Gail Bakis

      Gail brings a rich and diverse professional and personal background to her law practice. Upon graduating from Tufts University in 1981, Gail entered into a volunteer/language study program in Israel. Although the program only lasted six months, Gail became such an integral member of the community in which she was living that she chose to remain for several years. During that time, she taught English to Israeli and Arab children, instructed dance and exercise classes, and volunteered wherever help was needed in the community, whether making morning coffee for the 600 community members or separating green olives from black ones in the community olive factory. After returning to the States, Gail settled in New Hampshire where she began working as a claims adjuster for State Farm Insurance Company. In her capacity as a claims adjuster, Gail became an avid proponent of mediation as a means by which to settle claims, and was one of the first adjusters in her department to represent State Farm at mediations without the need for defense counsel. Following the suggestion of the lawyers and mediators with whom she worked, she decided to go to Suffolk University Law School’s evening program so that she could continue to work for State Farm and spend time with her then two-year-old son during the day. Gail graduated in 1996, Magna Cum Laude, ranking fourth in her class.

      Gail began her legal career with the former Manchester law firm of Wiggin & Nourie as an attorney in the firm’s insurance defense department. She also immediately became a volunteer for the Pro Bono Legal Assistance program which gave her the opportunity to represent indigent clients with domestic relations issues. Gail found the work so fulfilling that, after a brief leave of absence following the birth of her second son, she decided to concentrate her practice on family law as a member of one of the foremost domestic relations groups in New Hampshire.

     When Wiggin & Nourie closed in 2012, Gail had the good fortune to join the fine lawyers at Harvey & Mahoney, PA, where she continued to devote her practice to family law issues, including divorce, legal separation, child support, alimony, property division, and grandparent’s rights. Gail has been a certified marital mediator and is currently a member of the N.H. Collaborative Law Alliance. Because of her experience as a mediator, a collaborative law practitioner and a litigator, Gail is in the unique position of being able to provide her clients with first-hand information about the various methods available to help them achieve their goals, and to counsel them toward the best choice for their unique situation. 

     Gail is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, the Collaborative Law Alliance of New Hampshire, the N.H. Bar Association, is the former programming director and a current member of the N.H. Women’s Bar Association, and a 2012 recipient of the Distinguished Pro Bono Service Award. She also served on the Board of the N.H. Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence for 4 years.