NHLA Welcomes Six New Board Members
Dr. Hilary K. Alvarez, Catherine J. Flinchbaugh, Angie Fogg, Courtney H.G. Herz, Thomas Mee, and Benjamin Ming
At its meeting on June 9, 2021, the Board of Directors of New Hampshire Legal Assistance accepted the nomination of six new members. Hailing from the far corners of the state, from Bethlehem to Hollis to Rochester, the new board members bring significant legal expertise as well as considerable experience in the health care industry.
“The NHLA Board is delighted to welcome these new members,” said Board Chair G. Dana Bisbee. “Their diverse personal and professional backgrounds will strengthen our Board at a pivotal moment for legal aid in New Hampshire.”
Dr. Hilary K. Alvarez of Concord: Alvarez is a family physician. She graduated from Mayo Medical School, completed residency training at Concord Hospital, and earned a Master’s in Public Health from The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. She is board certified in Family Medicine and in Preventive Medicine. Alvarez lives in Concord with her husband, two determined daughters, and a rambunctious rescue pup. She enjoys hiking, running, cycling, and reading historical fiction.
Catherine J. Flinchbaugh of Concord: Since 2018, Flinchbaugh has served as Managing Attorney of the Concord New Hampshire Public Defender office where she supervises 18 staff attorneys, four investigators, one social worker, and nine support staff while maintaining her own independent caseload. Before that, she was a staff attorney with the New Hampshire Public Defender representing indigent clients accused of criminal and juvenile offenses in the New Hampshire circuit courts, family courts, and superior courts. Over the course of eight years, she mentored legal interns and newly admitted attorneys, reviewed the representation of clients for conflicts of interest, regularly updated sections of the New Hampshire Public Defender Practice Guide, and prepared and presented on various issues at internal trainings. Flinchbaugh holds degrees from Vermont Law School and Kansas State University.
Angie Fogg of Rochester: Fogg brings the needs of clients front and center as a new Board member. As a former legal aid client, Fogg welcomes the opportunity to give back to NHLA and engage in community outreach. Particularly after more than a year of COVID-19 related lockdown, she believes there are many families in New Hampshire in need of legal assistance and is eager to support NHLA’s work and give them a voice. Fogg established and runs a virtual home staging business, which she built from the ground up.
Courtney H.G. Herz of Hopkinton: A shareholder at Sheehan Phinney, Herz has practiced with the Manchester-based law firm since 2005 and served as its Director of Associate Development from 2013 to 2020. Her practice encompasses a wide variety of civil litigation matters for individuals as well as companies of all sizes. In particular, she has represented clients in commercial disputes, employment litigation and administrative proceedings, close corporation shareholder disputes, and petitions to partition real property and quiet title. Herz also represents land use clients before planning and zoning boards throughout New Hampshire. She graduated from Cornell University Law School and Tufts University. Herz is also a member of the NH Campaign for Legal Services Leadership Council, which raises funds for NHLA and its partner organization, 603 Legal Aid.
Thomas Mee of Bethlehem: A Michigan native, Mee joined North Country Healthcare as CEO in early 2019, leading its system and more than 1,400 employees with an emphasis on directing affordable, high-quality healthcare to approximately 50,000 residents of northern New Hampshire. Mee is guided by a philosophy of keeping patients at the center of decision making. From 2007 to 2018, he worked for McLaren Health Care, one of the largest healthcare providers in Michigan. He was recognized with the “Healthcare Leader of the Year Award” in 2017 by the Michigan Hospital Association.
Benjamin Ming of Hollis: Ming recently worked at the Estate Preservation and Planning Law Office in Amherst, NH, preparing estate plans and overseeing trust funding. Ming also has extensive experience in all aspects of real estate law. In addition to his varied legal work, Ming is a member of the Town of Hollis Planning Board and is active in politics, serving as an officer of the New Hampshire Asian American-Pacific Islander Democrats. Ming graduated from Suffolk University Law School, Harvard University, and The George Washington University.