Cities within Knox County saw a decline in the number of lawyers with active licenses during the first quarter of 2026 compared to the previous quarter, according to the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar.
In total, there were 85 active legal licenses registered in the county in the first quarter of 2026, compared to 86 in the previous quarter.
Within Knox County, Rockland had the highest number of lawyers with active licenses during the first quarter (38).
In January 2025, a Kennebec County Superior Court judge ruled that Maine failed to provide legal representation to indigent defendants. The decision followed a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, which challenged the state’s system of court-appointed counsel and argued that gaps in public defense violate the Sixth Amendment.
As of May 2025, the ACLU of Maine reported that 358 people in the state faced criminal charges without legal counsel, a 238% increase from November 2023. The organization has called for the release of defendants who remain jailed without an attorney and for the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services to guarantee continuous legal representation from a defendant’s first court appearance through the conclusion of the case.Â
In March 2025, a state court ruled in Robbins v. State of Maine that the state must implement measures to ensure timely access to counsel and consider release or dismissal of charges when representation is not provided within reasonable time limits.
As of March 1, 2026, average lawyer salaries in Maine ranged from $97,571 for an entry-level attorney handling routine legal work (Attorney I) to $246,972 for highly experienced attorneys managing complex cases with significant autonomy (Attorney V). Mid-level attorneys, such as those in Attorney III roles—who handle highly complex legal work with moderate supervision—earned on average $182,836 in Maine, compared to $187,524 nationwide.
Data refers to all lawyers who were actively practicing during this period.
| Lawyer Name | Bar Number | Date Of Admission |
|---|---|---|
| Cindy L. Allen | 005221 | 10/27/2013 |
| Cheryl B. Ayer | 008831 | 05/13/1999 |
| Esther R. Barnhart | 002670 | 01/01/1977 |
| Jeffrey E. Baroody | 004678 | 10/25/2010 |
| Theodore A. Berry | 011431 | 10/14/2025 |
| Jesse F. Bifulco | 009935 | 02/11/1995 |
| James W. Brannan | 002177 | 12/19/1979 |
| Alison A. Wholey Briggs | 009651 | 12/22/1986 |
| Catherine Bunin-Stevenson | 008304 | 10/16/1996 |
| Gregory S. Clayton | 002642 | 10/06/1982 |
| Chad Allen Cloutier | 009167 | 10/18/2001 |
| Justin S. Coffin | 004547 | 10/20/2009 |
| Kimm Marie Cooney | 011548 | — |
| Laura E.S. Curtis | 005372 | 05/15/2014 |
| Lindsay B. Dean | 004077 | 05/10/2007 |
| Eliza Rose Qualey Drury | 011272 | 01/20/2025 |
| Carol R. Emery | 003021 | 10/04/1984 |
| Michael R. Felton | 005046 | 11/01/2012 |
| Christopher R. Fernald | 009082 | 10/26/2000 |
| Adrianne L. Fernstrom | 009003 | 10/26/1999 |
| Peter Lanston Fitzgerald | 005853 | 02/13/1977 |
| Kathleen M. Flanagan | 006733 | 09/02/2021 |
| Alison K. Freeborn | 010404 | 06/18/1990 |
| Catherine J. Gamache | 011202 | 11/03/2024 |
| Katherine C. Gibson | 004877 | 10/28/2011 |
| Sarah Irving Gilbert | 004576 | 10/14/2009 |
| Debra J. Hall | 006486 | 05/01/1980 |
| Lauren C. Hall | 010045 | 10/24/2006 |
| Stephen W. Hanscom | 001294 | 09/22/1974 |
| Danielle R. Hansen | 005792 | 10/27/2016 |
| Paul Harrell | 004807 | 11/16/2007 |
| John M. Healy | 005392 | 12/17/1985 |
| Jason Reginald Heath | 009980 | 05/24/2006 |
| Laura S. Hopkins | 005941 | 11/08/2004 |
| Natasha C. Irving | 005490 | 10/23/2014 |
| Rendle A. Jones | 000168 | 08/08/1967 |
| Kathleen H. Lambert | 010999 | 01/19/2011 |
| Lisa J. Lattes | 008826 | 10/02/1994 |
| Dale L. Lavi | 008848 | 06/04/1998 |
| Robert J. Levine | 000347 | 09/22/1974 |
| David B. Losee | 006500 | 10/01/1971 |
| Eric Lyerly | 006545 | 12/04/2020 |
| Christopher K. MacLean | 008350 | 10/16/1996 |
| William S. Maddox | 007177 | 10/14/1990 |
| Lynn J. Madison | 005324 | 01/07/2014 |
| Brianne M. Martin | 004249 | 10/16/2007 |
| Daintria W. McClure | 009513 | 09/30/2002 |
| Patrick J. Mellor | 008856 | 09/30/1998 |
| Jack D. Miller | 009296 | 04/30/1979 |
| Crystal L. Morris | 005719 | 05/24/2016 |
| Eric B. Morse | 007980 | 10/16/1994 |
| Anthony F. Muri | 009405 | 09/26/1973 |
| Kim Newby | 009570 | 12/28/1994 |
| Frederick Newcomb | 002057 | 09/25/1979 |
| William F. Pagnano | 008156 | 12/31/1972 |
| Robert B. Patterson | 009234 | 06/11/1975 |
| Steven C. Peterson | 000619 | 09/29/1976 |
| Michael J. Pierce | 008354 | 10/16/1996 |
| Kendra L. Potz | 009207 | 10/17/2001 |
| Jeremy Pratt | 009966 | 05/24/2006 |
| Carolyn Eileen Ramm | 010849 | 10/29/1980 |
| Melissa J. Reynolds | 008118 | 10/17/1995 |
| Kathleen Ross | 008818 | 05/06/1976 |
| Robert J. Rubin | 008448 | 05/31/1972 |
| Sarah Ruef-Lindquist | 003848 | 09/28/1988 |
| Jesse D. Rutter | 006145 | 05/16/2006 |
| John J. Sanford | 000250 | 09/06/1973 |
| Cheryl A. Saniuk-Heinig | 006754 | 10/18/2021 |
| Laura P. Shaw | 005631 | 10/16/2015 |
| Marina L. Sideris | 005301 | 11/01/2009 |
| Ellen Simmons | 009967 | 05/23/2006 |
| Rebekah Smith | 008786 | 11/01/1998 |
| Gregory E. Snow | 004987 | 05/12/1972 |
| Joseph Steinberger | 001855 | 04/12/1973 |
| James W. Strong | 000346 | 04/12/1973 |
| Elizabeth Gifford Stuart | 007969 | 10/17/1994 |
| Katherine J. Tolman | 005217 | 10/28/2013 |
| Allan A. Toubman | 001459 | 01/01/1974 |
| Kimberly J. Tucker | 006969 | 11/26/1985 |
| Darby C. Urey | 008960 | 10/25/1999 |
| Grant F. Wahlquist | 006059 | 02/27/2012 |
| Mari S. Wells | 008145 | 10/17/1995 |
| William H. Welte | 003391 | 12/21/1981 |
| James M.B. Wickenden | 006061 | 12/19/1990 |
| David M. Zirschky | 005647 | 10/16/2015 |
Information in this story was obtained from the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar. The source data can be found here.
