Maureen R. Manning testimonial to Professor Musinsky

(These remarks were given at the presentation of the 2009 Marilla Ricker Achievement Award to Professor Ellen Musinsky by Maureen R. Manning '86  of Manning & Smith and past-president of the New Hampshire Women's Bar Association.)

On behalf of the NHWBA I am pleased to present the 2009 Marilla Ricker Achievement Award to Ellen Musinsky.

The presentation to Ellen is long overdue and well deserved.

As a first year law student, I quickly became impressed by Ellen as a highly competent lawyer who was an excellent teacher.  I knew back then I should emulate her in my career as an attorney.

She taught compassion for the clients, instructed students in the need to prepare so that you could competently represent the client and equally as important she taught us how to represent clients with the highest degree of professionalism.

Even after law school was completed and the bar was passed she continued to be a mentor and friend to many of her students, including me. She has made herself available to talk cases, the law and career moves.

Ellen’s involvement in the legal community has been impressive. She has been a member of the NHWBA since its inception. She was one of the founders of The NH Women’s Lobby, serving on its board for many years. She recruited students like me to get involved with the Women’s Lobby, which continues to be a statewide organization that advocates for women and children in the Legislature.

She was one of the founders of The NH Citizen’s Alliance for Gay and Lesbian Rights, filling a void in the NH political landscape.

She has chaired the NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, working to pass legislation to protect victims of domestic violence. In 1981, as a freshman legislator at the age of 19, I was shocked to learn that NH still had a spousal exception to our rape laws. Ellen and the Coalition worked tirelessly to educate and advocate for the repeal of such a draconian law.

Over the years, Ellen has worked extensively on drafting and advocating for legislative change which affects the lives of men and women every day.  While Ellen may strike you as unpretentious, which she is, she is extraordinary in the many ways in which she has directly and indirectly influenced the lives of her colleagues, students, lawyers, and New Hampshire’s most vulnerable citizens. 

Speaking for many of us in this room Ellen, you are our hero.

In her day to day life, she truly follows in the motto “Carpe diem” – Seize the day!