Legal Briefs: News From Around NH

Shaheen & Gordon adds Peterborough office, operations director

Shaheen & Gordon has announced the addition of a Peterborough office through a

Joe Shoemaker

partnership with Atkins Callahan PLLC and the hiring of its first director of operations.

The addition of Atkins Callahan is the firm’s fifth office in New Hampshire and sixth office overall, with other locations in Concord, Dover, Manchester and Nashua as well as Portland, Maine.

Attorney James Callahan has more than 35 years of experience representing businesses, financial institutions and real estate clients in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Attorney Michael Atkins also has over 30 years of experience representing individuals, businesses and institutional clients in civil and

Michael Atkins

commercial litigation matters in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York. Also joining Shaheen & Gordon will be Atkins Callahan attorney Faith Park, who will be of counsel.

The firm also said that, with a team that has grown to over 50 attorneys and 50 paralegals and staff, Joseph Shoemaker has joined Shaheen & Gordon as director of operations.

Shoemaker worked for the state of New Hampshire for nearly a decade, most recently as director of the NH Office of Professional

Jim Callahan

Licensure and Certification.

‘Economic Impact of Climate Change’ panel set

A panel discussion, “The Economic Impact of Climate Change,” will be presented at 9 a.m. Friday, March 10, by the Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership & Public Service at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law.

The event, co-sponsored by The Concord Coalition and League of Conservation Voters, will feature panelists from Ceres, the

Faith Park

Conservation Law Foundation and the Environmental Law Center at Vermont Law School. The forum will be moderated by Laura Knoy, who serves as director of community engagement for the Rudman Center.

Questions will focus on the cost of inaction in the face of climate change, the economic opportunities for action, and the current environmental regulatory landscape. The event is co-sponsored by The Concord Coalition and the League of Conservation Voters, with generous support provided by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. Registration is required to attend the event, and anyone interested can click here to register.

ALM launches New England Legal Awards

ALM, formerly American Lawyer Media, is expanding its state legal awards program with the addition of the New England Legal Awards to celebrate professional excellence in law in Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Some of this year’s honors will include: Attorney of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Litigation Team of the Year, Best Mentors, Innovators, In-House Department of the Year, Most Effective Deal-Maker, Distinguished Leaders and On the Rise.

Nominations, which can come from third parties or the nominees themselves, can be made online via event.law.com

Fraud cases declined in NH, but amount lost increased

Newly released data from the Federal Trade Commission reveals cases of fraud in New Hampshire are on the decline, but the amount of money victims are losing is on the rise.

According to the FTC, nearly 8,000 reports of fraud were reported in the Granite State in 2022. That’s 2,000 reports fewer than in 2021 and it’s also the first time the total declined since 2018.

Officials said New Hampshire fraud victims last more than $18 million in 2022, almost a $4 million jump from the year prior.

New Hampshire residents were defrauded almost 7,900 times last year and lost more than $18 million in the process.

The FTC received 7,894 fraud reports from New Hampshire consumers who lost a total of $18.3 million to fraud. The median loss was $540.