Experience

Notable Experience

  • Argued and won case at the Supreme Judicial Court regarding the extension of deadlines under the Wetlands Protection Act and establishing standard of review for Enforcement Orders.
  • Handled and won multiple cases at the Appeals Court including case in which the Appeals Court upheld a tuition award against a student who did not have residency in the district while attending the public school and a case in which the Appeals Court upheld the zoning decision of a local board.

Appellate Practice: Coastal Property Rights in Kennebunkport

We represented coastal landowners in a high-profile appeal before the Maine Supreme Court, in which the Town of Kennebunkport claimed ownership of Goose Rocks Beach against numerous homeowners whose deeds described property down to the low water mark. The case turned on the interpretation of deeds and legal doctrines dating back to the 1600s, including the original land patents from the English Crown to Sir Fernando Gorges creating the Province of Maine. The Law Court affirmed the Superior Court judgment, finding that title to the disputed beach is held by the town. In doing so, the Court appeared to manifest its growing policy preference for greater public access to Maine’s coast, particularly its sandy beaches. Almeder v. Town of Kennebunkport, 2019 ME 151.