James Cowles

Jim was pivotal in guiding me through this gnarly and unfamiliar process of all-things-legal. A timely and succinct response, punctuated by sage advice was reassuring and comforting when my concerns were rampant. I felt heard and accepted, supported and acknowledged. Had my financial circumstances al...igned, I would have easily considered hiring Jim for his expertise, patience, and general goodwill. And local support, of course.

Jim is an excellent attorney. He represented me in a civil case in Carroll County Superior Court. The board of selectmen (Carolyn Sundquist, Bill Marcussen, Lloyd Wood) in Tuftonboro, NH, sued me and another resident because we made Right to Know requests to inspect government records. The point of t...he lawsuit, in our view, was to intimidate us and other people who might make right to know requests. Thanks to Jim, the selectmen failed. Judge Amy Ignatius ruled against the selectmen. The selectmen first tried to bully us into court just three days before Christmas 2016. The legal paperwork was overwhelming, and we quickly realized we couldn’t do it all on our own. Jim is an experienced trial attorney and postponed the hearing to a more reasonable date in January. Finally, in June 2017 we had our hearing. (After the selectmen learned we had hired our own attorney, their attorney filed postponement after postponement, delaying the hearing for months.) It was plainly evident that Jim was much more prepared than the selectmen’s attorney. He was not only prepared for what did happen in court, but he had also mapped out counter-arguments and contingency plans for whatever tactics the opposing side might pursue in court. There were several strategies that he had prepared that he ended up not even using. One of the best things about Jim, and this probably comes only from experience, is that he knows when to press a point and when to move on. There were several things that I wanted to bring up at the hearing, but Jim advised against mentioning them. If I had represented myself, I probably would have gotten lost in a rabbit’s warren of picayune details that might not have helped my case. Jim knew what the judge needed to know in order to make the right ruling. Jim is attentive and focused, very prompt and clear when communicating, and he also has a good sense of humor, which helps in stressful situations. If you have the misfortune of being on the receiving end of a lawsuit, or have any other legal needs, I highly recommend Jim Cowles.