NEW HIRES
Skelton Taintor & Abbott has hired Jordan Payne as an associate attorney.
Payne will practice in the areas of employment law, labor law, family law, commercial litigation and civil rights litigation. Most recently, she worked as a legal intern for the U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil Division in Portland and as judicial intern for the Honorable Norman H. Stahl of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Ted Small also joined the firm as a shareholder.
Small’s practice will include complex commercial and business litigation and arbitration, construction law, real estate litigation, and municipal and government law. Prior to joining Skelton Taintor & Abbott, Small was associated with another Maine law firm.

Ann Freeman joined Bernstein Shur in Portland as a counsel attorney in the firm’s municipal and governmental services and labor and employment practice groups.
Freeman previously served as associate corporation counsel for the city of Portland, as ethics and compliance manager for Bath Iron Works, and as a litigation associate at a Portland-based firm.

Attorney Rachel White Sears joined Murray Plumb & Murray in Portland, where she will focus on commercial transactions and commercial litigation.
Most recently, Sears worked as a law clerk to Judge John Woodcock Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine. She lives in Portland.

Susan Bryant joined Verrill Dana’s Portland office as counsel in its business and corporate, mergers and acquisitions and securities law groups.
Bryant previously practiced at her own boutique firm, Bryant Law PC, since 1997.

AWARDS and RECOGNITIONS

Martha Gaythwaite

Verrill Dana attorneys Martha Gaythwaite and Karen Frink Wolf were named to the fourth edition of Benchmark Litigation’s Top 250 Women in Litigation for the second consecutive year.
Gaythwaite and Frink Wolf joined Verrill Dana in the firm’s 2013 merger with Friedman Gaythwaite Wolf.

Karen Wolf

Gaythwaite now serves as the chair of the firm’s litigation and trial group. Frink Wolf is chair of its professional liability group.

Three lawyers at Berman & Simmons were named as “Lawyer of the Year” for their practice areas, in a report issued this week by Best Lawyers in America 2016.
Steven Silin was recognized for his work in medical malpractice law for plaintiffs.
Benjamin Gideon was recognized for personal injury litigation for plaintiffs.
Daniel Kagan was recognized for product liability litigation for plaintiffs.
In total, six Berman & Simmons attorneys were individually selected for inclusion in the publication.
Gideon for his work in civil rights law, medical malpractice, personal injury and product liability; Kagan for medical malpractice, personal injury and product liability; Jodi Nofsinger for medical malpractice; Silin for medical malpractice and personal injury; Jack Simmons for bet-the-company litigation, commercial litigation, medical malpractice, personal injury, and product liability; and Julian Sweet for medical malpractice and personal injury.

Drummond Woodsum announced that seven of its attorneys were selected by their peers as “Lawyer of the Year” for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America.
Attorney Jerrol Crouter was recognized for litigation, construction law; Melissa Hewey for employment law; Michael High for closely held companies and family businesses law; Benjamin Marcus for bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights, insolvency and reorganization law; William Plouffe for litigation, land use and zoning law; Daniel Rose for labor law, management; and Amy Tchao for education law.
In addition, 30 of its attorneys were named to The Best Lawyers in America list.

Skelton Taintor & Abbott shareholder Jill Checkoway was named to the Best Lawyers in America list.
Checkoway has more than 30 years of experience. Her practice focuses on probate administration, wills and trusts, estate and gift tax planning and pre and post marital agreements.
The law firm’s chairman of the board of directors

Bryan Dench was also named to the list for the 18th time.
Dench’s practice includes mergers and acquisitions, administrative law, business, collective bargaining, corporate real estate, entity formation, estate planning and family business planning.