Robert A. Stein

Bringing generations together; experience, knowledge and creativity.

Robert A. Stein

603.228.1109

Since his admission to the bar in 1971, Bob has been consistently winning cases on behalf of his clients at the trial and the appellate level.  His current practice concentrates on:

  • Civil litigation
  • Products liability litigation
  • Probate litigation
  • Litigation involving the distribution of large marital assets
  • Criminal defense
  • Appellate law

A nationally and internationally known trial advocacy teacher, Bob was also recognized and became a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers (ISOB), and was asked to become a Fellow of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).  For more than two decades, he has been listed repeatedly and in multiple categories in Best Lawyers in America.  He has an AV Preeminent rating in the distinguished legal directory Martindale-Hubbell, and has been selected for inclusion in SuperLawyers in New England for 2007 through 2016 editions.  “Winning” means judgments in his clients’ favor. It may also, in appropriate cases, mean a cease fire, should negotiations result in a “win,” a large monetary settlement, or an appropriate resolution of a complex matter.  Bob has the knowledge, experience, and wisdom to fight the right fights, to advocate for his clients’ cause, and the judgment to know when to seek alternative resolutions.  His practice involves trying cases, large and small, complex or simple, multi-party or single party.  When clients hire Bob, they acquire the entire Stein Law Firm’s team of talented lawyers, who often work collaboratively on their case.

Bob is a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers (ISOB), a Fellow of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), and a nationally and internationally-known trial advocacy instructor.  For more than two decades, he has been listed repeatedly and in multiple categories in Best Lawyers in America.   Bob has an AV® Preeminent rating in the distinguished legal directory Martindale-Hubbell®*, and has been regularly selected for inclusion in SuperLawyers in New England.

Representative Appellate Cases

  • Baker v. Dennis Brown, 121 NH 640 (1981)Tortious interference with contractual relations where a realtor persuaded a third party to intervene in a contract and undercut the plaintiff’s rights to purchase a home. Bob persuaded the Supreme Court to adopt the tort of tortious interference with a contractual relation even though there was no “privity” between the parties.
  • Shafmaster v. Shafmaster, 138 NH 469 (1994).  Dismissal of the case was reversed on appeal when Bob proved to the Supreme Court of New Hampshire that fraud in affidavits could serve as grounds for setting aside a divorce settlement agreement.  The initial divorce was based on a financial affidavit which was later proved to be fraudulent and dishonest, and the case was opened, remanded, and the enhanced assets re-divided.
  • LeBlanc v. Honda, 145 NH 579 (1997). This case set the standard for appropriate comment by counsel on racial or ethnic origins. Bob’s representation of a major car manufacturer in this products liability case showed the New Hampshire Supreme Court that his client was deprived of a fair trial because of the inflammatory racial comments made by plaintiff’s counsel.  The judgment was reversed, a new standard set for appropriate comments, and the matter remanded for a new trial.            
  • State v. Surace, NH SCt, 3JX, 2007-0422 (May 20, 2008). The initial appeal in this case was by the State, appealing Bob’s victory in suppressing blood alcohol tests relative to a double negligent homicide matter in which the defendant struck a motorcycle with a driver and a passenger.  The Supreme Court affirmed the suppression of the blood alcohol. On remand, the State dismissed the felony charges and brought two misdemeanor charges on which the defendant was prosecuted, and the defendant took an appeal to the Supreme Court relative to improper conduct of the prosecution in its closing arguments. The Court reversed the conviction and remanded the case, State v. Surace, 162 NH 17 (2011).
  • Shelton, et al v. Tamposi, et al, Hillsborough County Probate Court #316-2007-E Q-2109; and 164 NH 490 (2012) This is a landmark and precedent setting case in which a probate judge applied, in what is believed to be the first time in the history of the United States, an in terrorem clause to divest a litigant who challenged her father’s well-crafted estate and trust. The Court went on to make a finding of bad faith against the plaintiff, removed the trustee, and awarded attorneys’ fees.
  • Orvis v. Leisure Life, 165 NH 324 (2013); and Gray v. Vermont Castings, Orvis, and Leisure Life, Rockingham County Superior Court #07-C-953This is a personal injury case involving a woman who suffered burns to 60% of her body from a defective wood stove and robe.  Half the case was settled with the stove manufacturer for a substantial sum of money, and the remainder tried to verdict.  There were also complicated appellate issues regarding assignments, which the Supreme Court resolved and set the new standard for indemnification and assignments.
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