Our Mission

It is the goal of the Thomas Craig law office to provide clients with the highest quality legal representation in the most cost efficient manner possible. The lawyers at Thomas Craig law office promise to be thoroughly prepared, highly competent, and to be fully accessible to clients and responsive to their needs, inquiries and suggestions.

 

Our Attorneys

Thomas Craig
thomas.e.craig@myfairpoint.net

Attorney Craig has been practicing law in the field of personal injury litigation in the Manchester New Hampshire area for 40 years. In 1965 he graduated from St. Anselm's College. In 1970 he graduated from Boston University Law School.

Attorney Craig is the youngest of ten children and comes from a family involved in injury law since 1929. His father, William Craig, attended Holy Cross College and Boston University Law School and started his practice in Manchester in 1929. Bill Craig's practice was general civil litigation, but primarily in personal injury and criminal defense. For the past 15 years or so, Tom Craig's practice has been exclusively in the area of plaintiffs' personal injury law.

Attorney Craig has also been involved in the establishment of new case law regarding personal injury matters by his participation in many decisions rendered from the New Hampshire Supreme Court. His cases include:

Figlioli v. R.J. Moreau Companies, Inc., 151 N.H. 618 (2005)-Established the standard necessary for enhanced damages.

Vachon v. New England Towing, Inc., 148 N.H. 429 (2002) -Established the standard necessary for earning impairment.

Bennett v. Lembo, 145 N.H. 276 (2000) - Provided for loss of enjoyment of life as separate element of damages in injury action.

Beaudoin v. Marchand, 140 N.H. 269 (1995) - Limitation on workers compensation carrier’s right of reimbursement.

Breagy v. Stark, 138 N.H. 479 (1995)

Providence Mutual Fire Insurance Company v. Scanlon, 138 NH 301, (1994) - Established coverage in situation involving intentional act.

Prudential Property & Casualty Insurance Company v. Dumont, 136 N.H. 569 (1992)- Uninsured motorist carrier has a legitimate interest in making sure that an insured receives the greatest amount possible from other tortfeasors.

Bonte v. American Global Insurance Company, 136 N.H. 528 (1992) - Established principle that insured to be compensated in full before uninsured motorist carrier’s subrogation rights are triggered.

Bonte v. Bonte, 136 N.H. 286 (1992) -Established the right of viable fetus to pursue negligence action against mother.

Leach v. O’Neill, 132 N.H. 665 (1990) - Established standard for pre judgment interest in arbitration case.

Broderick v. Watts, 136 N.H. 153 (1992) Established standard regarding necessity of specific jury instruction.

Gagnon v. NH Insurance Company, 133 N.H. 70 (1990) - Determination of employee’s rights to liability coverage in employment situation.

Gelinas v. Metropolitan Property & Liability Ins. Co., 131 N.H. 154 (1988) - Established standard required for insured to pursue liability carrier for failure to settle within policy limits.

Tanguay v. Marston, 127 N.H. 572 (1986) -Established right to pursue negligence action against affiliated corporation.

Williams v. Marston, 126 NH 370 (1985) - Established that statute’s repeal could not be retroactively applied to deny plaintiff’s substantive rights.

Gelinas v. Mackey, 123 NH 690 (1983) - Affirming $200,000 jury verdict.

Tavoularas v. Womer, 123 NH 423 (1983) - Established jurisdiction against out of state defendant where tort occurred in NH.

Talbot v. Catelli Habitant, 122 NH 517 (1982) - The trier of fact may consider the accuracy of facts assumed in a hypothetical question in assessing the value of the responses to that question.

Robbins v. Seekamp, 122 NH 318 (1982) - An employee’s products liability action must be predicated on the duty and potential liability of the employer as a manufacturer and seller of the machine,

Joan S. v. John S., 121 N.H. 96 (1981) - Established right of non married "spouse" to portion of marital estate.

Armand Engineering v. Labrie, 121 NH 107 1981) - In response to a motion for summary judgment, mere general and bare allegations of expected proof are insufficient to raise genuine issues of fact.

Robbins v. Kalwall, 120 NH 451 (1980) - Established right to access to premises of non party for discovery purposes.

Howard v. Dorr Woolen Mills, 120 NH 295 - Established discharge of employee because of age or sickness does fall within the narrow category of discharges which are actionable because employee performed an act encouraged by public policy or refused to do that which public policy condemns.

Armand v. Labrie, 119 NH 408 (1979) -Where contract dispute was, by agreement, submitted to arbitration in Massachusetts and Massachusetts’ court denied defendant’s motion to dismiss jurisdiction and entered a judgment confirming the award, the Massachusetts’ judgment was entitled to full faith and credit.

Wilson v. Bradlees, et al., 96 F. 3d 552 (1st Circuit 1996)-Federal statute not preemptive of common law products action.

Despite the fact that he has been involved in the settlement of millions of dollars worth of personal injury cases and many jury verdicts for plaintiffs, the following stand out as significant:

  • $5.5 Million settlement for hospital malpractice.
  • $1.8 Million arbitration award for man injured in motorcycle accident.
  • $1 Million settlement for a man injured in vehicle wreck.
  • $1 Million settlement for a motorcyclist with injury to his leg.
  • $1 Million settlement for a motorcycle operator injury.
  • $1 Million settlement for alawyer injured in auto crash.
  • $1.25 Million settlement for a driver injured with less than $1000 property damage to his automobile.
  • $1.2 Million jury verdict for a woman injured in deck collapse.
  • $200,000 jury verdict for a 30 year old man hit by drunk driver.
  • $620,000 jury verdict for a woman who slipped and fell in restaurant. The jury awarded $120,000 over and above the $500,000 requested.
  • $193,000 jury verdict for a child attacked by dog.
  • $100,000 jury verdict for a man rear-ended in auto collision.
  • $185,000 jury verdict for a woman injured when rear-ended by eighteen wheeler.
  • $160,000 jury verdict for a man injured when car crashed into his parked vehicle.

 

James E. Fiest, Esquire
james.e.fiest@myfairpoint.net

Born: Denver, Colorado March 24, 1954
BA University of Colorado - Denver 1987
JD Franklin Pierce Law Center 1991

Admitted: Supreme Judicial Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1991 (Retired)
U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, 1991 (Retired)
New Hampshire Supreme Court 1994
U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire 1994
Member: New Hampshire Bar Association
New Hampshire Trial Lawyers Association

 

Practice Areas, Plaintiff’s personal injury practice; products liability; professional liability