Board of Overseers of the Bar

The Board and its Mission

The Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar was created by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court in 1978 to govern the conduct of lawyers as officers of the Court. The Board is an independent agency under the jurisdiction of the Court.

The mission of the Board of Overseers of the Bar is to encourage and promote competent and ethical practice by members of the Maine Bar, and to make these standards known to members of the public so that they have confidence in the legal profession in Maine. The Board accomplishes its mission on several fronts including attorney registration, continuing legal education requirements, ethical guidance, and attorney regulation. [Read more]

Ethics Helpline for Registered Maine Attorneys

The Board of Overseers of the Bar provides assistance to Maine attorneys through its "Ethics Helpline" on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. To speak with one of the Board's staff attorneys, call the Board's office at 207-623-1122. [Read more]

News

Board of Overseers of the Bar State of Maine New CLE Website

We are excited to announce our NEW website for all matters related to Continuing Legal Education is now live! This website will be your new resource for tracking your CLE progress, checking your compliance status, looking for CLEs and answering frequently asked questions. To check out the new website please visit: www.MECLE.org and register your new account.

Our current website will remain your primary resource for all non-CLE related Board matters. You will continue to use MyBoardAccess for annual registration, updating contact info, printing your bar card and attorney access to the bar directory.

You will need to register to create an account to access your CLE record. Your MyBoardAccess credentials will not work for your new MyCLEAccess. Registering is very easy following these simple steps:

1.) From the homepage, click "Register" at the MyCLEAccess portal.

2.) On the next screen you will enter your bar number and date of birth. Do not add any leading zeros to your bar number. Enter your date of birth with no slashes or dashes in the following format: MMDDYYYY.

3.) This will lead you to the final set up screen where you will create your login and password.

That's it! You should now have access to your CLE transcript and be able to see your courses posted for 2022 so far. If you read that you are currently non-compliant for 2022, don't worry! You have the entire calendar year to achieve compliance for 2022. You will see on your account summary page how many credits you may need before the end of the year or how many carry over credits you have already earned for next year. To see a detailed list of courses on your record simply click Full Transcript. Any credits you complete may take up to 45 days to appear on your record depending on when your credits are reported to the Board.

Please contact CLE Director David Morse at dmorse@mebaroverseers.org with any questions.

Attachment: Download Important CLE Update

Law Office Management Services Now Available

Through a unique partnership with the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar, Red Cave Law Firm Consulting offers Maine attorneys DISCOUNTED virtual law practice management consulting. Red Cave has 10+ years of law firm business management consulting experience, and has advised over 3,000 law firms. We can help you with issues surrounding law office technology, marketing, financial management and more!

Please visit the Legal Resources page to learn more about Red Cave.

You'll also find a link to the new Law Office Management Blog



Upcoming CLE Presentations

Date Session Title Organization Location Speaker
1/25/2023 How to be an Effective (and Ethical) Advocate for Parents in Family Recovery Court Lewiston Family Recovery Court (FRC) Live at Lewiston District Court (Courtroom 4) and by Zoom Suzanne Thompson
1/31/2023 New Year New Goals Board of Overseers of the Bar Zoom Aria Eee
2/2/2023 Sixty Minute Primer: How to Be An Anti-Racist Lawyer MTLA and The Board of Overseers of the Bar Zoom Julia Sheridan
2/27/2023 Hybrid is Here to Stay: Managing Workflows & Staff in the New Normal Board of Overseers of the Bar Zoom Aria Eee

Hearings & Notices

Date Time Respondent Location
1/31/2023 9:00 AM Board v. Edward L. Dilworth III, Esq. Video Conference: This hearing will be live-streamed via YouTube and is open to the public to view. Direct access link will be posted prior to the hearing.
2/23/2023 8:30 AM Board v. Kevin G. Grimes, Esq. Video Conference: This hearing will be live-streamed via YouTube and is open to the public to view. Direct access link will be posted prior to the hearing.
2/24/2023 8:30 AM Board v. Kevin G. Grimes, Esq. Video Conference: This hearing will be live-streamed via YouTube and is open to the public to view. Direct access link will be posted prior to the hearing.

View complete hearing schedule

Recent Decisions & Orders

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Date Respondent Issued By Order Disposition/Conduct
1/25/2023 Board v. J. Mitchell Flick, Esq. Grievance Commission Report of Findings and Order Candor Towards the Tribunal; Conduct Involving Dishonesty, Fraud, Deceit or Misrepresentation; Conduct Prejudicial to the Administration of Justice and Knowingly Making a False Statement of Material Fact in Connection with a Disciplinary Matter.
1/5/2023 Board v. Thomas E. Dewhurst III, Esq. Single Justice Reciprocal Discipline Order Conflict of interest and communication with represented person.
1/2/2023 Board v. John A. Doonan, Esq. Single Justice Reciprocal Discipline Public Reprimand, negligent misuse of client funds.
12/19/2022 Board v. Christopher J. Whalley Single Justice Disbarment Findings, Conclusions and Order Illegal Conduct; Diligence; Failure to Safekeep Property & Hold Funds Separate; Fraud; Deceit; Dishonesty; Knowingly Made False Statement of Material Fact; Conduct Prejudicial to Administration of Justice.
11/23/2022 Board v. Donald F. Brown, Esq. Single Justice Order

View all decisions

Court News

Announcements and News Releases for the Maine Supreme Judicial Court

In Memoriam

The In Memoriam page is dedicated to honoring those members of the Maine Bar who have passed away in recent years. When available, links to full obituaries and news articles are also accessible. Click here to view the In Memoriam page.