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• Why Pro Bono? Closing the Access to Justice Gap in Maine

  • When
    22 Oct 2025
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  Register

  Why Pro Bono?

  Closing the Access to Justice Gap in Maine

  Ethics CLE

  October 22, 2025

  12:00-1:15 p.m.

  Via Zoom

  Description: 

  Rule 6.1 of the Maine Rules of Professional Conduct sets forth this aspiration:  “Every lawyer has a professional responsibility to provide legal services to those unable to pay.”  The Maine Justice Action (JAG) Group Pro Bono Committee will present a timely and inspiring program on pro bono representation of less fortunate Mainers facing civil legal issues.  The discussion will be moderated by U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Frink Wolf, who chairs JAG’s Pro Bono Committee.  Representatives from four of Maine’s civil legal aid organizations will discuss the challenges to access and the many kinds of legal issues their clients face, the varied opportunities to volunteer through their organizations, and the trainings and resources available for volunteer lawyers.  Judge Wolf will also discuss newly amended Bar Rule 5(f), authored by the JAG Pro Bono Committee, which now allows CLE credit for pro bono publico service.

  U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Frink Wolf, Moderator

  Magistrate Judge Karen Frink Wolf graduated from the University of New Hampshire and Syracuse University College of Law. Before her appointment to U.S. Magistrate Judge, she was a partner at the Verrill law firm in Portland, Maine. In addition to her practice as a litigator for thirty-six years, Judge Wolf is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.  Judge Wolf is the Chair of the Justice Action Group’s Pro Bono Committee.

  
  

  Nell Brimmer, Executive Director, Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP).  After earning her J.D. from John Marshall Law School, Nell began her career at King & Spalding, where she maintained a robust pro bono docket.  Nell previously served as U.S. Manager of Global Pro Bono at the Center for Reproductive Rights. There, she applied a human rights framework to design a proactive pro bono agenda, expand the Center’s global network of top law firms and local counsel, and build innovative partnership models that increased its domestic litigation and advocacy capacity. She has also served as Managing Attorney of the Developmental Services Advocacy team at Disability Rights Maine and as Managing Attorney of Client Access and Pro Bono at Legal Services Alabama.  She currently serves as board treasurer for Aid to Inmate Mothers (AIM) and the National Lawyers Guild.

  
  

  Bridget Crawford/ Arlene Rodriguez, Cumberland County Staff Attorneys, Legal Services for Maine Elders (LSE).

  LSE’s staff attorneys provide and coordinate high quality legal services for Maine citizens 60 or older whose basic human needs are at stake, and advocate for people facing challenges accessing Medicare benefits.

  
  

  Michelle Gentry, Asylum Pro Bono Coordinator, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP). 

  Michelle works at matching and mentoring pro bono attorneys willing to take asylum immigration cases and help asylum seekers receive safety and stability for themselves and their families.  Prior to joining ILAP, Michelle worked as an Asylum Officer, adjudicating asylum cases for the U.S. government.  In addition, she also worked as an attorney on the Texas/Mexican border, helping asylum seekers and others gain humanitarian relief.  Prior to working in the immigration field, Michelle worked as a Spanish-speaking mediator for the 8th Judicial District Court in Nevada as and the Clark County District Attorney's Office.  In order to ensure she can communicate effectively with asylum seekers from around the world, Michelle speaks English, Spanish, and French.   

  
  

  Shannon Karam, Director of Pro Bono Services at Pine Tree Legal Assistance (PTLA).  Shannon earned her B.A. from Tufts University and J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.  She represented tenants in eviction and warranty of habitability cases in New York before joining Pine Tree's Family Law and Victims' Rights unit in 2017. Since joining Pine Tree, Shannon has practiced in the areas of family, housing, and consumer law, and currently works to expand pro bono services to meet the needs of diverse communities in Maine. 

  This CLE is pending approval of one hour of ethics CLE credit.  Zoom credentials will be sent to registrants one day before the program.

