Pro Bono Attorneys Help Expand Our Services

Last fall, a single mother faced eviction when a new owner bought her apartment building. She had lived there for three years with her young son, and believed they had always been good tenants, so she was surprised when her new landlord immediately took steps to evict them once he closed on the property.

Understandably distressed, she shared some of her experience on social media. Her new landlord was a prominent member of the community and interpreted her comments as defamatory. He demanded that she remove the comments, while continuing to take steps to evict her.

Knowing that she had legal rights but unable to afford a private attorney, our client reached out to Pine Tree Legal for help. Pro bono attorney Peter Mancuso represented her in court and was able to secure her more time to new find new housing and pay her remaining rent. Thanks to this free legal aid, our client was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Our client's landlord proceeded to sue her for defamation after the eviction case had closed. Again, volunteer attorney Peter Mancuso stepped up to bring our client justice. He successfully defended her from the unfounded claims, ultimately saving her thousands of dollars and putting an end to her ongoing conflict with this landlord.

Thanks to Peter's donated time, our client was able to maintain some stability through the coldest months of the year.

New funding supports Pro Bono Eviction Defense Project

Stories of unexpected eviction are, unfortunately, not uncommon. That's why our services are so crucial for low-income Mainers who can't afford to pay for a private attorney. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on the generosity of attorneys like Peter Mancuso to help share our caseload with our staff attorneys.

Last month, we received funding from the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) to expand our Pro Bono Eviction Defense Project, which provides full representation for low-income Mainers facing eviction. The $361,097 award will help sustain and grow our volunteer attorney training program and will allow us to help more than 150 people avoid homelessness.

We're grateful to LSC's Pro Bono Innovation Fund for this award that will bring relief and justice to so many Mainers.

Opportunities to volunteer with Pine Tree — and earn CLEs!

Volunteer opportunities at Pine Tree Legal extend far beyond eviction cases. Earlier this year, pro bono attorney Eamonn Hart worked with a low-income single mother whose sister refused to distribute proceeds from their mother's estate. He ultimately settled the case, with $18,000 awarded to our client. Meanwhile, over the past couple of years, pro bono attorney Ira Sterling has assisted four veterans (and, in two cases, their spouses as well) with their wills and estate planning documents. This is just a sampling of the many pro bono opportunities that arise each year.

Are you an attorney interested in volunteering with us? If so, we have some good news:

Private attorneys can now earn up to three Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits each year by volunteering with us, helping to fulfill your 12 CLE credits required annually by the Maine Bar. To learn more, please visit ptla.org/volunteer.

Celebrate Pro Bono

This month, the American Bar Association celebrates National Pro Bono Week! Learn more here.

We’re glad to recognize the Pine Tree volunteers who make justice a reality for our clients this month and every month. Learn more about Pine Tree’s annual volunteer celebration event below!

NEWS CENTER Maine Highlights Need for More Lawyers

A reporter from NEWS CENTER Maine recently visited Pine Tree Legal's offices to interview Executive Director Tom Fritzsche and Eviction Prevention Attorney Grace Eddy about the expansive need for legal aid in Maine. The story highlighted Maine Law's record high attendance this year, and the important roles that graduates play across the state. As a recent alum of Maine Law, Grace was able to share how her own experience in law school — including an internship with Pine Tree — helped land her on her current path.

VOLUNTEER AWARDS CELEBRATION

November 19, 2025

5:00 - 7:00 pm

Rising Tide Brewing Company

103 Fox Street, Portland

Next month, we will celebrate the incredible contributions and commitment of two Pine Tree Legal volunteers: Jim McKenna, an in-house pro bono attorney who is receiving Pine Tree's Lifetime Achievement Award, and Jennifer Kreckel, an attorney with Kreckel Law in Rumford who is receiving our annual Pro Bono Award.

Please join us for a beautiful fall gathering that will honor the accomplishments of these two outstanding volunteers.

What brought you to Pine Tree and what did you do before?

I worked in legal aid in Massachusetts for almost three years, working in eviction prevention. I decided about a year ago that it was time to come back home to Maine (I grew up in Bangor!), but I wanted to continue homelessness prevention work and had really fallen in love with legal aid. Pine Tree was the perfect place to go!

What are some hobbies you enjoy outside of work?

Cooking, long walks, puzzles, wandering aimlessly around cities and stopping wherever seems interesting.

Tell us about your pets!

I have a cat named Xander, who has extra toes! He came into my life from under a car in Jamaica Plain, MA in 2017, and he has been my best friend ever since.

Anything else we're dying to know?

My dad, Mike Guare, is one of the longest serving staff attorneys at PTLA. He works in the Bangor office, and some of the staff there have known me since I was a kid!

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.

Over the past 59 years, Pine Tree has remained strong through multiple serious challenges to essential public funding. This resilience hasn't come easily or automatically — it has grown out of the collective effort of everyone in the Pine Tree community.

Thanks to this decades-long community effort, we are as prepared as we possibly can be to ride ongoing waves of funding uncertainty. Though we will face big bumps along the way, we remain as committed as ever to keeping low-income Mainers afloat during turbulent times.

Follow Pine Tree Legal today!