About NHLA

Become part of making better lives through legal advocacy!

Our Mission & Vision

New Hampshire Legal Assistance is a nonprofit law firm working to make justice a reality for and with people who experience economic hardship that threatens their basic human needs. Through representation and systemic advocacy, NHLA offers civil legal aid that addresses the effects and root causes of poverty.

We offer high-quality civil legal ranging from simple legal information and advice to vigorous and thorough representation in all of New Hampshire's courts and before numerous local, state and federal agencies. 

NHLA does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, and gender identity, in the delivery of services.

Our History

NHLA was created in 1971 through the merger of two smaller programs, Southern New Hampshire Legal Services and Tri-County Legal Services, which served the North Country. The program’s initial primary source of funding was the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO), founded by President Lyndon Johnson as part of the War on Poverty. A few years later, the OEO was replaced by the Legal Services Corporation (LSC).   

In 1996, LSC funding was drastically reduced and restrictions were added that would have barred NHLA from undertaking much of the work it had historically done so well. The NHLA Board of Directors at the time elected not to continue to receive the LSC funding, and instead supported creation of the Legal Advice & Referral Center (LARC) which accepted the LSC funding and put it to excellent use. Two of NHLA's five offices closed as a result of this courageous decision, but within two years NHLA had replaced all lost LSC funds with other sources of funding. For the next 25 years, NHLA maintained a close partnership with LARC, as well as with the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Pro Bono Referral System. 

In 2021, LARC and the Pro Bono Referral System merged to form 603 Legal Aid. 603 Legal Aid serves as the centralized intake point for civil legal aid in New Hampshire. It also offers direct legal services, including through its continued operation of a pro bono program through which attorneys in private practice can take on cases for people in need as well as receive training and support. 603 Legal Aid remains NHLA’s most important partner. We also routinely collaborate with the Disability Rights Center-New Hampshire, the state’s protection and advocacy organization for people with disabilities. 

Staff

Note: Visit the Contact Us page for office phone numbers and addresses

NHLA Board of Directors

Our Funders

NHLA receives generous support from a broad spectrum of the New Hampshire community and beyond. Our largest funding sources are the State of New Hampshire and the Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program of the NH Bar Foundation, which annually distributes IOLTA revenue and awards other funds. We also receive grants from numerous local, state, and national foundations, United Ways across the state, and municipal, state and federal agencies. Also important is the on-going support of local law firms, large and small, and individual lawyers, business people, and community members, through the annual NH Campaign for Legal Services.  We hope that you will join this remarkable team of supporters and strengthen the effort to extend civil legal services to those in need in New Hampshire.