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V I E W P O I N T S W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 3 N OV E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 2 From the Editor T he past three years have seen a lot of change in Maine, and it's not all pandemic related. Law firms have had to adjust along the way as well. Recreational cannabis sales, an effort to improve diversity in the legal community, respond- ing to the growing need for volunteer lawyers — these are just a few of the issues that have taken the spotlight recently. Maine's recreational cannabis sector is still in the early stages, with retailers in only the second full year of operations. (Maine voters approved the gen- eral concept in 2016, the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy was created in 2019 and adult-use cannabis stores opened in October 2020.) New places, like eory Wellness in Kittery, continue to open. Yet with the friction between state and federal laws, Maine's law firms are busy expanding their practice areas. Lawyers are working with licensed cannabis businesses as well as financial institutions and investors that face related but different regula- tions, as Senior Writer Renee Cordes reports. For more, see "Bench press" on Page 18. Diversity has been a pressing topic in the past three years. A recent report by the Maine State Bar Association looks not only at diversity within the legal profession but also how lawyers treat "clients who are not white or do not speak English as their first language," with 28% of Maine respondents to an association survey saying they had experi- enced or witnessed racially or ethnically motivated discrimination, disparate treatment or problematic comments within the legal realm. See "Maine state bar releases its first DEI report," on Page 20. Economic uncertainty in recent years has also elevated the need for volunteer lawyers who can work with people that can't afford an attor- ney. Senior Writer Laurie Schreiber talks to the executive director of the Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project, Elizabeth Stout. In the area of domestic violence, the nonprofit has been especially help- ful in getting volunteer lawyers placed in situations that have escalated but where the victim is unable to otherwise get legal help. See "Pro bono," which starts on Page 12. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz Featured @ Mainebiz.biz For a daily digest of Maine's top business news, sign up for the Mainebiz Daily Report at mainebiz.biz/enews 1. National clothing retailer lands in Old Port 2. Cumberland County restaurant operator fined $102K for violating federal labor laws 3. Holiday shopping doorbusters: Two retailers pop-up at Kittery Outlet Center 4. Growing wealth management firm to relocate headquarters to Gardiner 5. Maine brewery and aquaculture firm ranked among U.S. 'brands that matter' 6. Rolling in the dough: Portland Pie acquires Falmouth Ricetta's 7. How to navigate Maine's new retirement savings mandate 8. $1M restoration of old sea captain's house in Searsport almost complete 9. Respiratory virus puts strain on Maine hospitals 10. Stepping up: Next-generation leaders take the helm at four Maine family businesses P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F M A L O N E C O M M E R C I A L B RO K E R S 1 The past three years have seen a lot of change in Maine. Law firms have had to adjust along the way as well. Get Maine's business news daily at mainebiz.biz. Below is our top content from Oct. 26 to Nov. 8. bernsteinshur.com Better lives. Stronger communities. We're all in. Be involved. BE SHUR. A changing Maine means a changing legal landscape

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