James B. Barns

Katie Porter represents private and public employers and helps emerging companies establish and maintain all aspects of their employment policies and practices. She regularly provides advice and counsel to multistate clients on emerging and complex employment issues. Katie conducts workplace investigations and assists the firm’s corporate group on employment aspects of corporate transactions. She also advises independent schools on legal issues impacting students and assists with school...

Dick Spencer specializes in complex problems which require effective advocacy at the local and state levels and before administrative agencies, the state courts, and the Maine Legislature. He is among Maine’s leading experts in diverse areas including land use and conservation, municipal law, and public finance. Dick also advises multi-generational families on how best to transfer their Maine seasonal and other properties to the next generation. Dick’s approach to problems is intu...

Alexander Spadinger is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Alexander, who practices law in Portland, Maine, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Alexander is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Emily Cooke’s practice focuses on commercial transactions, compliance, and corporate governance for a range of clients, including banks and other financial institutions, health care organizations, insurance industry participants, educational institutions, nonprofit entities, and small businesses. She negotiates third-party vendor contracts for banking services, negotiates master services agreements for outsourcing critical processing functions for national bank and insurers, and provide...

Amy Tchao is the Leader of the firm’s Municipal Law Practice Group and has over twenty-five years of experience advising municipalities and other public clients on a broad range of municipal issues, including land use permitting and enforcement, zoning compliance (including shoreland zoning matters), ordinance drafting (including zoning/land use ordinances and other ordinances governing short-term rentals, impact fees and other specialty areas), cannabis regulation, elections, freedom o...

Having represented businesses in hundreds of commercial real estate and loan transactions for nearly 20 years, Tom really knows the interests and concerns of real estate developers and investors and banks. That expertise comes from a wealth of experience in all phases of real estate development—from pre-development planning, land acquisition, and permitting and approvals, to construction, financing, leasing, and eventual sale. Tom’s insight and frank, detail-oriented approach make...

Joanna Brown Tourangeau is a member of the firm’s Environmental and Natural Resources Practice Group and has substantial experience representing commercial, industrial, municipal, and Tribal Nations clients on the full spectrum of environmental, natural resources, and municipal land use issues. With over 20 years of experience practicing in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, Joanna delivers clear, actionable advice on permitting, licensure, compliance, and liability matters in con...

Brendan Rielly has experience in a broad range of civil matters in both state and federal courts (including the First Circuit Court of Appeals) as well as before the Maine Public Utilities Commission. Brendan's practice area focuses on commercial litigation, real estate litigation (including easements and rights of way), school law, probate litigation, public utilities law, environmental compliance and personal injury. Brendan has also served as local counsel for major law firms in both state...

For over 25 years, Christopher has been serving the legal needs of businesses and entrepreneurs. He often serves as general counsel to clients and his experience covers the spectrum of the business cycle, from start-up, to investment and growth, to succession planning and exit strategies. Christopher also has considerable experience with business disputes and has successfully handled commercial litigation in both state and federal courts. His clients past and present include biotech and techn...

Jessica Scherb represents individuals and businesses in a wide variety of estate planning and corporate transactions matters. Jessica was recognized as a “Rising Star” by New England Super Lawyers, Estate Planning & Probate, Mergers & Acquisitions each year from 2011 to 2019. In 2020, she authored a chapter in A Practical Guide to Probate in Maine. Drawing on a deep well of professional experience, Jessica regularly speaks on estate planning and trust and estate administra...