Attorney Emily Gray Rice Named New Hampshire Bar Foundation Honorary Fellow

Award Presented by Former New Hampshire Governor John H. Lynch

Manchester, NH, Portland and Augusta, ME (March 20, 2013) – Attorney Emily Gray Rice, a Bernstein Shur shareholder and member of the firm’s Labor and Employment Practice Group and Litigation Group, was named a 2013 Honorary Fellow by the New Hampshire Bar Foundation on March 8, 2013, at an event held in Manchester.

Presented by former New Hampshire Governor John H. Lynch, the award recognizes Rice’s commitment to strengthening justice, the mission of the New Hampshire Bar Foundation, through her leadership and volunteerism. Rice has served as a member and past chair of the foundation, is a life fellow and charter member of the New Hampshire Bar Foundation Justice Society, and served the Lynch administration as co-chair of the New Hampshire Judicial Selection Commission.

“The quality of any organization depends on the quality of its people,” said Lynch. “I can say unequivocally that the Judicial Branch is better off thanks to the work of Phil (Philip R. Waystack, Jr.) and Emily. Hundreds and hundreds of hours spent interviewing candidates, being on the phone, meeting with me, doing due diligence, reading materials, and so on. I can’t thank them enough for what they have done.”

In addition to her service with the commission, Rice is a dedicated pro bono volunteer and served as co-chair of New Hampshire’s first Legal Services Campaign.  Rice is a seasoned trial lawyer concentrating on the defense of employment, professional liability and business litigation matters.  She handles First Amendment and media law matters and represents a wide range of clients in professional disciplinary proceedings. She serves as an adjunct professor of law in the Daniel Webster Scholars honors program at the University of New Hampshire Law School.

“Emily has devoted an exceptional amount of time to volunteer work in the New Hampshire legal community,” said Charles E. Miller, Bernstein Shur’s CEO. “She is one of the most respected litigators in the state and we are proud of her professional and pro bono volunteer commitments and achievements.”

Rice is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell and recognized by Chambers US: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for her work in employment law and general commercial litigation. In 2012, Rice was listed in Benchmark Litigation’s Top 250 Women in Litigation. She is a member of the American Bar Association and a member of the mediation panels of the New Hampshire Superior Court, United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights.

About Bernstein Shur

Widely regarded as one of New England’s most entrepreneurial law firms, Bernstein Shur is a multi-service firm with more than 100 attorneys in offices in ME and New Hampshire. Founded in 1915, the firm provides practical and innovative counsel in the areas of business law, litigation, and municipal law to clients throughout the region and around the world. Bernstein Shur is ME’s exclusive member of Lex Mundi, the world’s leading association of independent law firms. More information is available at www.bernsteinshur.com.

About New Hampshire Bar Foundation

The New Hampshire Bar Foundation is a nonprofit, grant-making charitable foundation dedicated to supporting civil legal aid for the disadvantaged and law-related education in New Hampshire..  The Bar Foundation serves as the unique charitable institution for members of the New Hampshire Bar Association and others who wish to make financial gifts in the spirit of honoring the law. www.nhbarfoundation.org.