Honoring the Recipients of the

1967 Commitment to Justice Award

This month, we were delighted to honor Dentons with the 1967 Commitment to Justice Award.

Named to commemorate the year of Pine Tree's founding, this award recognizes a law firm or organization that has made an extraordinary contribution to the legal needs of a specific client community or to address a particular legal challenge. We have chosen Dentons as the recipient of the award in recognition of the firm’s exceptional pro bono service through the Eviction Defense Project.

Since joining the project in 2024, Dentons has provided zealous and compassionate services to clients facing the loss of housing through eviction. The Dentons team has consistently gone above and beyond and has received glowing feedback from clients, including that they are "awesome" and that "[we] would recommend them as attorneys to other people in a heartbeat."

Dentons, in turn, has gained from their pro bono contributions.

"The Eviction Defense Project provides a seamless platform to provide immediate and meaningful help to individuals who need it the most," says Joseph Long, an Associate at Dentons. "Beyond the benefits of giving back to the community and helping people in need, pro bono work offers a fantastic opportunity for young lawyers to manage their own cases, get meaningful courtroom experience, and work directly with clients. It builds better lawyers and strengthens our team."

Please join us in thanking Dentons for their generous contributions to the Eviction Defense Project, and for their commitment to justice.



National Celebration of Pro Bono



This week marks the National Celebration of Pro Bono, and we're taking this opportunity to reflect on all the many ways that pro bono attorneys, other professionals, and student interns help expand Pine Tree's reach across the state. So far this year, our volunteers have contributed more than 6,000 hours to assist clients in more than 200 cases ranging from eviction defense to probate and veterans’ estate planning.

We extend our sincere thanks to these dedicated volunteers whose free, high-quality services help ensure that low-income Mainers don’t have to navigate the legal system alone.

Pine Tree Legal recently appeared in stories published by the Portland Press Herald and Maine Public.

Read the stories below:

Zoe Evans Sworn in to Maine Bar

Zoe Evans was sworn in to the Maine bar last month, joined by colleagues and family, including her young daughter Odette.

A graduate of Saint Louis University School of Law, Zoe recently joined Pine Tree's Portland office as a Coffin Fellow. She previously held internships with Pine Tree and the Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project (MICA) in Saint Louis.

As the newest Coffin Fellow, Zoe will represent low-income clients in family law cases in Cumberland County. "Her enthusiasm for this work has already made an impression in our office," says Lucia Hunt, Directing Attorney of Pine Tree's Family Law and Victim Rights Unit. "She will be an asset to both the bar and Pine Tree Legal Assistance."

Please join us in congratulating Zoe!

We're pleased to share that Kathryn Reid has joined our Portland Office as our Website & Client Education Staff Attorney. A graduate of the University of Maine School of Law and Bowdoin College, Kathryn most recently worked for about 5 years at the Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project, where she held roles including Pro Bono Engagement Director and Interim Executive Director.

Please join us in welcoming Kathryn!

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.