Our Commitment to our Community

As you all know, many Maine community members have been detained in recent weeks, often under very frightening circumstances. The ongoing environment of fear and disruption to people's ability to go to work and to school has exacerbated all of the legal needs with which we regularly help clients. This includes legal issues related to eviction, housing discrimination, access to education, and more.  

People who need legal help with these or other related issues can contact us through any of our intake methods, which are listed on the contact tab of our website. If we are not able to assist someone, we will refer them to other partner agencies that might be better equipped to provide the support that they need, including the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project and the Refugee and Human Rights Clinic at Maine Law. 

We remain as committed as ever to helping members of our community navigate the complexity of the legal system and protect their basic rights and needs. Together, we will continue to fight for justice and fairness for all.

Indigenous Peoples Unit Welcomes

New Staff Attorney

Last month, our Indigenous Peoples Unit welcomed Vaneska Litz to their team as a new staff attorney. This position will help expand our capacity to work with the Wabanaki Nations in Maine, including the Penobscot Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribe, the Houlton Band of Maliseets, and the Mi'kmaq Nation.

Vaneska began her career with the Mi’kmaq Nation, working to support their Indian Child Welfare Act program in the early 1990s. She went on to earn a degree at Maine Law, and spent three decades working on environmental justice, land rights, and forestry issues in post-conflict regions in Liberia, Cambodia, and Sierra Leone. She approached this work by building trust and relationships within local communities, and plans to bring this same approach to her position at Pine Tree.

"What that looks like first and foremost is really just listening and understanding what they want and what their expectations are," Vaneska says.

She steps into her position at a time of growth for the Tribal justice system in Maine. Last year, the Houlton Band of Maliseets established their Tribal Court, and the Mi’kmaq Nation plans to open their Tribal Court this year, adding to the existing Tribal Courts of the Penobscot Nation and two Passamaquoddy Tribal communities.  

Vaneska looks forward to supporting these expanding court systems however she can, and working to ensure that members of Wabanaki communities have access to the legal advice and representation that they need.

Expanding Our Reach

Very few attorneys work within the rural regions where Tribal Courts are located in Maine. As a result, Pine Tree Legal is often the only place for citizens of the Wabanaki Nations to turn to for legal representation.

To expand our capacity, we are currently fundraising to help support a full-time paralegal position within the Indigenous Peoples Unit. Managing Attorney Lisa Chase also hopes to provide mentorship to attorneys practicing in rural Maine who are interested in learning more about working within Tribal Courts, to help further expand access to legal representation amongst the Wabanaki Nations.

Connecting with Communities

Paralegal Paula Fontes-Paul conducts regular outreach at the Tribal Courts of the Penobscot Nation and two Passamaquoddy Tribal communities, Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness, and elsewhere across the state to help ensure that members of Wabanaki communities have access to the services that we provide.

The Indigenous Peoples Unit also shares updates and information through their publication Wabanaki Legal News, and provides additional resources on their website, which has become a national resource for tribal legal information.

We are as committed as ever to supporting equal access to justice amongst the Wabanaki Nations, and look forward to continuing to expand our reach and services.

We recently welcomed staff attorney Zoe Palenik to our Veterans Unit (Bangor Office). Zoe joins us from the U.S. Department of Justice, where she worked as an attorney in the Environment and Natural Resources Division. She previously served as a Judicial Law Clerk for Hon. Kermit V. Lipez in Portland, Maine and for Hon. Richard G. Andrews in Wilmington, Delaware. 

Please join us in welcoming Zoe!

With heavy hearts, we are remembering and honoring the life of Robert "Bob" Mittel, who passed away peacefully last month at the age of 84.

Bob worked as an attorney with Pine Tree Legal from 1968 to 1976, and later served on our Board of Directors for more than a decade. He remained a steadfast supporter of Pine Tree Legal throughout his career, and worked to expand access to justice through other areas of work, including most recently in his position as an eviction defense attorney with the Volunteer Lawyers Project.

A steadfast supporter of justice for all, Bob's many accomplishments throughout his long career included helping to abolish debtors' prison in 1970.

Deirdre Smith, Pine Tree Legal Director of Litigation, shares these reflections:

"Bob was one of a kind, and I am so fortunate to have had the chance to know and work with him. He had one of the sharpest legal minds of anyone I've known. His innovative strategies and creative arguments were not based solely on his profound knowledge of the law and his skill in legal analysis; they were also fueled by his deep commitment to justice. If he saw a person or group denied access to due process or a legal remedy or being treated unfairly by someone with more power, Bob would not rest until he had figured out a route to correct those wrongs through the courts, even if it was something no one had ever tried.

Bob loved working with others and recognized the value in bringing together diverse perspectives and talents to work through a question. Bob also possessed a quick wit, infectious laugh, and enormous heart. He was a great teacher, mentor, collaborator, and friend to so many in Maine's legal community, and his passing is an enormous loss. We're lucky to have had him in the world."

We extend our sincere condolences to Bob's family and loved ones.

Read Bob Mittel's Obituary in the Portland Press Herald

Members of the Maine Bar can support PTLA’s work by donating to the Campaign for Justice, a special collaborative fundraising effort by Maine’s legal community to support legal aid.