Parnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices

Our firm blends advocacy oriented practice with effective practical solutions for all our clients in Londonderry, N. Woodstock, and throughout New Hampshire. The attorneys at Parnell, Michels & McKay provide effective representation and counseling to assist our clients facing legal questions. We simplify the process so our clients can understand and are able to participate as partners in the resolution.



Our practice includes personal injury law such as motor vehicle accidents, falls, dog bites, workers compensation, social security disability, and other injuries.



We also practice family law, including divorce, post-divorce, unwed custody and property division, and collaborative divorce, and have extensive experience in bankruptcy, probate, boundary disputes, estate planning, corporate formation and other real estate litigation.

  • Julia Hawthorne Named 2025 Pro Bono Rising Star

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    Parnell, Michels and McKay is proud to announce that Julia Hawthorne has been named a 2025 Pro Bono Rising Star at the New Hampshire Bar Association Mid-Year meetings. Attorney Hawthorne has been working at PMM law since graduating from law school, and practices in the employment law, personal injury and workers’ compensation fields. Attorney Hawthorne instantly gravitated towards pro bono work, and has been a steady pro bono volunteer since joining PMM law in 2021. Attorney Hawthorne has also played an integral role at the 603 Legal Aid eviction clinic as a continuous volunteer. Julia is passionate about helping others, and we are proud of her work in the community.  Congratulations Julia!  

  • Homeowner’s Insurance and the Christmas Invader

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    Jimmy was home Christmas eve when he was woken up after midnight by his dog barking. He went downstairs and it looked like a burglar was in his house. He turned on the light, and his dog lunged at the intruder. A plate of cookies and milk spilled everywhere, and the burglar (wearing bright red and looking on the older side), jumped away from the dog. He shouted something like “HO HO, OH NO!” before tripping over the shoes Jimmy left in the hallway. Jimmy heard an audible “snap”, and the old man shouted in pain. Jimmy called the police, but when they came the old man had left. However, he had left a note that Jimmy would be hearing from his lawyer as he…

  • “GRAY DIVORCES”: 6 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE DECIDING TO LEAVE A LONG-TERM MARRIAGE

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    Many recent articles and news reports have focused on the topic of a “Gray Divorce.” Although there is no real definition, the term is intended to refer to couples over the age of 50 getting divorced. Although the percentage of couples getting divorced has dropped overall, the percentage of couples over the age of 50 (or 60) is increasing. If you are over 50 and have been in a long-term marriage (especially over 20 years), there are important issues you should consider before making the decision to get divorced. Have you been working outside the home for most of your marriage? If not, the financial impact of this divorce could be devastating as your income will be significantly reduced. It may be too late in…

  • How Does the Pelissier v. Geico Make Uninsured Motorist Claims Easier to Pursue?

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    As part of our ongoing commitment to serving our clients, the Personal Injury Attorneys at Parnell Michels and McKay review changes to New Hampshire law in order to ensure we continue to obtain the best results for our clients. This week, there was a significant update in the law regarding uninsured motorist claims. Pelissier addressed a statute of limitations argument regarding uninsured/underinsured motorist claims. This case involved a scenario all too common in motor vehicle accidents, where the driver at fault has too little insurance to cover the serious injuries they caused another innocent driver. In those circumstances, an under-insured motorist claim with the innocent driver’s insurance is appropriate. However, these claims are subject to the same three-year statute of limitations that most other injury…

  • 2025 Child Support Law Changes

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    Child support is one of the largest areas that our firm’s family law attorneys must address in court. Whether you are an unwed parent, or whether the parties have been married, so long as parents have minor children, the court must address the financial component of the children’s welfare. It was a long-established and continually perpetuated myth in New Hampshire that having “equal time” almost meant no obligation pay child support. The fact of the matter is that child support is a complex formula that is dependent on many factors that primarily derive from the parties’ respective incomes. While that well-trodden myth remains false, changes to the child support law in 2025 have made it a closer reality. An act signed by Governor Sununu on…

  • What Are Enhanced Damages and Am I Eligible For Them?

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    Enhanced compensatory damages are uniquely situated in our state. They stand as a rare contrast to New Hampshire’s prohibition against punitive damages. The line between prohibited punitive damages and enhanced compensatory damages can be difficult to navigate, particularly in the initial stages of litigation. Introduction In order to request enhanced damages, plaintiffs must plead that the defendant’s conduct was “wanton, malicious, or oppressive”. See Munson v. Raudonis, 118 N.H. 474, 479 (1978). Importantly, a plaintiff needs to only prove one factor in order to request enhanced damages. Therefore, the defendant conduct may either be wanton, malicious, or oppressive. Matters of enhanced damages are questions of fact for the trier of fact to decide. See Crowley v. Global Realty, Inc., 124 N.H. 814, 818 (1984). Wanton…

  • PMMLaw Celebrates Retirement of Long-Time Paralegal, Joanne Duval

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    Joanne Duval has been working at Parnell, Michels & McKay, and previously Michels and Michels, for almost three decades combined. As the primary bankruptcy paralegal for Nancy Michels, and estate and business planning paralegal for Carole Mansur, she was responsible for many tasks that helped make the practice function seamlessly. After a long legal career, Joanne celebrated her retirement yesterday with the PMM Law staff at local preferred establishment, Super Wok. Prior to Nancy Michels retiring, Joanne was solely responsible for all paralegal work required in PMMLaw’s bankruptcy practice. Her experience in the bankruptcy field as a paralegal was extensive, and once Nancy retired, Joanne focused the majority of her work on assisting with Estate Planning and the Business Formation practice. Joanne was also a…

  • Parnell, Michels & McKay Announces Opening of Employment Law Division

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    PMM Law is pleased to announce that Julia Hawthorne has opened our Employment Law Division. Julia can assist with wrongful termination, wrongful demotion, discriminatory employment actions, and employer violations of Federal law. In New Hampshire, we simultaneously file employment actions in the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights, and the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Employment claims are challenging and have strict time limitations, therefore, employees who feel they have been wrongfully terminated should consider the assistance of an experienced attorney. Julia is a graduate from University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, and the Daniel Webster Scholar program. He is now also a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association’s New Hampshire branch. Julia has handled numerous employment actions already and is…

  • I Was Just Injured in a Car Accident: Should I Use My Health or Auto Insurance To Pay My Medical Bills?

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    We never want to be in a situation where we get into an accident with another vehicle, but unfortunately accidents happen. If you are injured, the question will come up at your doctor’s office whether to bill your health insurance or auto insurance. At PMM Law, we handle injuries in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Likewise, the answer depends on many factors, including what state you live in, what your health insurance plan requires, and other factors. In New Hampshire, the “no fault” coverage for medical expenses is called “medical payment coverage” or “MedPay” for short. Importantly, these benefits are non-subrogable (i.e. do not have to be repaid) under RSA 264:17. This means that any payments made by your auto insurer under the MedPay portion of…

  • PI Day: How Can a PI Claim Come From Pie?

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    While many people associate personal injury law with motor vehicle accidents, slip and falls, and so on, this is only a portion of the types of valid personal injury claims. One of the lesser discussed types of personal injury comes from foreign objects found in food. These types of situations begin when a consumer purchases food. This could be food served at a restaurant, purchased from a gas station, or a pie purchased in celebration of pi day from your local baker or grocery store. In any of these situations, the law acknowledges that people make certain assumptions about the food they are consuming when they bite into it and are unlikely to inspect something like a pie thoroughly before eating it. Because we place…