NH Public Defender

New Hampshire Public Defender is hiring in our administrative office! For more information, or to apply for the position, please see the posting:

Accounting Assistant - Concord, NH 03301 - Indeed.com New Hampshire Public Defender

✨ 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 ✨
𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐚 𝐊. 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐤𝐲, 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬.

Laura is a graduate of New England Law | Boston (2011) and the University of New Hampshire (2006). She began her legal practice in family law before joining NHPD as a staff attorney in 2015.

Laura has served on the board of directors for the NH Women’s Bar Association and the Greater Nashua Mental Health Center and currently chairs the Citizens Advisory Board to the NH Correctional Facility for Women.

In her free time, Laura tries to keep up with her hilarious 6-year-old son and doesn’t have to try quite so hard to keep up with her lazy basset hound.

We’re grateful for Laura’s leadership, dedication, and the positive energy she brings to NHPD every day.

✨ 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 ✨
𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐦𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐧, 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.

Amy is a graduate of Bryant College and Southern New Hampshire University. She began her finance career at a small CPA firm in Manchester, NH, where she worked her way up over two decades to Audit and Tax Manager. After enduring one too many tax seasons, Amy made the leap to nonprofit finance and found her way to NHPD.

Outside of work, Amy is the longtime Treasurer, dog trapper, and volunteer for Granite State Dog Recovery, where she channels her passion for helping animals. She also enjoys spending time with her husband and pets and loves a good beach day any time of year!

We’re so grateful to have Amy’s dedication, compassion, and financial expertise on our team.

✨ 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 ✨
𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐊𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬.

Margaret is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Clark University. She began her career as a staff attorney and managing attorney in NHPD’s Orford office before stepping into her current role. Prior to joining NHPD, she served as Executive Director of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau and Program Director for Horizons for Homeless Children.

In her free time, Margaret enjoys reading, filing motions to suppress, and spending time outdoors in beautiful northern NH.

Margaret’s expertise and passion for justice inspire us all.

✨ 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 ✨
𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐮𝐠𝐨, 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

Meredith earned her B.A. in History from Boston College (1999) and her J.D. from William & Mary’s Marshall-Wythe School of Law (2002). That same year, she joined NHPD as a staff attorney in the Concord office. Over the years, she also worked in the Keene office before being promoted to Director of Litigation in 2022.

In her current role, Meredith assigns and oversees homicide cases, assists attorneys with complex litigation, manages paralegals, and continues to carry a caseload of homicides and serious felonies.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and playing board games.

We’re proud to have her leadership helping to guide our team!

𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫!

Christopher has been a dedicated member of our team for years, serving as Chief Appellate Defender and making a lasting impact through his leadership and legal expertise.

He holds a B.A. from Carleton College (Class of 1989), where he double majored in Philosophy and Political Science. In 1994, he earned a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, as well as a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Christopher clerked for the Honorable Alan Handler of the New Jersey Supreme Court in the 1995 term, and from 1995 to 2001, he worked as a staff attorney at the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta, focusing on death penalty and prison conditions litigation. In 2001, he accepted a joint appointment as New Hampshire’s Chief Appellate Defender and joined the faculty at the Franklin Pierce Law Center (now UNH School of Law), where he earned tenure. In 2012, he transitioned to the New Hampshire Public Defender full-time, continuing in his role as Chief Appellate Defender.

He has argued more than 200 appeals in the New Hampshire Supreme Court, as well as cases before the appellate courts of Georgia and Alabama, and the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the First and Eleventh Circuits.

Outside the courtroom, Christopher enjoys baseball card collecting, playing softball, staying active through exercise, and relaxing with a good book.

Please join us in congratulating Christopher on this well-deserved leadership role!

𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝟔𝟎𝟑 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝟓:𝟑𝟎 𝐏𝐌, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 presented by Hopes for Heroes and the Consumer Law Unit — specifically designed for Veterans!

Gain valuable insight into the growing risks of scams, key red flags, and how to protect your personal information.

✅ Sign up today: https://forms.office.com/r/DG1Hi0qN2x

This series is brought to you by the Low Income Taxpayer Clinics, New Hampshire Legal Services, Legal Services Corporation, New Hampshire Bar Foundation, Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment, and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association.

𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝟔𝟎𝟑 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟐𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝟏𝟐:𝟑𝟎 𝐏𝐌 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, presented by Hopes for Heroes and the Consumer Law Unit, specifically designed for Veterans!

Gain valuable insight into the growing risks of scams, key red flags, and how to protect your personal information.

✅ Sign up today: https://forms.office.com/r/DG1Hi0qN2x

This series is brought to you by the Low Income Taxpayer Clinics, New Hampshire Legal Services, Legal Services Corporation, New Hampshire Bar Foundation, Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment, and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association.

Learn more about how 603 Legal Aid can help: 603legalaid.org

🎉 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬! 🎉

We are honored to announce that 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 has received the 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝! This recognition reflects our unwavering commitment to justice and advocacy for those in need.

A huge thank you to our dedicated team and the NH Bar Association for this incredible honor!

We’re Hiring!

New Hampshire Public Defender is seeking a visionary leader to join us as our next Executive Director! This critical role oversees the management and operations of NHPD, empowering our team to deliver zealous, client-centered representation.

The ideal candidate will:
✔️ Be a collaborative leader with strong management experience
✔️ Build trust with staff, interns, and external stakeholders
✔️ Balance growth, capacity, and efficiency while staying mission-focused

If you’re ready to make a meaningful impact, we want to hear from you! Learn more and apply today: https://bit.ly/3DrUi6r

For more information about NHPD, please visit our website at www.nhpd.org