The Power of Partnership
Behind Advocates NH, LLP
Advocates NH was founded on a shared belief shaped by experience:
Guardianship should never be rushed, transactional, or detached from the community it serves.
Laura and Maria came together after years of witnessing the same pattern — moments of uncertainty escalating into crisis, especially in rural communities where resources are fewer, distances are greater, and people are often expected to navigate complex systems alone. Too frequently, for some, certainly not all...... Guardianship became the answer, not because it was ideal, but because orientation and support arrived too late.
Advocates NH was created to work differently.
We approach guardianship the way one approaches a mystery — with care, patience, and respect for what is not yet known. Rather than forcing immediate solutions, we focus on familiarity: understanding people, places, relationships, and local resources before making decisions. In our experience, this approach preserves dignity and prevents unnecessary loss of autonomy.
The agency is organized as a Limited Liability Partnership with a cooperative structure that reflects these values. Decisions are made collaboratively, responsibilities are shared equally, and accountability is collective. There is no hierarchy of authority — only partnership grounded in trust.
Advocates NH is not driven by profit. Instead, resources are reinvested to strengthen services, expand outreach, and deepen training so that clients, community partners, and Northern New Hampshire as a whole benefit first.
What makes Advocates NH unique is not simply the services provided, but the way uncertainty is handled. We do not rush to open the box. We sit beside it, learn the landscape, and build the relationships that keep people oriented, supported, and heard — even when the future is unclear.
Advocates NH is more than a guardianship agency.
It is a trusted ally, rooted in ethical service, shared responsibility, and a belief that dignity is preserved not by control, but by familiarity, care, and community.
Meet the Team
Nationally Certified Professional Guardian
NH Licensed Public Guardian
NH Licensed Guardian ad Litem
NH Private Mediator
Laura Jamison
Laura Jamison brings extensive experience in guardianship, family court advocacy, and elder care coordination to her role as a Guardian and Advocate with Advocates NH.
For more than almost two decades, she has served as a Guardian ad Litem, working closely with courts, attorneys, social workers, medical providers, and families to represent the best interests of children and vulnerable adults in complex and often high-conflict matters.
Laura’s work extends beyond the courtroom into hands-on support for aging adults and their families. She has coordinated both in-home and facility-based care, including arranging and supervising caregivers, managing transitions to assisted living and nursing homes, and overseeing the practical details of care such as scheduling, payroll, and household and medical expenses.
Her advocacy is shaped by lived experience. She has cared for elderly parents and provided in-home dialysis support, offering her a clear understanding of the medical, emotional, and logistical realities of long-term care. She is also a living kidney donor, having donated to her father 11 years ago, and was the partner of Rodolphe Berville, who lived with chronic kidney disease and managed home dialysis.
As a widow, Laura brings a grounded, practical perspective to medical decision-making, capacity, and long-term care planning.
Laura has also completed formal training with Roundtable Mediation, strengthening her ability to facilitate productive conversations, resolve disputes, and support families in reaching thoughtful, durable agreements. This mediation training complements her guardianship work by emphasizing collaboration, communication, and respect across differing perspectives.
Nationally Certified Professional Guardian
NH Licensed Public Guardian
Maria Neal
Maria Neal brings a wide-ranging professional background and deep community roots to her role as a Guardian and Advocate with Advocates NH.
Her work is grounded in a lifelong commitment to stewardship, ethical responsibility, and service to individuals and families navigating complex life transitions.
Maria holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Vermont’s Rubenstein School of Natural Resources in Wildlife Biology. Early in her career, she worked throughout North America as a wildlife biologist and ornithologist, collaborating with research institutions and conservation organizations. This work required careful data analysis, regulatory compliance, and clear reporting—skills that continue to inform her meticulous and systems-oriented approach to guardianship.
After returning to Northern New Hampshire, Maria became deeply involved in community-based work and education. She has served as a public librarian, public school teacher, and arts educator, and later co-founded Assemble Makerstudio, a multidisciplinary community arts space. In that role, she managed business operations including budgeting, financial oversight, contracts, payroll, grant participation, and long-term planning—experience that directly supports her work overseeing finances and compliance in guardianship and fiduciary cases.
Maria’s advocacy is also shaped by personal experience caring for family members and supporting loved ones through aging, illness, and changing care needs. She understands firsthand the complexity of coordinating services, balancing financial responsibilities, and making thoughtful decisions that preserve dignity and independence.
Through her role at Advocates NH, Maria combines analytical rigor, financial competence, and compassionate care to support some of the most vulnerable members of the Northern New Hampshire community. She is committed to ethical guardianship practices that honor autonomy, accountability, and human connection.
