James B. Barns

Kaighn Smith Jr. has been fighting for Tribal Nations and their enterprises in the tribal, federal, and state courts and before federal administrative agencies across the country for over 30 years. He has garnered a national reputation for his committed advocacy for tribal sovereignty, winning cases in a wide range of areas, including jurisdiction disputes, gaming matters, labor and employment relations, and land-in-trust and environmental matters. He regularly teaches federal Indian law as a...

Justin attended Portland schools through high school, graduating from Cheverus in 1989. He then graduated from the University of Vermont in 1993 and the University of Georgia School of Law, magna cum laude, in 1999. Justin served as Clerk for the Honorable Leigh I. Saufley of the Maine Judicial Court as his first job after law school. After working briefly at a general practice firm in Portland, he moved in 2001 to a smaller firm which limited its practice to estate planning and related matte...

Christopher E. Howard, partner in the Business Group, serves on the firm's Management Committee and is the former head of its Business Practice Group. Chris has a unique combination of technical legal skills and hands-on business and finance experience, which enables him to integrate these disciplines into strategies that match client objectives and provide clients with a competitive advantage. Chris's practice has three main areas of focus: Corporate finance and transactional representation ...

Sarah Tracy advises energy generation facilities, large commercial energy users, and utilities with respect to state and federal energy regulatory issues throughout New England. Sarah assists owners of utility scale and distributed energy generation facilities and off-takers negotiate key energy agreements, including power purchase agreements, net energy billing agreements, renewable energy credit purchase and sale agreements, natural gas supply agreements and firm gas transportation agreemen...

Ryan Kelley provides legal counsel to public and private companies regarding debt and equity financings, commercial transactions and bankruptcy and creditors’ rights matters. Ryan represents both lenders and borrowers in construction, acquisition, new markets tax credits, term and working capital financing transactions. His transactional experience also includes commercial matters such as the representation of franchisors and franchisees with respect to franchise matters, of manufacture...

Jonathan Shapiro has extensive experience in employment, labor and employee benefits law and litigation. He represents employers before state and federal courts across the country in complex wage-and hour class and collective actions and cases that involve discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination and other employment matters. Jonathan has defended executives in white-collar criminal investigations and litigation. In addition, he counsels employers on various issues concerning employm...

Lindsay is a practical problem solver for any business situation involving financial distress. Her practice focuses on: Counseling businesses of all sizes in restructuring their financial obligations and streamlining their operations, both in Chapter 11 proceedings and out of court; Advising lenders and other parties-in-interest in workout negotiations and bankruptcy-related litigation; Assisting investors in the purchase of distressed assets and in other special situations; and Advising offi...

Pete’s employment practice is guided by the adage, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Pete uses his common sense business approach to help his clients make legally sound decisions regarding their employees while advancing the needs and mission of his clients’ businesses. Pete practices in all areas of employment law, providing counsel and representation to employers throughout East Coast on issues regarding federal and state leave laws, wrongful termina...

Jon Block represents and advises clients with Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts tax problems. Jon litigates tax cases at the administrative level and through all levels of the court system, advises clients on transactional and multistate tax issues, obtains advance rulings for clients, and does a substantial amount of legislative and government relations work in the tax area. Jon's substantive expertise in state and local tax encompasses corporate and individual income tax, business pro...

Michael is a partner who maintains a wide-ranging litigation and trial practice in both state and federal court. Since joining Murray Plumb & Murray in 1995, he has honed his litigation and dispute resolution expertise, fueled by a love of building and making arguments. Michael’s practice has a particular focus on business, construction, real estate and probate matters. He also has extensive experience in the land use and zoning areas; has handled numerous boundary, easement, zoning...