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.

Family Law | General Litigation | Personal Injury Law
I feel I was wronged in trial court, can I file an appeal to the Supreme Court?
ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices September 29, 2023August 15, 2025
The words “appeal” are prevalent in our society today. Typically, following a flashy criminal trial, or much publicized civil one, the losing lawyer states they’re “going to appeal”. Most people assume that appeals occur as a matter of course or that they are automatic. This is incorrect. In New Hampshire, parties need to file what is called a notice of appeal and comply with several other trial court and Supreme Court rules to effectively commence an appeal. On their face, notice of appeals appear to be easy. The Court’s form requires basic information about the trial court, dates of hearings, parties, and some other obvious information. However, while they are relatively easy to file, parties need to take care in preparing their filing. First what…
Read More I feel I was wronged in trial court, can I file an appeal to the Supreme Court?
General Litigation | Personal Injury Law | Workers Compensation Law
What is a Permanent Impairment and am I entitled to compensation?
ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices September 22, 2023August 15, 2025
In Workers’ Compensation, it is commonly misunderstood by most people what an injured person is entitled to. A person may be able to collect benefits for time missed from work, in addition to have their medical bills paid. Yet, what happens when a person has a permanent injury that prevents them from working? First, it is important to separate that an injury that causes someone to be permanently and totally disabled entitles them to continuing wage (indemnity) benefits from the insurance carrier as long as they can’t work. If they can never work again, they are entitled to receive permanent wage benefits, and also possibly social security disability benefits. Second, the injured worker who has a permanent injury is also entitled to what is called…
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General Litigation
I just found out I am being paid less than my coworkers for the same work, what should I do?
ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices August 25, 2023August 15, 2025
You may have heard about wage claims on the basis of gender discrimination. These claims arise when an employee is paid less than a coworker who performs equal work requiring equal “skill, effort, and responsibility and is performed under similar working conditions”, and the difference in pay is because of their gender. RSA 275:37. These claims do not require the compared coworker to have the exact same job title and performance. To bring a claim before the Department of Labor it is sufficient to show that the two coworkers perform jobs which require equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and one employee is being paid less than the other, and that the difference in pay is based on gender. Part of establishing these claims is learning…
Read More I just found out I am being paid less than my coworkers for the same work, what should I do?
Family Law
What is the best way to prepare for mediation in a family law case?
ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices August 16, 2023August 15, 2025
Mediation is a conversation. Okay, obviously mediation is more complicated than a conversation. However, at its core, mediation is a process by which the divorcing couple, or separated parents, meet with a neutral third party to try to resolve their case. This process can be done with or without attorneys. Mediation can also be private or through the Court system. Also, mediation can be limited to particular topics (i.e. parenting, child support, property settlement, etc.). There are “pros” and “cons” with each factor you add or remove from the process. Still, mediation is always nonbinding unless and until the parties sign an agreement. Therefore, the parties are having a conversation with a neutral party about how to resolve their disputes. An overwhelming majority of family…
Read More What is the best way to prepare for mediation in a family law case?
Personal Injury Law
What happens when I am injured because of criminal conduct?
ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices August 11, 2023August 15, 2025
When someone is injured, it is already a difficult situation. However, when you are victim of a crime like drunk driving and get hurt, the effect can shake your faith in other humans and those on the roads. Clients involved in these collisions can suffer from increased anxiety, and become very fearful of driving after the accident. These folks not only suffer from their injuries, but also from the fact that another person was committing a crime when they were hurt. Ultimately, we get asked, how does this affect my case? The answer, like most in the legal field, is that it depends. Things like crossing a yellow line, speeding through a stop light or stop sign, or something as simple as failing to yield…
Read More What happens when I am injured because of criminal conduct?
Family Law
Can I Have Custody of My Child in New Hampshire?
ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices July 21, 2023August 15, 2025
For a very long time, “custody” and “custodial rights” or “visitation” were words used to describe a parent’s right to spend time with their child. One parent would often have “primary custody” and the other parent would have “visitation.” On rare occasions, the parents would have “joint custody.” Since 2005, New Hampshire has stopped using the words “custody” and “visitation”. Instead, those words have been replaced with the more generic term: parenting rights and responsibilities. As defined by statute, parenting rights and responsibilities are “all rights and responsibilities parents have concerning their child”. (RSA 461-A:1, V). Any provision in the law that refers to “custody” of a child now means the allocation of parental rights and responsibilities pursuant to RSA 461-A. (RSA 461-A:20). Not only…
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Real Estate
Are You Handling Security Deposits Correctly?
ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices July 11, 2023August 15, 2025
Parnell, Michels & McKay regularly handles landlord/tenant matters in New Hampshire. We often find that a lot of tenants are completely unaware of many of the basic rules that apply to them as renters of real estate. One of the biggest confusions we see is the law as it relates to security deposits. Often, a landlord decides to keep a security deposit unjustifiably, fails to follow the statutory procedure, and ends up unlawfully taking the security deposit of a tenant. RSA 540-A:7 governs the return of security deposits to tenants. Generally, the security deposit must be returned within thirty (30) days from the termination of the tenancy. However, some landlords just decide to keep it and “dare” the tenants to do something about it. This…
Read More Are You Handling Security Deposits Correctly?
Estate Planning | Probate Law
What is the Difference Between a Revocable, Irrevocable and Testamentary Trust?
ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices June 14, 2023August 15, 2025
A trust holds assets to be managed by a trustee for the benefit of the beneficiaries. Some common types of trust are a revocable trust (also called a living trust), irrevocable trust and testamentary trust. Before discussing the differences for these trusts and how they are used, it is helpful to understand the terminology. The individual who creates and funds the trust is called the grantor or settlor. The trustee is the person or financial entity who manages the assets placed in the trust by the grantor. The trust usually also names a successor trustee in case the original trustee is unable or unwilling to continue to act as trustee. The beneficiaries are the individuals or entities named to receive the assets from the trust…
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Family Law | Real Estate
What is a Partition and How Do I Know if I Have Equity?
ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices June 9, 2023August 15, 2025
Imagine the following situation: a couple gets engaged, but before the wedding, decides to buy a house to live in together, planning to live in the house before the marriage and after. Things go well for a time, but then the relationship falls apart and the engagement is off. Now the couple is left with the issue of what happens with the house. The answer lies with a petition to partition. At the outset, it is important to remember that if the marriage had gone through and the couples were divorcing instead of breaking off an engagement, the fate of the house would be decided by the Family Court in the divorce. Second, it is important to remember that any mortgages or other liens against…
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Family Law
What is a No-Contest Divorce and Why Do I Need an Attorney?
ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices June 2, 2023August 15, 2025
While all divorce agreements must be approved by the Family Court to be enforced, not all divorces end up in litigation. In fact, many divorces in New Hampshire do not even have lawyers. In New Hampshire, a “no-contest” or “uncontested” divorce informally refers to a divorce by agreement. In these cases, the Court will approve the parties’ requests (property division, support orders, parenting plan, etc.) without engaging in litigation. Plainly, an uncontested divorce occurs when the parties agree upon the terms of their permanent separation. As mentioned, many divorce decrees are “do-it-yourself” divorces. In these situations, parties that agree that their marriage reached its natural end. Therefore, the parties put together an agreement from the Family Court’s online forms and checklists, and submit the agreement…
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