News

Tim Benoit will be a panelist for the “How to Kick Start Your Succession Plan” section of the three-part ART of Family Business workshop led by the Institute for Family-Owned Business.  Sponsored in part by Perkins Thompson, the ART of Family Business workshop will provide education on the Institute’s Action/Reaction/Traction (“ART”) approach to managing and growing family businesses.  As part of the panel, Tim will offer valuable insight on the obstacles to succession planning, questions to ask, and sources to turn to for guidance.

“How to Kick Start Your Succession Plan” will be held at Husson University, Southern Campus, 340 County Road in Westbrook, Maine on July 19, 2017 from 8:30 AM EST to 10:30 AM EST.  Follow the link below to register if you would like to attend this event.  Breakfast will be served.

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Dawn M. Harmon, Esq. has accepted an invitation to join the York County Federal Credit Union Board of Directors.  Founded in 1954, York County FCU continues to grow and evolve to meet the financial needs of the communities it serves.  Dawn looks forward to the opportunities abound in building new relationships among the York County FCU Board of Directors as well as members of the York County communities.

Perkins Thompson attorneys Philip C. Hunt, Timothy P. Benoit, Lauren B. Weliver, John W. Masland, and Emily T. White have contributed portions of MCLE New England’s recently updated version of A Practical Guide to Estate Planning in Maine.  According to MCLE, “The authors and editors were carefully selected from a spectrum of private practices from Auburn to Waterville and Portland to Norway, to bring you their best practices, caveats, and explanations of some of the most complex concepts in estate planning law in the State of Maine.”

Phil Hunt served as the book’s editor, as well as author of the chapters “Charitable Giving Outright and In Trust” and “Postmortem Estate Planning”.  Tim Benoit, assisted by John Masland and Emily White, discussed business succession planning in “Basic Strategies to Preserve and Protect the Family Business”.  Lauren Weliver authored the updates to “Life Insurance and Estate Planning”, and Emily White composed “Estate Planning for Same-Sex Couples: Selected Issues”.

Perkins Thompson is proud of the contributions of its attorneys to A Practical Guide to Estate Planning in Maine.  If you would like to purchase a copy of this publication, please visit the following link:

Dawn Harmon will be a panelist for the Mainebiz Women’s Leadership Forum to be held Thursday, April 6, 2017 from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. EST.  The event, sponsored in part by Perkins Thompson, will take place at the Abromson Center (Hannaford Hall), 88 Bedford Street, in Portland.  This year’s forum focuses on strategies for bridging the gender wage gap in Maine and features several other local panelists and guest speakers.

Dawn maintains an active employment law practice, including assisting clients with discrimination, wrongful discharge and wage and hour claims before the Maine Human Rights Commission, as well as representing clients in litigation matters in state and federal courts.

Breakfast is included with registration.

Follow the link below to register and be a part of this important event.

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On Tuesday, March 7, 2017 between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. EST, Dawn Harmon will host an informative webinar on employee misuse of social media in the workplace.  During this webinar, Dawn will discuss the current legal climate of social media workplace policy, as well as provide tips for how employers can proactively manage social media use and address employee social media mishaps.  If you would like to attend this webinar, please register using the link below.

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The following Perkins Thompson lawyers have been selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2017:

• Timothy Benoit:  Tax Law
• Fred Bopp III:  Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency, Reorganization Law, Litigation – Bankruptcy
• John Hobson:  Construction Law, Litigation – Construction
• Philip Hunt:  Litigation – Trusts and Estates, Trust and Estates
• James Katsiaficas:  Administrative / Regulatory Law, Municipal Law
• Peggy McGehee:  Real Estate Law
• Melissa Murphy:  Real Estate Law
• Paul Pietropaoli:  Real Estate Law
• William Sheils:  Corporate Law, Employment Law – Management
• Mark Snow:  Banking and Finance Law, Litigation – Banking and Finance
• John Upton:  Corporate Law

Fred Bopp is named the Best Lawyers® 2017 Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Portland, Maine.

Phil Hunt has been recognized by Best Lawyers® as the 2017 Litigation – Trusts and Estates Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Portland, Maine.

Best Lawyers® bases its listings on a peer review process, in which researchers ask leading lawyers from specific practice areas and geographic regions about the professional abilities of their colleagues. In addition, Best Lawyers selects only one attorney in each practice category and designated geographic region as their “Lawyer of the Year,” making this recognition especially noteworthy.

The following Perkins Thompson lawyers have received AV Preeminent® Peer Review Ratings^™ from Martindale-Hubbell®:  Timothy Benoit, Fred Bopp III,  Philip Hunt, David McConnell, Peggy McGehee, Melissa Murphy, and John Upton.

AV Preeminent^® is the highest peer rating standard awarded by Martindale-Hubbell®. This rating signifies that the lawyer’s reviewed peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.

The following Perkins Thompson lawyers have been included on the 2016 New England Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists:

• Gordon Scannell – listed as a Super Lawyers for Real Estate (listed from 2008-2009 and 2011 – 2016)
• Dawn Harmon – listed as a Rising Star for Civil Litigation (2013-2016)
• Joseph Talbot – listed as a Rising Star for Construction Litigation (2016)

Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters publication, honors lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a rigorous multi‐phased process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates, and peer reviews by practice area.

Fred W. Bopp III and Lauren B. Weliver are serving as co-counsel to the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy case of Debtor, Lincoln Paper & Tissue, LLC, pending in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maine. In that capacity, they represented the Committee with respect to the Section 363 sale of substantially all the Debtor’s assets to Gordon Brothers Commercial & Industrial, LLC, Capital Recovery Group, LLC, PPL Group, LLC, and Rabin Worldwide, Inc. The Bankruptcy Court approved the sale and it was consummated in December 2015. Perkins Thompson, P.A. continues to serve as co-counsel to the Committee as the case moves forward.

SSG Closes Lincoln Paper & Tissue, LLC Sale Transaction

Congratulations to E2Tech, who received the “Startup Supporter of the Year” award at the 2015 Green Tie Gala hosted by the Northeast Clean Energy Council in Cambridge, MA. The Green Tie Gala is the premier clean energy event in the Northeastern United States, bringing together over 400 CEOs, investors, and public officials to recognize the region’s business leaders. Jim Katsiaficas, a director at Perkins Thompson, serves as Chair of E2Tech’s Board of Directors.

Perkins Thompson is pleased to announce that New England Super Lawyers has selected five of its attorneys for inclusion in its November 2011 edition: Fred W. Bopp III, in the fields of Bankruptcy, Creditor-Debtor Rights and Business Litigation; John A. Hobson, in the field of Construction Litigation and Personal Injury Defense; Philip C. Hunt, in the fields of Trusts and Estates and Probate; J. Gordon Scannell, Jr., in the field of Real Estate; and John S. Upton, in the fields of Business and Corporate law

Business Partner of the Year, 2011 Award to Perkins Thompson, for Jim Katsiaficas’ and Julie Ray’s work to create the Long Creek Watershed Management District

At its Annual Meeting, the County Soil & Water Conservation District presented Perkins Thompson with its “Business Partner of the Year, 2011” Award, thanking Jim Katsiaficas and Julie Ray for developing an agreement among Portland, South Portland, Scarborough and Westbrook to establish the Long Creek Watershed Management District and agreements for participating landowners, as part of the effort to to restore Long Creek, which has been designated an “urban impaired stream.”

The goal of the Long Creek Watershed Management District is to implement a first in the nation stormwater management program to address stormwater impacts through a collaborative effort with public entities and private businesses, including municipalities, local businesses within the Long Creek watershed, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)