We are all being affected by the national situation in one way or another. We are writing to you to keep you informed as to what’s going on in the legal world.

First, as you may or may not be aware, the State of New Hampshire has issued emergency orders over the past several months which have significantly impacted the Court system. If these orders impact your specific case, you have likely heard from us already. But in the interest of being thorough, we wanted to write to you to explain what has happened in recent days.

Per the NH Supreme Court, most court hearings, with the exception of some emergency hearings (e.g. restraining orders) have been limited, meaning they may be canceled, continued, rescheduled, or held telephonically. If your case requires a hearing you should expect some delay in getting one rescheduled. We have not heard from the Court on every upcoming hearing, but as soon as we hear about your hearing, we will contact you immediately. If you have any questions about your specific case that we haven’t already answered, please let us know and we would be happy to explain it to you. You can read the Supreme Court Orders in their entirety here:

https://www.courts.state.nh.us/supreme/orders/index.htm

Special Note to Landlords: State and Federal laws, including the recent CDC order, have created a very uncertain time for landlords seeking to pursue evictions against tenants. While tenants are not currently relieved from their obligation to pay rent, they have additional legal protections of which you need to be aware, as there can be substantial fines and other possible penalties for violating them.

Second, as our shared experience with the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve, we want you to know what we are doing here at Simmons & Ortlieb to keep our clients, employees, and community secure. Although we understand the risk of transmission, our office currently remains open, and we are taking reasonable precautions during meetings to ensure our staff and our clients’ safety. If you have a meeting scheduled with us we will continue to meet with you. Obviously everyone needs to practice what we are now calling social distancing, as much as it pains us we will not be hugging you or shaking your hand when you come in the office. Please do not be offended; it is our way of being part of the solution.

While we are prepared and happy meet with you at our office, if you would prefer a phone conference instead we totally understand and we can accommodate you in that regard. We expect that you will be scrutinizing your exposure to various situations and we applaud your vigilance.

No matter what happens, we will be here for you as needed to continue to deliver valuable service and support.

Certainly, we will update you when more information becomes available. We will continue to post relevant information on our website at www.clearvictory.org. If you have any questions at all you are always welcome to call the office.

Our relationships with all of you are so very important to us, as is your safety, health, and continued success. We trust that you and your loved ones will be well during these challenging times. Please remember that although the situation is concerning, it is not insurmountable. Wash your hands, hug your kids, and we will get through this together.

Very sincerely yours,

John Anthony Simmons, Sr., Esq.

Michael J. Ortlieb, Esq.