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| Pierce Atwood | |
|---|---|
| Name | Pierce Atwood LLP |
| Founded | 1860s |
| Headquarters | Portland, Maine |
| Offices | Boston; Portland; Manchester; Providence; Washington, D.C. |
| Practice areas | Corporate; Litigation; Real Estate; Environmental; Energy; Intellectual Property; Labor and Employment; Tax |
| Key people | Norman A. Pierce (founder); William A. Atwood (historical partner) |
| Num attorneys | ~160 |
| Website | (omitted) |
Pierce Atwood is a New England–based law firm providing legal services in corporate, litigation, regulatory, and transactional matters. The firm serves clients across sectors including energy, healthcare, finance, higher education, transportation, and real estate, maintaining offices in multiple cities and engaging in regional and national matters. It has participated in matters involving state agencies, federal courts, commissions, and private corporations.
The firm traces roots to 19th‑century practitioners in Portland and Boston associated with figures such as Norman A. Pierce and William A. Atwood, evolving through mergers and name changes during eras connected to institutions like Bowdoin College, Colby College, Harvard University, Boston Bar Association, and legal developments stemming from the Maine Bar Association and the Massachusetts Bar Association. Over time the firm expanded amid business growth related to companies such as General Electric, Boston and Maine Railroad, New England Electric System, Passamaquoddy Bay Electric Co., and regulatory regimes influenced by Public Utilities Commission (Maine), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and legislative acts including the Interstate Commerce Act and Federal Water Pollution Control Act. The firm’s history intersects with regional events like the growth of Portland, Maine, the development of Boston, Massachusetts as a legal market, and legal matters tied to institutions such as Maine Medical Center, Harvard Law School, and the University of Southern Maine.
The firm handles corporate law matters involving clients similar to Bank of America, Wells Fargo, M&T Bank, and regional lenders, and routinely advises on mergers and acquisitions influenced by statutes like the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Its litigation practice appears in forums including the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, United States District Court for the District of Maine, and state supreme courts such as the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Environmental and energy work engages with regulators including the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy (United States), and state environmental agencies, and matters related to statutes such as the Clean Air Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. The firm’s real estate and land use group deals with conveyancing, zoning, and development with municipal bodies like the Portland City Council and regional planning commissions, and clients in sectors represented by entities like Duke Energy, Exelon, National Grid plc, and Central Maine Power Company. The intellectual property practice interfaces with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and litigates under statutes including the Lanham Act.
The firm has participated in matters before bodies such as the United States Supreme Court (as counsel or in related appellate matters), the First Circuit appellate courts, and state appellate courts, involving disputes touching utilities akin to Central Maine Power Company rate cases before the Maine Public Utilities Commission, environmental review disputes with the Environmental Protection Agency, and transactional matters for clients in industries comparable to Quaker Oats Company, Walmart, and regional healthcare systems like MaineHealth. The firm has handled bankruptcy and restructuring cases in venues such as the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maine and has represented municipalities and public institutions in matters alongside entities like Bangor Savings Bank, Unum, and academic institutions including Colby College and University of New Hampshire. It also has defended or represented parties in labor and employment disputes before the National Labor Relations Board and state labor relations boards.
Primary office locations include cities historically significant for New England law firms: Portland, Maine (headquarters), Boston, Massachusetts, Manchester, New Hampshire, Providence, Rhode Island, and a presence in Washington, D.C.. The firm’s regional footprint serves clients across New England and national matters involving markets such as New York City, Hartford, Connecticut, Providence, and Burlington, Vermont, and coordinates with federal agencies headquartered in Washington, D.C. and regulatory bodies in state capitals such as Augusta, Maine and Concord, New Hampshire.
Leadership has included partners and chairs who have had roles in public service and private practice, with alumni who moved into offices or positions in institutions like Maine Department of Justice, Office of the Governor of Maine, the United States Department of Justice, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and academic posts at Harvard Law School and University of Maine School of Law. Notable alumni and former partners have served as judges on courts like the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and the United States District Court for the District of Maine, and have held elected or appointed posts related to entities such as the Maine Legislature, Portland City Council, and state regulatory commissions including the Maine Public Utilities Commission.
The firm engages in pro bono and community service with nonprofits, legal services organizations, and cultural institutions including partnerships or matters involving Legal Services Corporation-supported programs, Greater Portland Landmarks, regional healthcare providers like Maine Medical Center, educational institutions such as University of Southern Maine and Bates College, and civic organizations like United Way chapters. Its attorneys have provided volunteer legal assistance in areas intersecting with agencies such as the Small Business Administration, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and local bar associations including the Maine Bar Association.
The firm has been ranked by legal directories and publications including Chambers and Partners, The American Lawyer, U.S. News & World Report, Best Lawyers, and regional business journals in lists associated with law firm size, practice strength, and client service. Individual lawyers have received recognitions such as listings in Super Lawyers and awards from bar associations including the Boston Bar Association and the Maine Bar Association.
Category:Law firms based in Maine