Mainebiz

V O L . X X X N O. X X V I N OV E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 2 4 18 L AW / P O L I C Y I t is an often-repeated statistic that Maine is the oldest state in the country when measured by median age of 45 and a major percentage of population over 65. Still, the real-life consequence of that fact is that a relatively large proportion of our workforce is made up of baby boomers. As more workers move toward retirement age, the general workforce and leadership roles need replenishment. at is becoming true as three Maine law firms, including Brann Issacson, Dentons and Preti Flaherty, bring on a younger generation to take over higher-up roles. "e crisis we are hearing about with the rural bar, especially in Maine, is that attorneys in small towns are increasingly retiring with no one to take their place," says attorney Stacy Stitham, who is 44 and took over as managing partner of Lewiston- based Brann & Isaacson in July. A leader looking to apply and hone her own skills Stitham says Brann & Isaacson is fortunate enough to have attorneys whose ages range from their 20s to 70s, with a range of energy and institutional knowledge and experience. So the time has been ripe for a leadership transition. "We have recently added another partner in his 40s to the managerial group and have placed other junior partners in firm leadership roles," Stitham tells Mainebiz in an email. "Personally, I feel lucky to be a part of a firm with a stratified workforce and leadership structure." As a leader, she says her style is to identify and encourage leadership qualities among her col- leagues and provide them with opportunities to develop and deepen those qualities in an area of particular practice area. "By way of example, some of my partners are innate marketers. Some have strong analytical skills," says Stitham. "e firm benefits from fresh ideas and enthusiasm by identifying talent and interests and pro- viding outlets for those talents and interests. "As for myself, I hope to apply and hone my skills — which include formidable (some would say annoy- ing) organizational talents. I may have missed my call- ing as a project manager," she continues. While Brann & Isaacson continues to expand its leadership team, Stitham says the crisis she hears about with the rural bar, especially in Maine, is that attorneys in small towns increasingly retire with no one to take their place. As of recently, geography has mattered in terms of the firm's physical location. Maine firms with brick-and-mortar locations in Portland, Lewiston, Bangor, or elsewhere competed to hire entry-level and lateral attorneys attracted by Maine's quality of life. However, Stitham says Brann & Isaacson also has to compete with larger out-of- state firms interested in setting up a remote satellite presence in Maine to attract or retain talent. "ere is a loss of rural practitioners as baby boomers close their offices, and fewer and fewer young law school graduates are relocating to fill their place," says Stitham. Brann & Isaacson, which is based in Lewiston, has a Portland office in the Old Port neighborhood. "As someone who grew up playing on the floor of my family's small-town practice in Dover-Foxcroft, I feel this acutely," Stitham says, adding: "[at] has led to the existential question of how other law firms located 50, 100, or 150 miles away can serve the ongo- ing needs of rural communities." Fresh perspective At Dentons Bingham Greenebaum, a law firm with offices in nearly 100 countries, Andrew Helman, the managing partner of the Portland office, says that hav- ing younger partners is important for law firms. Helman, 45, told Mainebiz that bringing on tal- ented partners in their 30s and early 40s adds fresh Maine law firms are looking to a new generation A younger wave of managing partners is taking over B y A l e x i s W e l l s F O C U S P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Stacy Stitham, managing partner of Brann & Isaacson, says Maine law firms have to compete with larger out-of-state firms to attract or retain talent.

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