Group IV: Parties and their Representatives · Last amended September 1, 2014 · Last verified July 14, 2026
In one sentenceRule 20 sets the conditions under which someone who is not a lawyer may appear in court for another person, requiring a signed power of attorney, a sworn disclosure of the representative's record, and compliance with professional conduct standards.
(a)No person who is not a lawyer will be permitted to appear, plead, prosecute or defend any action for any party, other than himself or herself, unless of good character and until there is on file with the court:
(1)a power of attorney signed by the party for whom said person seeks to appear, witnessed and acknowledged before a Justice of the Peace or Notary Public, constituting said person his or her attorney to appear in the particular action;
(2)an affidavit under oath in which said person discloses: (i) all of said person's misdemeanor and felony convictions (other than those in which a record of the conviction has been annulled by statute); (ii) all instances in which said person has been found by any court to have violated a court order or any provision of the rules of professional conduct applicable to nonlawyer representatives; (iii) all prior proceedings in which said person has been permitted to appear, plead, prosecute or defend any action for any party, other than himself or herself, in any court; (iv) all prior proceedings in which said person has not been permitted to appear, plead, prosecute or defend any action for any party, other than himself or herself, in any court; and (v) all prior proceedings in which said person's permission to appear, plead, prosecute or defend any action for any party, other than himself or herself, in any court has been revoked.
(b)Any person who is not a lawyer who is permitted to represent any other person before any court of this State must comply with the Rules of Professional Conduct as set forth in Professional Conduct Rule 8.5, and shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the committee on professional conduct.
(c)A party who chooses to represent himself or herself shall so state in the Appearance.
Amendment History
Adopted May 22, 2013, eff. October 1, 2013; amended July 24, 2014, eff. September 1, 2014.
2014: The 2014 amendment deleted "and all pleadings and motions" at the end of (c) and made a stylistic change.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 20 covers the narrow circumstance where a nonlawyer stands in for someone else in a New Hampshire civil case. Before that can happen, the representative must be of good character and must file two things with the court: a power of attorney signed by the party and witnessed before a justice of the peace or notary, and a sworn affidavit disclosing the representative's own record — misdemeanor and felony convictions that have not been annulled, any court findings that the representative violated a court order or the rules governing nonlawyer representatives, and every prior case in which the representative was, or was not, allowed to appear for someone else, or had that permission revoked.
Once approved, the nonlawyer representative must follow the Rules of Professional Conduct as applied to nonlawyer representatives and answers to the committee on professional conduct just as a licensed attorney would. A party who decides to handle the case alone, without a lawyer or a representative, must say so in the Appearance filed with the court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone who is not a lawyer represent another person in a New Hampshire civil case?
Only under Rule 20's conditions. The representative must be of good character, and before appearing must file a power of attorney signed by the party and a sworn affidavit disclosing the representative's convictions and any history of being allowed or refused permission to represent others.
What must the sworn affidavit disclose?
It must disclose the representative's misdemeanor and felony convictions that have not been annulled, any court finding that the representative violated a court order or the rules governing nonlawyer representatives, and every prior case in which the representative was permitted to appear for someone else, was refused permission, or had that permission revoked.
Does a nonlawyer representative answer to any disciplinary body?
Yes. Rule 20(b) requires compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct as set out in Professional Conduct Rule 8.5, and places the representative under the jurisdiction of the committee on professional conduct.
What changed in the 2014 amendment?
The 2014 amendment removed a reference to filing pleadings and motions from subsection (c) and made a stylistic change; it did not alter the underlying requirements for power of attorney and disclosure.
Does a self-represented party need to file anything under this rule?
Yes. A party who chooses to represent themselves must state that in the Appearance filed with the court.
Source & verification. Rule text, official Comments, and amendment
history are reproduced verbatim from the New Hampshire Superior Court Civil Rules, adopted
by the New Hampshire Supreme Court. Last verified July 14, 2026.
· Official source
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