Orr & Reno P.A. Announces the Return of James Bassett

by JPeters | September 8, 2025 10:37 am

Concord, NH: Orr & Reno P.A. is pleased to announce the return of James (Jim) Bassett to the firm, after serving for 13 years as the 107^th Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court. “Jim brings an exceptional level of expertise to his role at Orr & Reno,” said Peter Burger, President of the firm. “His experience on both sides of the bench will be invaluable in our work to resolve corporate, government, land use, and other disputes.”

Jim will focus his practice primarily on alternative dispute resolution matters, working as a mediator and arbitrator, and in appellate litigation cases working their way through the state and federal court systems.

Prior to his appointment to the New Hampshire Supreme Court in 2012, Jim worked for 27 years as a highly successful trial and appellate lawyer at Orr & Reno, concentrating his practice on constitutional law, commercial litigation, medical malpractice defense, First Amendment and Right-to-Know issues, and land use matters. In his active appellate practice, he argued cases before the New Hampshire Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

For over a decade, Jim demonstrated his proficiency in constitutional litigation, arguing many cases before the New Hampshire Supreme Court. His notable cases included:

• A landmark case[1] that secured the right of the media to bring cameras into trial courts in New Hampshire. Jim represented local and national media organizations.
• Jim successfully defended the validity and constitutionality of a statute enacted by the General Court. The case[2], one of first impression, involved a clarification of powers and the respective constitutional roles of the legislature and the judiciary.
• Jim successfully argued for the constitutional right to a jury trial in case involving the partitioning of real estate. The decision[3] overturned 200 years of case law.

During Jim’s tenure on the New Hampshire Supreme Court, he served as chair of the Commission on Judicial Branch Workplace Environment, co-chair of the Court’s Committee of the Judiciary and the Media, and co-chair of the Access to Justice Commission. He also served as the Court’s representative on the New Hampshire Judicial Council, and the Court’s liaison to the NH Bar Foundation and NH Bar Association. He was also instrumental in expanding the court’s internship program to include college undergraduates.

In 2016, Jim was appointed by Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts to serve as a member of the Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules — based at the Federal Judicial Center — the national policy-making body for the federal courts. He was reappointed in 2019 and served until 2022.

Jim has been involved in his community — as a volunteer and leader — in innumerable ways throughout his career, including the United Way of Merrimack County, the Capitol Center for the Arts, and the Friends of the Norris Cotton Cancer Center. He was also an appointed member of the state Rivers Management Advisory Committee and the legislative Shoreline Study Committee.

For more than two decades, Jim was active in town government in Canterbury, where he lives with his wife, Ellen. Jim served on numerous boards, commissions, and committees over the years, and he was elected to several terms on the Canterbury Board of Selectmen and Planning Board and served as chair or each board.

Orr & Reno, P.A. is a distinguished, well-established law firm based in Concord, New Hampshire. The firm includes over 40 attorneys working in six key practice areas — backed by a seasoned staff of paralegals and other professionals. We pride ourselves in serving our local, regional, and national clients with the high-touch service of a smaller, community-based firm.

 

Source URL: https://orr-reno.com/orr-reno-announces-return-of-james-bassett/

---