Attorney Andrew Piela has been practicing law in New Hampshire and beyond for over 27 years. He focuses his practice on family law, probate litigation, civil litigation, and appellate work.
Clients working with Andrew are provided the peace of mind of having a highly experienced legal partner on their side. Andrew regularly appears in trial courts in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and also handles appeals before the New Hampshire Supreme Court and Massachusetts Court of Appeals.
Some of his successful cases include:
- Representing, through superior court litigation, landowners who sought to develop shore land along Squam Lake and Newfound Lake.
- Multiple orders securing several million dollars in insurance coverage for a client involved in a construction liability case.
- Litigating a products liability case, which led to a significant limitation in a defendant’s ability to attribute liability to unnamed parties.
- Successful litigation of a case in both the superior court and supreme court that clarified whether a party to a divorce can change the beneficiaries on their life insurance policies without first obtaining court approval.
Prior to joining Shaheen & Gordon, Andrew was a director at Hamblett & Kerrigan, P.A., where he was responsible for all aspects of preparing and trying domestic, land use/boundary line, probate, tax abatement, personal injury, and commercial disputes for trial and appeal in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Admissions
- New Hampshire State Bar
- Maine State Bar
- Massachusetts State Bar
- Federal District Court for New Hampshire and Massachusetts
Education & Career
- Boston College, BA, 1991
- Boston College Law School, JD, 1994
- Law Clerk, New Hampshire Superior Court, 1994–1996
- Associate, Wilbert Law Offices, 1996–1998
- Associate, McDonough & O’Shaughnessy, 1998–2002
- Associate, McGrath Law Firm, 2002–2005
- Associate, Hamblett & Kerrigan, 2005–2010
- Director, Hamblett & Kerrigan, 2010–2022
- Counsel, Shaheen & Gordon, 2022–present
Professional & Community Involvement
- Batchelder Inns of Court, 2018–present
- American Bar Association
- Massachusetts Bar Association
- New Hampshire Bar Association
- Maine Bar Association
- Nashua Bar Association
Representative Cases
- Ventas v. City of Dover, 172 N.H. (2020) (on brief)
- Virgin v. Fireworks of Tilton, 172 N.H. 484 (2019) (on brief)
- In re: Kelly, 170 N.H. 42 (2017) (on brief and oral)
- Appeal of Marti, 169 N.H. 185 (2016) (on brief)
- In re: Nizhnikov, 168 N.H. 525 (2016) (on brief)
- In re: Regan, 164 N.H. 1 (2012) (on brief and oral)
- In re: Cotrell, 163 N.H. 747 (2012) (on brief)
- Elter-Nodvin v. Nodvin, 163 N.H. 678 (2012) (on brief and oral)
- Appeal of Thermo-Fisher, Inc., 160 N.H. 670 (2010) (on brief and oral)
- Mastroianni v. Wercinski, 158 N.H. 380 (2009) (on brief)
- Guardianship of Domey, 157 N.H. 775 (2008) (on brief)
- In re: Larue, 156 N.H. 378 (2007) (on brief and oral)
- Kelton v. Hollis Ranch, LLC, 155 N.H. 666 (2007) (on brief)
- Southworth Milton, Inc. v. Pytko Construction Co., 71 Mass. App. Ct. 1111 (2008) (unreported) (on brief and oral)
- Amherst Country Club v. Harleysville-Worcester Ins. Co., 561 F.Supp.2d 138 (D.N.H. 2008) (on brief)