Our History

The New Hampshire Women's Bar Association (NHWBA), New Hampshire's first statewide women's bar association, was incorporated in May 1998 by Maureen Raiche Manning, Jennifer L. Parent, Joy V. Riddell, Claudia C. Damon, and Julie Introcaso. Incorporation followed closely on the heels of the Hillsborough County Women's Bar Association program entitled "Why Have a Statewide Women's Bar Association in New Hampshire?," which was presented by Ellen Kearns of the Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts in February 1998. Women attorneys throughout New Hampshire were invited to voice their opinions on whether the women county bar groups should join to establish a statewide women's bar association. The consensus was overwhelming and piloted what is now the NHWBA.

On October 1, 1998, the NHWBA held its inaugural Fall Reception in Concord, New Hampshire, inviting attorneys throughout the state to an open house. An Annual Fall Reception has been held in Concord every October thereafter. During its first year, the NHWBA signed over 200 members.

In Spring 2008, we celebrated our 10th anniversary with a gala dinner celebrating women trailblazers in the law. Our five trailblazer award recipients were: Maureen Raiche Manning, the first president of the NHWBA and a leader on the issues of gender equality in the legal profession; Judge Jean K. Burling, the first female judge in New Hampshire; Justice Linda S. Dalianis, the first female justice to sit on the New Hampshire Supreme Court; Kelly A. Ayotte, the first female Attorney General; and Jennifer L. Parent, the second president of the NHWBA, a highly visible member of the state bar and a mentor to many young attorneys in this state.

In May, 2013, we held our 15th Anniversary Celebration at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, NH. Pamela E. Berman, President of the National Conference of Women's Bar Associations and Jennifer L. Parent, the second president of the NHWBA, were our featured guests and speakers.