Maine

Benjamin Gideon

Portland, ME

Ben is a founding partner of Gideon Asen LLC. He has recovered over $300 million in verdicts and settlements for his clients, including the highest medical malpractice jury verdict in Maine history ($25 million) and one of the highest overall jury verdicts in Vermont history ($22.5 million). He has achieved success in a wide range of cases including trucking, personal injury, medical malpractice, utility, product liability, and civil rights. Ben is recognized by his peers, having been listed in Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers every year since 2013, and three times named 'Lawyer of the Year' for Maine. He is a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates and a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Peter Thompson

South Paris, ME

Peter Thompson is widely recognized as one of the top personal injury lawyers in Maine, having successfully resolved thousands of injury cases over the past three decades. His client-first approach, combined with an aggressive litigation strategy, has earned him accolades from legal peers and national publications alike. Peter is “AV Preeminent” rated by Lawyers.com-its highest designation-and has been featured in New England SuperLawyers as well as U.S. News & World Report’s Best Lawyers in America. Clients consistently praise Peter’s responsiveness, empathy, and attention to detail, as reflected in hundreds of five-star Google reviews. He believes that being a top injury lawyer isn’t just about winning cases-it’s about earning trust and treating every client with dignity and respect.

Joseph W. Belluck

Portland, ME

Joseph W. Belluck is co-author of 100 Questions & Answers About Mesothelioma and a founding partner of Belluck Law, LLP. He is widely recognized for his outstanding representation of clients, high ethical standards, and public service. Joe has a national reputation for excellence in mesothelioma, truck accidents and other serious injury litigation. He has settled over $1 billion of asbestos and personal injury lawsuits.

James B. Haddow

Portland, ME

Attorney James B. Haddow has over 35 years of experience in civil trials and appeals in state and federal courts across Maine, including work in the fields of professional malpractice, product liability, professional licensing and discipline, employment law, business and commercial law, insurance, condominium law, and municipal and land use law. Jim is the author of The Evolution of the Maine Law of Attachment on Ordinary and Trustee Process, 7 Me. Bar Journal 2 (1992), and Legal Issues in Prenatal Diagnosis in the U.S., Prenatal Diagnosis, The Human Side, 2d ed. 2003, Abramsky and Chapple, and he is the editor and a contributing author for A Practical Guide to Employment Law in Maine. Boston: Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc. (2019).

Gene R. Libby

Kennebunk, ME

Gene has a rich history of litigation experience over the last 30 years. He has tried over 100 civil and criminal jury cases to verdict. His practice focuses on a wide variety of civil and criminal litigation representing individuals and small businesses, including divorce, real estate disputes, small business litigation, elder law, personal injury, professional negligence and criminal defense. He has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since 2003 and named a New England Super Lawyer by his peers. In 2010, he was named one of the top 100 Maine trial lawyers by the American Trial Lawyers Association. He is rated by his peers AV® Preeminent (5 of 5), the highest rating available from Martindale-Hubbell, the country’s oldest and most respected legal directory. Gene served as District Attorney for York County between 1981-85. He continues to serve York County as General Counsel to the York County Commissioners and all County departments (Deeds, Probate, Sheriff, Corrections) since 1998. He has undertaken numerous high profile divorce cases representing doctors, lawyers and corporate executives. He successfully litigated the first Maine divorce case to interpret the State’s 1999 marital property statute. Warner v. Warner, 2002 ME 156, 807 A.2d 603. Gene has thirty years of experience in litigating a diverse mix of civil and criminal cases. Developing his original trial expertise as District Attorney, Gene now also devotes his time to a variety of litigation matters. He gained early notoriety after leaving public office by successfully challenging, in a case of first impression, the introduction of DNA identification evidence. This was only the second time nationally DNA evidence had been successfully challenged. The case, Maine v. McLeod, was featured in a number of national publications including, The American Bar Journal, Science Magazine,Nature Magazine, The Bureau of National Affairs (BNA),Criminal Practice Manual. Gene’s cross examination of the state’s forensic expert has been used as a model in the permanent edition of the BNA Criminal Practice Manual entitled, “Cross Examination of Experts.” Gene has also represented a diverse group of business clients including The Boy Scouts of America, Catholic Charities of Maine and York County Government. His successes include: Boy Scouts of America-in state counsel for all litigation matters; successful defense of several sexual misconduct allegations in state and federal courts, SCA v. Boy Scouts of America, Docket No. CV-02-157-PC; J. H. v. Boy Scouts of America, Docket No. CV-00-45-PH. Catholic Charities Maine-successfully challenged the City of Portland’s Domestic Partnership’s Ordinance establishing that the Ordinance could not regulate ERISA controlled health benefits; Catholic Charities Maine v. City of Portland, Docket No. 03-CV-55-PH (first and only case to interpret and apply IRC 410(d)). York County-successfully represented County in high visibility challenge by Judge of Probate to hold County Treasurer in contempt of court, York County Register v. York County Probate Court, et. al., 2004 ME 58, 847 A.2d 395. In 2001 Mr. Libby won a self-defense acquittal for his client charged with murdering an individual using a baseball bat. In 2003 Mr. Libby successfully represented a former State Police Officer charged with arson of his restaurant. He has spoken nationally at the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers on cross examination of experts and is a frequent speaker in Maine on a diverse group of legal topics. Mr. Libby also represents severely injured clients in personal injury matters. He settled a million dollar case for a minor who lost his thumb when a tree limb fell on him while on the school playground.

