Laconia, NH

A. Gerard O’Neil, Jr.

Jerry O'Neil Jr. is a lifelong resident of the Lakes Region, heading the firm's litigation department with an active personal injury practice. He represents victims of defective products, severe automobile accidents, police misconduct, civil rights violations, and workers injured in work-related accidents. He is a past president and sustaining member of the New Hampshire Trial Lawyers Association/New Hampshire Association for Justice and a member of the American Bar Association, New Hampshire Bar Association, and Belknap County Bar Association. He was voted one of New Hampshire’s Top 6 Workers’ Compensation Attorneys in Woodward-White’s “The Best Lawyers in America” poll for multiple years.

Anne M. Rice

Anne M. Rice, Esquire is the founding principal of Rice Law Office, PLLC in Laconia, New Hampshire. She focuses her practice in personal injury, Workers' Compensation and employment law, including Social Security disability. She advises individuals and businesses in all aspects of employment law, including employment agreements, separation negotiation, wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment. She has worked in the Lakes Region in both professional and volunteer positions for nearly twenty years. She is a frequent speaker on issues of employment law, Workers' Compensation and harassment, and is trained as a mediator and arbitrator by the New Hampshire Judicial Branch and the American Arbitration Association. Anne currently serves as a volunteer mediator for the New Hampshire Human Rights Commission, the NH Rule 170 Program and privately as a Mediator, Neutral and Arbitrator.

James P. Ball

James P. Ball is an experienced litigator with an emphasis on personal injury, family law, and civil litigation. He is a graduate of Tufts University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law. He has successfully represented clients in state and federal courts in New Hampshire and has significant experience in mediation and alternative forms of dispute resolution.

Susanne M. Chisholm

Susanne M. Chisholm concentrates her practice in probate and estate planning. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Vermont in 1987 and her Juris doctorate from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1992. She was admitted to the Connecticut Bar in 1992 and the New Hampshire Bar in 1994. She was recognized as one of 'New Hampshire's Best and Brightest' young attorneys in 1996.

Allison Ambrose

Allison joined the Wescott office in May 2011, building her practice and becoming Director and Managing Partner in February of 2016. A cum laude graduate of the University Of New Hampshire School Of Law (now University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law) and a Daniel Webster Scholar, Allison previously earned her BS in Business Management from the University of New Hampshire in 2005. Allison is admitted to practice in the Courts of the State of New Hampshire and the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire. Prior to practicing law, Allison worked as an international business liaison for State Street Global Advisors in Boston, clerked for the Honorable Richard McNamara of the Merrimack County Superior Court and worked as a teaching assistant at UNH School of Law. Allison is a member of both the Belknap County and New Hampshire Bar Associations. A graduate of the Leadership Lakes Region and Leadership New Hampshire programs, Allison is active in the community, serving as Corporator of Bank of New Hampshire, a CASA NH child advocate volunteer, Chair of the Belknap Economic Development Council (BEDC), various NH Bar committees and is the former Chair of the Belknap Mill Society. In 2018 she was recognized among the state’s brightest young achievers by the 40 Under Forty program. While Allison offers general legal services, she focuses her practice on civil disputes, personal injury and landlord/tenant matters. Her other advocacy work includes contract drafting and disputes, criminal and DWI defense, motor vehicle violations, and employment law. Allison lives with her husband and two young children in the Lakes Region. When not working, Allison enjoys spending time with family, hiking New Hampshire’s beautiful mountains, waterskiing, boating, and reading.

James F. Lafrance

James F. Lafrance is a New Hampshire native with a diverse trial practice representing clients in state and federal courts and administrative agencies. His practice areas include personal injury claims, employment-related disputes, discrimination claims, workers’ compensation claims, and commercial matters. He is a member of the Belknap County, New Hampshire, and American Bar Associations, a sustaining member of the New Hampshire Association for Justice, and a Fellow of the New Hampshire Bar Foundation.

Matt Lahey

Matt Lahey has 40 years of legal experience, practicing law since 1983. He has tried over 100 jury trials and hundreds of non-jury cases in State and Federal courts. Known for taking on difficult cases, he also possesses extensive appellate experience, having argued 35 cases before the New Hampshire Supreme Court and the Federal First Circuit Court of Appeals. Matt is a trusted community leader, serving multiple terms as mayor and city councilor of Laconia. He was awarded the Vicki M. Bunnel Award in 2007 and holds the highest AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell.