renewable natural resources.

Connie Rakowsky has been named Vice-Chair of the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center (NH SBDC) an outreach program of the UNH Whittemore School of Business and Economics.

The NH Small Business Development Center (NH SBDC) provides confidential business management consulting and educational programs to New Hampshire’s small businesses. NH SBDC is a cooperative venture with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the State of New Hampshire (DRED), the University System of New Hampshire, and the private sector. For more information on NH SBDC, visit www.nhsbdc.org.

Peter Burger was recently elected President of The Concord Boys and Girls Club. Over the past sixty-three years The Concord Boys and Girls Club has provided guidance and opportunity to thousands of local children from age six through graduation.

Peter Burger was recently elected Treasurer of the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce. The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce hosts a variety of events throughout the year. Key Committees include Local and State Government Affairs, Capital Area Student Leadership (CASL), Business Grants and Capital Region Visitor’s Council.

Michele L. Berardo, a paralegal with the firm, has been awarded the prestigious Advanced Certified Paralegal designation by NALA, the National Association of Legal Assistants/Paralegals.

Ms. Berardo completed requirements for advanced certification in the area of Trial Practice. She is now authorized to use the “ACP” designation.

Being a former executive director of two nonprofit organizations, Connie is familiar with the myriad of issues facing both new and established nonprofit organizations. She was the founding executive director of one of New Hampshire’s three legal assistance programs, Legal Advice & Referral Center, and former director of Pro Bono Program of the New Hampshire Bar Association.

Connie focuses her legal practice at Orr & Reno in the areas of business and real estate with an emphasis on not-for-profit, small business and land use law.

"Impact of New Hampshire's Civil Union Law on the Workplace" as published in Business NH Magazine's New Hampshire Law Handbook, July 2007.

Jim Bassett and Jeff Spear recently helped IMS Health, Inc. and Verispan, LLC enjoin 2006 N.H. Laws § 328, a New Hampshire statute - the first of its kind in the nation - which restricted the commercial use of information about physician prescribing practices. Following a week-long trial, Judge Paul Barbadoro held that the statute violated the free speech guarantees of the First Amendment. A detailed discussion of the issues involved in the case, as well as a copy of the Court's decision, can be found at IMS Health's website.

Orr & Reno is featured in the June 2007 issue of Business NH Magzine in an article entitled "Extreme Makeover Web Edition."

Click here to see the article.

On May 3, 2007, the New Hampshire Supreme Court affirmed a decision of the Cheshire County Superior Court (Sullivan, J.) in favor of ACAS Acquisitions (Precitech), Inc., which sought to enforce a non-competition agreement against the former Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Precitech, Inc. located in Keene, New Hampshire. The Court ruled that the non-competition and non-disclosure agreements were enforceable, that the contractual severance benefits were not "wages" under RSA 275, that the employee forfeited his right to severance benefits, and that ACAS was entitled to attorneys' fees.

The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce announced that Orr & Reno P.A. is the recipient of the 2007 Pinnacle Award for Business of the Year. The firm was honored at the Pinnacle Luncheon on June 14, 2007.

The firm was selected for our support of community programs such as The Red River Theatre, Concord Community Music School, the Boys & Girls Club of Concord, New Hampshire Public Radio, the New Hampshire Humanities Council, the New Hampshire Bar Association and the Pro Bono Program in Merrimack County, among others.

We are proud to be recognized with this honor for our community involvement and support.

At the March 15, 2007 meeting of the New Hampshire Health Services Planning and Review Board, Attorney Malmberg represented two hospitals (Catholic Medical Center, Manchester, NH and Parkland Medical Center, Derry, NH) and a large physician group practice (Derry Medical Center, Derry, NH) in their joint petition for a determination that an $11 million outpatient facility being completed in Londonderry, NH by Elliot Hospital of Manchester, NH, must obtain a CON before offering services in over 60% of the building. The Board voted 8-0 to grant the petition and require Elliot Hospital to apply for a CON for the portion of the building that was proposed to be used for outpatient hospital services.

Orr & Reno is pleased to announce that Robert Carey has joined the firm. Prior to joining the firm's Litigation Group, Bob served as a Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Bureau where he prosecuted white collar cases, homicides and public integrity cases. He is concentrating his practice in the areas of Commercial Litigation, White Collar Criminal Defense, Medical Malpractice, Products Liability and General Civil Litigation.

Our client ElderTrust of Florida, Inc. recently won an important victory in the New Hampshire Supreme Court. ElderTrust owns and operates a skilled nursing home and an assisted living facility in Epsom, New Hampshire. The town denied ElderTrust a charitable tax exemption on both facilities and ElderTrust challenged the denial and prevailed in superior court.

The town appealed, and the Supreme Court, in a decision issued on January 18, 2007, took the occasion to enunciate a four-part test that charitable organizations must satisfy to be entitled to a tax exemption. The court ruled that ElderTrust met the test and it affirmed the superior court decision.

Jess Storey and Bill Chapman represented ElderTrust in the case.

George Roussos, John Malmberg, and Steve Winer have been reelected to the Management Committee of the firm

Orr & Reno is pleased to announce that Heidi Cole has joined the firm. Heidi worked at a Boston law firm, and also interned in the Trial Division of the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General, prior to joining the firm.

Attorney George Roussos and Government Relations Director Bonnie Packard on behalf of the New Hampshire Association of Domestic Insurance Companies achieved victory with the passage of House Bill 678. The bill will cut the state's two percent tax on insurance premiums to one percent over the next four years, making it the lowest in New England and the mid-Atlantic states. The reduction will save domestic insurers on the taxes they pay to New Hampshire as well as retaliatory taxes paid to other states.

Attorney Doug Patch representing the New Hampshire Association of Fire Chiefs lobbied successfully for the passage of "fire-safer" cigarettes legislation. The legislation, House Bill 645, goes into effect on October 1, 2007. Joined by the FIre Chiefs, Governor John Lynch signed the bill into law and said "states across the nation are beginning to switch to fire-safer cigarettes, and New Hampshire is at the forefront."

Orr & Reno is proud to announce that Emily Rice, co-chair of the firm’s litigation practice group, received the Donald Dufresne Professionalism Award on Friday, June 23, at the New Hampshire Bar Association’s annual meeting. The Dufresne award is given to an attorney that best fits the following description: “A professional lawyer is an expert in law pursuing a learned art in service to clients and in the spirit of public service; and engaging in these pursuits as part of a common calling to promote justice and public good.”

Attorney Rice is presently a member of the mediation panels of the New Hampshire Superior Court, the United States District Court for New Hampshire, and the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights and a member of the Judicial Branch “Committee on Alternate Dispute Resolution”

In a decision issued on April 25, 2006, the New Hampshire Supreme Court agreed with senior Orr & Reno litigator Ron Snow that the trial court should have set aside a jury’s $2.3 million verdict in a wrongful birth medical malpractice suit. The plaintiffs in the case had argued that Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center had failed to inform them during the prenatal period of the increased possibility that their baby would be born with serious birth defects, thus depriving them of the opportunity to consider terminating the pregnancy. But, after describing the complex ultrasound and genetic testing and counseling that was undertaken both before and after the birth, the Court agreed with Snow that at trial the evidence showed that the Medical Center had told the parents of the possibility of birth defects. The Supreme Court declined to adopt the parents’ argument that they should have been told what was wrong with their baby and advised to consider termination. Thus, the Supreme Court reversed the trial court’s decision on post trial motions and set aside the verdict.

The decision is available on the website of the New Hampshire Supreme Court here.

"Expert Disclosures After the Exchange of Initial Reports" as published in New Hampshire Bar News, August 12, 2005.