Thinking of Moving my Family to New Hampshire. Looking for Thoughts from Residents. (Peterborough: sales tax, cost)
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Apparently, New Hampshire will allow an out of state resident to skip the NH bar exam if they already have a law license from another state. Philadelphia has a lot of big law firms in the corporate and government fields where the partners make tons of money. If you decide to move to small town New Hampshire, you may have a difficult time keeping up with your Philadelphia lifestyle.
Apparently, New Hampshire will allow an out of state resident to skip the NH bar exam if they already have a law license from another state. Philadelphia has a lot of big law firms in the corporate and government fields where the partners make tons of money. If you decide to move to small town New Hampshire, you may have a difficult time keeping up with your Philadelphia lifestyle.
Oh yes, I can waive in easily. I'm currently licensed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Not worried about getting licensed in New Hampshire at all.
I don't work at a large corporate firm. I am an associate at a boutique injury and mass torts firm. I do fine, but I'm certainly not in the "partners that make a ton of money" category. From the population difference alone(I believe Philly has more residents by itself than live in the entire state of New Hampshire), I assume the prospects in the personal injury field are not as good as they are here in Philly, so I am assuming I would have to diversify my practice into some other areas of law, and perhaps take cases across the borders in Maine and Mass. As I said, getting into the local legal community and finding a position is going to be the bigger issue given my lack of contacts in the state.
That being said, with 4 (soon to be 5) kids, my lifestyle is not the typical high-flying Philly attorney life. We live a fairly modest life. I need to haul in a decent enough salary to put food in everyone's mouth, pay the utilities, and to afford enough square feet/acreage to fit everyone in and to put them out to pasture, so to speak. However, I certainly do not need to be, nor am I looking to be filthy rich.
We are really looking for a much slower pace, more land for the kids, less government intervention in our lives, etc.
Some of the towns mentioned here, like Wolfeboro and Alton, are very small and subsist mostly on the tourist industry, and will have few employment opportunities for an attorney. I would advise looking for a position first, then deciding where you want to live. Traffic in the Lakes Region can be difficult in the summer, and you'll need to decide how far you want to travel to work in the winter. If you expect to spend much time actually in court, I would also factor in the location of the various county courthouses.
Some of the towns mentioned here, like Wolfeboro and Alton, are very small and subsist mostly on the tourist industry, and will have few employment opportunities for an attorney. I would advise looking for a position first, then deciding where you want to live. Traffic in the Lakes Region can be difficult in the summer, and you'll need to decide how far you want to travel to work in the winter. If you expect to spend much time actually in court, I would also factor in the location of the various county courthouses.
Thanks, KCZ. Appreciate the input. I'll certainly be finding work before we make a move. I figure, based on the kind of law I practice, that I would need to find something work-wise around the Manchester/Concord area, or perhaps around the Portsmouth area. My commute now is about an hour (although I take public transportation), so an hour or so is nothing new. Traffic in Philly is simply awful and has only gotten worse over the last few years. I can't imagine it being anything like it is here, even with tourism, purely based on the density difference, though I will of course defer to those who actually live there. Of course, I'm assuming the winter travel is going to be more difficult, so that is something to consider.
Regarding the courthouses, I travel all the time for court now. While I live in Philadelphia, I practice all over the state and travel often to a variety of county courthouses. I also practice in NJ and have to travel there as well.
I think you’re on the right page. There are plenty of good towns to choose from between Manchester and Concord (Bedford, Auburn, Londonderry, Hooksett & Bow to name a few). Staying south of Manchester puts you within driving distance to Boston as well as the coast. Good luck.
I agree with the recommendation to find a job or area you will work in first, and then a place to live. If you are willing to drive an hour to commute, then you are going to be fine and will have many, many options available to you. You are correct that traffic in NH is nothing compared to where you live. I put "traffic" in quotes for NH because, unless you are a native or spoiled from living here forever, there is none. Minus rare to occasional bad wrecks on the highway, "traffic" in NH turns a 60-minute drive into a 75-minute drive, or a 15-minute drive into an 18-minute drive. I spend most of my time in the Lakes Region and even during the absolute worst of it, it is not bad.
I figure, based on the kind of law I practice, that I would need to find something work-wise around the Manchester/Concord area, or perhaps around the Portsmouth area.
Most small town lawyers in NH and elsewhere scrape by with small assignments like real estate closings, collecting debts for businesses, divorce and custody, estate administration, moonlighting as public defenders, etc. Juicy divorces and big estates are rare. And they all pounce on personal injury cases. Very few can finance big ones.
If you're set on the big torts and injuries, you should choose a location near the Mass border. Mass is where you'll find the big and or boutique firms that do what you do. Look into Hillsborough or Cheshire Counties near the Mass border.
That's the plan. I think we'll probably come up on the Thursday before Labor Day and check out the main regions before heading back home on Labor Day. Should be able to get three whole days in that way.
I would not recommend labor day weekend for your first visit to the state. The lakes mountains and seacoast are absolutely mobbed on a normal summer holiday weekend; assuming things continue to improve with respect to the virus, I would expect this Labor day to be even busier than normal. As locals we know how to avoid the crowds but you will not get an accurate representation of life in NH on one of the busiest weekends of the year.
I would not recommend labor day weekend for your first visit to the state. The lakes mountains and seacoast are absolutely mobbed on a normal summer holiday weekend; assuming things continue to improve with respect to the virus, I would expect this Labor day to be even busier than normal. As locals we know how to avoid the crowds but you will not get an accurate representation of life in NH on one of the busiest weekends of the year.
I would second that and include the weekend after Labor Day weekend since Portsmouth's Market Square Day has been postponed until then and it's the normal weekend for the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival. (No word on whether that one will actually happen this year).
My friend packed up, sold his home in N.Y.C. and moved to New Hampshire.
He and his wife both collecting city pensions. Money not an issue.
I asked him " How's it going" ? after a few years.
His reply... " All I have to do is turn off the T.V. set and I think I died and went to heaven ."
Hope this answers all our questions.
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