2007 Autumn, Pg. 4. Introduction.

• Author: By Attorney Matthew Serge, Issue Editor

New Hampshire Bar Journal

2007.

2007 Autumn, Pg. 4.

Introduction

New Hampshire Bar JournalAutumn 2007, Volume 48, No. 3Municipal LawIntroductionBy Attorney Matthew Serge, Issue EditorWhen someone first hears the words "municipal law," an image of late-night meetings with the local zoning board of planning board undoubtedly comes to mind. Municipal law is much more. Indeed, zoning and planning board issues comprise only a fraction of the work awaiting a municipal attorney on a given day. From reviewing draft zoning ordinances, to guiding a Board of Selectmen in a contract negotiation, to prosecuting zoning violations, a municipal attorney's work is varied and rarely ever dull.

In this edition of the New Hampshire Bar Journal, we have attempted to showcase the many faces of municipal law in an effort to demonstrate not only the variation and complexity of issues facing today's municipal practitioner, but also to provide those practicing in and around the municipal world with helpful information that may prove worthwhile in the times to come. Although it is virtually impossible to distill municipal law into a nice neat package, the practice area, has two hemispheres - land use/litigation and government relations/corporate. In land use/litigation, a municipal attorney may be called upon to litigate a zoning enforcement action, or a zoning or planning board appeal, as well as tackle a tort or contract claim. From the government relations/corporate side, the same attorney will be asked to review various contracts, employment policies, and real estate documents, including but certainly not limited to deeds and easements. Meanwhile, the attorney must always be prepared to advise town or city officials who routinely call the office on subjects like the Right to Know Law or election procedure.

The concept for this edition of the Bar Journal was to address a wide variety of topics relating to municipal practice that may prove helpful to the bench and bar. To that end, the articles in this issue have been organized into the two hemispheres of municipal practice. The authors of these articles hail from both the private and public sector, lending a unique perspective to the treatment of the law.

For land use and litigation, this edition includes an article from attorneys Christopher Boldt and Sharon Somers of the law firm Donahue...