Peter E. Hutchins

A native of New Hampshire and a graduate of Dartmouth College and Boston College Law School, Attorney Hutchins was admitted to the New Hampshire State and Federal Bars in 1983 and is in his 30th year of legal practice in New Hampshire. He served as President of the New Hampshire Bar Association in 2001-2002. He currently remains an officer of the Bar Association, serving as the organization's Secretary. In 2010, Attorney Hutchins was voted the Best Personal Injury Lawyer in New Hampshire in NH Business Magazine.

Attorney Hutchins focuses his practice on plaintiff personal injury civil litigation in both state and federal courts.

Attorney Hutchins’ philosophy is to aggressively and ethically represent his clients in order to achieve for them the best possible result in their cases. He strives to provide the utmost in client service and attention, seeking not only to obtain the best possible financial result for his clients, but also to assist them in any way possible through what are often very difficult and trying times in their lives.

He is successful in settling over 95% of his clients’ personal injury cases without the necessity of going to trial, typically through the use of private mediation – thereby achieving a good financial result for his clients while sparing them the stress, anxiety and expense of "going to court."

On the rare occasion where an out-of-court settlement is not possible, Attorney Hutchins has substantial experience trying cases before juries. He has tried over 60 personal injury cases before New Hampshire State and Federal juries during his career, and has taken numerous appeals to the New Hampshire Supreme Court on a variety of complex and novel legal issues relating to tort and civil litigation.

TEACHING
Attorney Hutchins has lectured extensively over the years at continuing legal educational seminars designed for lawyers in programs sponsored by both the New Hampshire Bar Association and the New Hampshire Trial Lawyers Association. He has also appeared extensively on statewide television as a commentator on a variety of legal issues and cases, and has authored numerous editorials for the statewide newspaper on issues of immediate concern and importance to the legal profession and the pursuit of justice in New Hampshire. Attorney Hutchins has lectured on topics including insurance coverage, trial advocacy, sexual abuse litigation, civil procedure in New Hampshire courts, and the proof of damages in personal injury cases.

PERSONAL
In his spare time, Peter enjoys golf at Manchester Country Club and officiating high school basketball. His wife Kathy owns her own residential real estate agency in Manchester, and his daughter Jamie is an elementary school teacher in Candia, NH.

NOTABLE WORK
From 2002 through the present, Attorney Hutchins has successfully represented over 150 victims of clergy sexual abuse in New Hampshire against both the Diocese of Manchester and a variety of religious orders and parochial schools. During this time, he has achieved between $15 and $20 million in settlements on behalf of his client victim/survivors.

Since 2007, Attorney Hutchins has successfully settled several injury cases in excess of $1 million, and has settled a number of others in excess of $500,000.

Attorney Hutchins has worked closely with organizations opposing domestic violence and sexual abuse, and has testified extensively before the New Hampshire House and Senate in support of successful legislation extending the civil statute of limitations in New Hampshire for claims by victims of sexual abuse, most recently in 2008 relative to SB 311 which extends the limitation to the age of 30.

Attorney Hutchins successfully briefed and argued an appeal before the New Hampshire Supreme Court which has served to clarify and define the law regarding tort claims for civil malicious prosecution and abuse of process in New Hampshire.

Attorney Hutchins has argued a number of other significant cases before the New Hampshire Supreme Court, including cases challenging New Hampshire’s ski area immunity statute and recreational use statute. He also testified at length in 2006 before the New Hampshire legislature on legislation greatly limiting the rights of individuals injured by the negligence of ski area operators to seek compensation for catastrophic injury.

Attorney Hutchins currently represents numerous victims of sexual abuse by teachers at both private and public educational facilities and schools. He also represents individuals sexually abused at medical facilities, hospitals and doctors’ offices, as well children abused at day care facilities.

His practice, focusing as it does on medical and psychological injury to his clients through the legal fault of third parties, necessarily involves extensive negotiation on behalf of his clients with private and governmental health insurance providers.

Attorney Hutchins has enjoyed great success at resolving the vast majority of his cases, both simple and complex tort matters, through the use of private mediation, achieving successful settlements for his injured clients while sparing them the risk, uncertainty and additional trauma of trial.