40 years of commentary by Portsmouth resident honored

p> (Article originally published in Foster’s Daily Democrat , Wednesday, June 24, 2009 – http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090624/GJCOMMUNITY_01/906239978)

PORTSMOUTH – The NH Bar Association will salute Attorney Charles A. DeGrandpre, a Portsmouth resident, for 40 years of lively and authoritative commentary on the decisions of the NH Supreme Court in the NH Bar Journal.

The event will take place on Friday evening, June 26 as part of the NHBA’s annual meeting at the Mount Washington Resort.

DeGrandpre will be presented with the NHBA Distinguished Service to the Profession Award by NHBA President Ellen L. Arnold. Arnold is a former member of the McLane, Graf, Raulerson & Middleton firm, where DeGrandpre has practiced his entire career.

DeGrandpre, a NH native who grew up in Jaffrey, was admitted to the Bar in 1961. His practice is concentrated in the area of wills and trust administration, and he currently serves as trustee of several private, family trusts.

He is associated with the Portsmouth office of the McLane law firm.

The latest issue of the NHBA’s Bar Journal – published online only as a PDF at www.nhbar.org — is dedicated to DeGrandpre in gratitude for his 40 years of service to the New Hampshire legal community as the author of the Lex Loci column.

The issue includes an interview regarding DeGrandpre’s legal career and his process of writing the columns, which he produced faithfully on a quarterly basis (except for a couple of “legendary vacations”) from 1968 through 2008.

At times, DeGrandpre was a reporter, calling attention to significant developments in common law; sometimes he was a critic of decisions; and at times, he was NH’s wry legal humorist — finding the lighter side of the law in even the dullest of opinions.

The award to be presented notes that “His devotion to this task made Charles DeGrandpre a mentor to every member of the New Hampshire Bar.”

DeGrandpre, who turns 73 in July, wrote his last Lex Loci column for the fall issue of the NH Bar Journal, and is gradually winding down his practice.

To see the issue of the NH Bar Journal honoring DeGrandpre, go to http://www.nhbar.org/uploads/pdf/BJ-50-1.pdf.

About the McLane Law Firm

Founded in 1919, McLane, Graf, Raulerson & Middleton, Professional Association is the largest full-service law firm in the state of New Hampshire, with offices in Manchester, Concord and Portsmouth, as well as Woburn, Massachusetts. Driven by the firm’s depth of sophisticated legal expertise and an unwavering commitment to client service, McLane has built collaborative and lasting relationships with a broad spectrum of domestic and international clients.