  
  

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• U.S. Supreme Court Review and Preview

  • When
    30 Oct 2025
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  Register

  U.S. Supreme Court Review and Preview

  October 30, 2025

  12:00-1:15 p.m. via Zoom

  The Cumberland Bar Association is pleased to welcome back Carol Garvan, Legal Director for the ACLU of Maine, for a review of some of the monumental decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court’s last term and a preview of the Court’s upcoming term starting on October 6, 2025. After a brief review of the role of the U.S. Supreme Court, Carol will discuss the key “shadow docket” cases handed down by the Court in recent months, as well as significant merits cases from the Court’s 2024-25 Term. The focus of the program will then turn to the Court’s upcoming 2025-26 term, when the Court will hear cases addressing some of our most fundamental civil rights and civil liberties, including voting rights, birthright citizenship, campaign finance reform, and participation of trans athletes in school sports.

  Speaker: Carol Garvan, Esq., ACLU of Maine

  Carol Garvan joined the ACLU of Maine as its Legal Director in spring of 2022, where she focuses on litigating civil rights and civil liberties cases throughout the state. Before joining the ACLU, Carol spent over a decade litigating civil rights and employment cases in Maine, with a focus on systemic discrimination and wage theft.

  Carol earned her J.D. from U.C. Berkeley School of Law, and received her A.B. from Harvard College. During law school, she served as supervising editor for the California Law Review, and editor for the Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law & Justice. She clerked for Judge Kermit Lipez of the First Circuit Court of Appeals, and Justice Mark Simons of the California Court of Appeal. Before law school, Carol taught middle school reading in Oakland, California.

  
  

  This CLE has been approved for one hour of general CLE credit.  Zoom credentials will be sent to registrants one day before the program.

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• Supporting Transgender and Gender Diverse Clients in a Changing Landscape

  • When
    13 Nov 2025
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
  • Location
    via Zoom

  Register

  Supporting Transgender and Gender Diverse Clients in a Changing Landscape

  November 13, 2025

  12:00-1:15 pm

  Via Zoom

  Description:

  Gender identity has become a prominent and evolving topic of discussion, underscoring the need for legal professionals to stay informed and equipped to support transgender and gender diverse clients and colleagues. This seminar, which qualifies for 1 hour of H/D credit, is designed to provide attorneys with up-to-date insights and knowledge on the complexities surrounding gender identity and its legal implications.  It will begin with an overview of what gender identity is and why it holds such immense significance for many individuals, both young and old. It will present some of the bills and legal measures introduced in the US over past year both targeting and supporting LGBTQIA+ individuals, as well as a summary of the current rights and challenges facing transgender and gender diverse individuals in Maine.  Finally, it will discuss practical ways for attorneys to support transgender clients and colleagues in their practice.

  Speaker:

  Parke Burmeister, Esq. Casco Bay Law

  Parke is the founder of Casco Bay Law. He first created Casco Bay Law in 2014 with a vision for providing excellent, client-centered legal services in a boutique setting in downtown Portland.

  Parke’s legal practice is primarily centered on trusts and estates, probate matters, and working with small businesses. His focus includes comprehensive estate planning, wills and trusts, special needs planning, guardianships, conservatorships and other protective arrangements, estate administration, probate litigation, and business matters.

  In 2020, Parke drafted the chapter on guardianships and conservatorships for the 1st Edition 2020 “A Practical Guide to Probate in Maine.” In October 2020, Parke presented on the SECURE Act for the SCORE Maine 2020 Tax Practitioner Institute.  Parke has also completed mediation training through the Harvard Mediation Program at Harvard Law School, and, in 2014 and 2015, served as a volunteer mediator at the Brookline District Court in Massachusetts.

  Parke is a graduate of Colby College and the University of Maine School of Law.

  This program is pending approval for one hour of H & D credit.  Zoom credentials will be emailed to registrants one day before the program.

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