I love exploring New Hampshire. And yesterday I visited one my favorite places - Dover, New Hampshire. I had a law office in Dover for over ten years before I transitioned to online legal consulting Lots of funny stories and lots of things to do. Let's go!
Dover Family Division
First stop. Children's Museum? Woodman Museum? WRONG! I'm a lawyer, remember. The Dover District Courthouse!
The Dover Family Division is inside the Dover Courthouse. It's where I represented my first divorce client at a hearing. Little did I know I would litigate hundreds of divorces, parenting actions, parenting plan modifications, child support actions, grandparent's rights actions and domestic violence cases there in the years that followed.
Fun fact: I once tripped on the step-up to the witness stand and nearly landed in a witness's lap while cross-examining him during a hotly contested final divorce hearing. Even the judge laughed!
Second fun fact: I was grilling a witness during a parenting hearing when he abruptly stopped mid-answer. Sweat beaded on his forehead as silence engulfed the courtroom. The only sound was the ticking of an old clock on the courtroom wall. I attempted to break the tension with what I thought was a funny zinger. I quipped, "is that the clock on the wall or the witnesses' heart pounding?" Epilogue: no one laughed.
The Dover Family Division serves families in Dover, Somersworth, Durham, Rollinsford, Leeand Madbury.
Rochester Family Division and 7th Circuit Probate Division
Next stop? The Rochester Family Division and 7th Circuit Dover Probate Division. Both courts are located in the Strafford County Courthouse on County Farm Road in Dover. The 7th Circuit Dover Probate Division is where I represented my first client at ANY hearing (it was a guardianship of an incapacitated adult case). It's where I subsequently probated many estates, and litigated probate cases involving wills, trusts and durable powers of attorney. Fun fact: there were no fun facts litigating these cases.
Upstairs from the Dover Probate Court is the Rochester Family Division. This is another family division court where I litigated many divorce, parenting, child support and other family law cases.
Fun fact: I once mistakenly dumped a full carafe of water on myself during a hearing here. Second fun fact: I was the only person calm enough to appreciate how funny that was!
The Rochester Family Division serves families in Barrington, Milton, New Durham, Farmington, Strafford, and Middleton.
Riverside Rest Home
Kitty corner from the Strafford County Courthouse is Riverside Rest Home. Riverside Rest Home is one of the larger nursing homes in New Hampshire and is rated fairly well by a nationally recognized rating service.
Wentworth-Douglass Hospital
Next up? Wentworth-Douglass Hospital. Both me and my family have made many many trips to the Wentworth-Douglass ER and they always do a great job. I recently underwent a septoplasty there to stop my sleep apnea. Fun fact: the nurse charged with taking care of me during the procedure was a former divorce client (gulp!). I luckily had done a good job on her case and so there were no unforeseen "complications" like a spontaneous vasectomy.
It was at Wentworth Douglass that I first saw the NH Advance Health Care Directive used by most hospitals in New Hampshire. I realized I could improve immeasurably on that form and my version became the first form sold on this website!
New Hampshire Children's Museum
Last but not least, I stopped at the Children's Museum. While it was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I snapped a picture anyway and reminisced about may good times my family had there when our kids were younger.
Bonus Content
There are three restaurants I heartily recommend if you are visiting Dover. Taste of India located downtown serves delicious indian food. You can choose the spice level too, although "hot" and "indian hot" will leave you in tears. Saigon and Tokyo on the outskirts of town serves a mix of chinese and vietnamese food. The portion sizes and overall quality are great. Finally, Harvey's is my old standby. It's downtown, it offers traditional fare, and is the local haunt for Dover's power brokers.
In conclusion, I hope you enjoyed my recent visit to Dover, New Hampshire! Check back for more legal stories as we visit other towns and cities throughout New Hampshire!