Terry Garmey

Portland, ME

Terry Garmey has fought on behalf of plaintiffs for more than 40 years, has earned more 7-figure verdicts of any attorney in the state of Maine, and has received the highest awards and accolades in his field. Terry was the first lawyer from Maine to be invited to the Inner Circle of Advocates, an organization comprised of the top 100 plaintiff lawyers in the U.S. He was also invited into the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers and has repeatedly been named Personal Injury Litigator of the Year for Portland, Maine by Best Lawyers. Terry has appeared on Good Morning America and the Today Show, and many other news outlets across the country. In 2018 he received the Legends Award by the Maine Trial Lawyers Association, an event at which Angus King and George Mitchell spoke on his behalf. While he appreciates the recognition, Terry has long recognized that plaques and certificates don’t define a person. Relationships do. To understand what motivates Terry, all you have to do is step inside his office on Monument Square in Portland, Maine. One of the first things you’ll see is a poster-sized photograph behind his desk. It shows a young boy with a mop of light brown hair, dressed neatly in a suit coat and tie, smiling at the camera. That boy, Tucker Smith, was 8 years old when he was crushed to death by an elevator at a country inn in Bethel, Maine. Terry represented Tucker’s parents in a lawsuit against Otis Elevator Co. Through the process, Terry uncovered a series of child deaths dating back to the 1930s, along with evidence that the company knew the dangers but failed to address them. In the end, Otis paid $3 million to the Smith family. More importantly, the company launched a national safety campaign, including the installation of protective guards on more than 4,000 elevators. That fulfilled the wish of Tucker’s parents - to make sure other families would not have to face the same tragedy. “I have Tucker’s picture in my office to remind me of why I do what I do,” Terry says. “I promised myself I would never forget that family or Tucker’s life. That’s a promise I intend to keep.” If his path had been different, Terry Garmey might have stayed in his hometown of Canton, Ohio. He might have been a salesman like his dad, or a steelworker like so many others in the neighborhood. Instead, Terry found purpose in a courtroom, fighting for people who have been hurt and families who have suffered a loss. This outspoken kid from a blue-collar upbringing was cut out to be one of the top plaintiff’s lawyers in the country. Terry attended La Salle University in Philadelphia, taught at a reform school, went to broadcasting school and landed work as a disc jockey. That led him to Boston, where he hosted a show on WRKO. He worked at a drug rehab center and earned a master’s degree in education at Harvard University. After watching the court-appointed lawyers who represented clients of the rehab center, Terry decided to enroll in law school. In his third year, he worked for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. He was trial assistant in the highly publicized case of Commonwealth v. Susan Saxe, a former Brandeis University student who took part in a bank heist during which an accomplice shot and killed a Boston police officer. After graduation and another year at the DA’s office, Terry knew he wanted to work as a plaintiff’s lawyer. The firm of Smith & Elliott in Saco, Maine, gave Terry that opportunity in 1978. Over the next 33 years, Terry became a partner and built a reputation as a smart and fierce advocate with a relentless work ethic. He achieved numerous seven-figure settlements and verdicts. In 2011, Terry started his own firm. Terry is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Maine Trial Lawyers Association, a founding member of the Maine Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and served on the Professional Ethics Commission of the Board of Overseers of the Bar. “My approach is to take a complex problem and to make it as simple as possible by breaking it down into pieces. That intuitive aspect, scanning the surface of a problem and finding the important components quickly, I think that is one of my strengths,” Terry says. “But I think my greatest skill is the ability to surround myself with people who can help me do the job.”