Explore our legal content, spanning diverse legal topics, court decisions, legislative changes, and expert analysis, as we bring you the pulse of the legal world in a succinct and informative format.
A Crash with an Uninsured Driver
In a recent report from the Insurance Research Council found that 1 in 8 drivers in this country do not have auto insurance. If you are involved in a crash with the “1,” the ramifications can be substantial. Under NH law, even if the at-fault-driver has no insurance, your auto insurance will reimburse you for out-of-pocket medical bills, up to the Medical Payments (MedPay) portion of your policy, with typical limits of $1K, $5K, or $10K. In addition, all NH...Read More
Look Out Below! Falling Merchandise
Shelves stacked to the rafters with merchandise is a common sight at big-box stores, retail stores, and some supermarkets. Stacking items, even heavy ones, is an acceptable and generally safe practice … when done correctly. Thousands of customers (and employees) are injured each year by falling merchandise; some have been killed. Here are a few examples of how things can go haywire: Poor stacking methods — e.g., stacking merchandise too high, placing a bigger item on top of a smaller...Read More
Custody (Parenting Time) and How It Can Be Divided
Parents involved in a divorce or parenting petition often have questions about custody issues, or parenting time. The questions generally concern what options are best in any given situation. This article summarizes the key points of the ways in which parenting time is divided. In New Hampshire the law is that there is a presumption that parenting time should be shared, in other words divided equally between the parents. In the past that equal division was called joint custody. It...Read More
Breath Test
An officer sometimes requests a Preliminary Breath Test, or PBT, during the course of a DWI investigation. If the officer makes such a request of the operator of a vehicle, it is normally roadside, after the driver has done the standardized field sobriety tests but before any arrest. Unlike the request for a breath test after an arrest, there is no written form for the driver to sign. The officer will make the request verbally. The officer must inform the...Read More
School Buses, Safety and Seat Belt Exclusion
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) establishes safety standards for school buses but does not have enforcement authority. It was only in 2015 that the NHTSA deemed three-point seat belts necessary on large school buses (those weighing 10,000 pounds or more). As of September 2022, eight states require seat belts, but most of them include a conspicuous loophole: If retrofitting costs cannot be accommodated by school budgets, no requirement. Retrofitting would cost approximately $10,000 (possibly more) per school bus....Read More
Pirates by Christopher J. Seufert, Esquire
If you remember my 9/2022 Article “a bag, a boat, and a block” you’ll remember the new moorings we installed in Portsmouth Harbor last summer. Quite an undertaking and we were very proud of our Yankee ingenuity. The #3 mooring was installed in the area called Little Harbor. It is a nice spot protected from all but northwesterly winds and we used it last summer on many weekends just to hang out if the outside seas were too rough to...Read More
Service To The Community – by Catherine L. Baumann, Esquire
I often think that the benefits of community service are inured more to the person serving than to those served. It is a wonderful thing to be a part of a group working together toward a common goal of strengthening the community in which you live or work. Those participating in community service have a direct impact on the community in which they reside. Because community service outlets vary, those who serve are exposed to many different kinds of people,...Read More
What Should You do if an Officer Suspects You of Driving Under the Influence?
If you get pulled over for DWI (DUI), do not do field sobriety tests. Any pre-arrest tests you may be asked to take are not mandatory. You will not lose your license for refusing any such tests. The requirement to take a field sobriety or blood alcohol test only applies after you are arrested. If you refuse at that time, the State will seek to suspend your license. In asking questions and requesting field sobriety or other testing, an officer...Read More
Don’t Let That Insurance Adjuster Bully You
People are often surprised to find out that insurance adjusters and the companies they work for are not on your side. Make no mistake: insurance adjusters are well-trained employees who have one goal in mind – to limit the amount of compensation paid out for your claim (or to deny it altogether). And, they’ve got lots of tricks and tactics up their sleeves to achieve their goal, including: Trying to get you to give a recorded statement in the hopes...Read More