Complex Civil Litigation

When the dispute threatens something you built.

A contract falls apart. A partner stops pulling their weight. A deal closes and the other side doesn't deliver. These fights cost money every week they drag on. You need someone who understands the law and the business.

Who I help

  • Business owners and partners in disputes with each other
  • Companies and individuals in contract and payment disputes
  • Landowners in property, boundary and easement disputes
  • People who won a judgment and still haven't been paid

What I do

  1. Size it up early. What the case is worth, what it will cost, and how long it will take, in plain numbers.
  2. Negotiate from strength. A well-built case is the best settlement tool there is.
  3. Litigate when it's needed. Pleadings, discovery, motions and trial in Superior Court.
  4. Finish the job. Enforce the judgment and collect what you're owed.

How a civil case usually goes in Maine

  1. Case review. You bring the contract, the correspondence and the numbers. I tell you what you have, what it's worth, and what I'd do.
  2. Demand. Most disputes get one serious letter before a lawsuit. It sets out the claim, the number, and the deadline, and it's written so that it reads well to a judge later.
  3. Filing. Complaint and service. The other side has 20 days to answer. If they don't, I move for default.
  4. Scheduling order and discovery. The court sets deadlines. We exchange documents, take depositions, and line up any expert.
  5. Mediation. Nearly every Superior Court civil case in Maine has to go through alternative dispute resolution, usually within a few months of the scheduling order. Many cases settle here.
  6. Motions. Where the facts aren't really in dispute, summary judgment can end a case without a trial.
  7. Trial. Judge or jury. By then you'll have seen every exhibit and heard every argument from me first.
  8. Collection. Disclosure hearings, liens and executions until the judgment is paid.

Questions I get

How long do I have to sue? For most contract and property claims in Maine, six years from when the claim arose. Some claims are shorter. Don't guess; ask.

Superior Court or District Court? Maine's District Court handles many civil cases without a jury. Superior Court is where jury trials happen. I choose the forum based on your case, not habit.

Can I get my attorney's fees back? Usually only if the contract or a statute says so. When it does, that changes the math, and I'll tell you early.

What does litigation cost? It depends on how hard the other side fights. I bill hourly in tenths against a retainer, and I'll give you a budget by stage so you can make decisions with real numbers.

Will my case settle? Most do. The ones that settle best are the ones prepared to be tried.

I have a judgment and no money. Now what? The debtor can be ordered into court to disclose assets. Liens, executions and turnover orders follow. This is where a lot of lawyers lose interest. I don't.

When I say no

If a case isn't worth what it will cost to win, I'll tell you that in the first conversation. If you want a lawyer to be a weapon rather than solve a problem, I'm not the one.

Why my background matters

I've been on the business side of contracts, investors and partnerships. I read a dispute the way you live it: as a problem with a price tag and a deadline. That keeps my advice practical.

Tell me what's going on. Call (207) 373-9302 or use the contact button below.

Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts.