From the Portland Press Herald Editorial Board, 4/10/19:
The U.S. Constitution says every American has the right to legal counsel when the stakes are high.
In practice, however, the 80 percent of defendants who cannot afford an attorney are often left to navigate an adversarial …
FROM SEACOASTONLINE.COM, 4/6/19
SANFORD — SIS Bank has become a Prime Partner in Maine’s “Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts” Program, an initiative that generates an ongoing source of funds to provide civil legal services for individuals and families who cannot afford it.
“The Maine Justice Foundation welcomes SIS Bank as one of our Prime Partners,” …
The Maine Justice Action Group and Maine civil legal services providers have commenced a major legislative effort to secure funding for civil legal services in Maine. The initiative has been years in planning and preparation. With the guidance of JAG’s legislative advisory committee, and the support of Representative Barbara Cardone of Bangor, a bill (LD …
The shortage of lawyers in rural Maine will be tackled next month at a symposium hosted by the University of Maine Law School, part of the school’s ongoing effort to address the issue.
The “Ensuring Equal Access to Justice in Maine’s Rural Communities Symposium” will include attorneys, judges, doctors …
The Board of the Maine Justice Foundation has elected Bill Harwood of Verrill Dana as President and elected four new Directors: Grady Burns, Jerroll Crouter, Thaddeus Day and Gerald F. Petruccelli.
The Foundation, formerly the Maine Bar Foundation, is the state’s leading funder of civil legal aid for poor and vulnerable Mainers.
Bill Harwood …
The following letter was sent to Maine’s legal organizations for the creation of the Efforts and Initiatives database to address unprofessional conduct within the legal profession. Please read for more information and learn how to help: JAG database query letter …
October 2018
The Maine civil legal services providers, staff and attorneys, acting in cooperation and collaboration with each other (as they consistently do), will be attending an educational program on implicit bias in October. The training will enhance the quality and efficiency of their work with Maine’s neediest populations.…
July 20 and August 8, 2018
In the Maine Lawyers Review November 24, 2017 edition, Nan Heald the executive Director of Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Inc., published an article describing unprofessional conduct by Maine attorneys directed, for the most part, toward PTLA attorneys. The article prompted frank discussions and a realization of the need for …
The James M. Roux Fellow for 2018 has been awarded to Scott Dolan of South Portland. Dedicated funding from the Maine Justice Foundation will provide support for Dolan, a student at the University of Maine School of Law, while he works as a legal intern at the Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic for the summer.
Dolan …