Meet Phil, planning and land use devotee, counselor of municipalities, and proud home cook.
207 228-7160 direct
207 774-1200 main
207 774-1127 facsimile
100 Middle Street
PO Box 9729
Portland, ME 04104-5029
Chair
Municipal & Governmental Services Group
Co-chair
Land Use & Environmental Practice Group
Commercial & Governmental Finance
Land Use
Municipal & Governmental Services
Property Tax and Valuation
- The Best Lawyers in America® “Lawyer of the Year”
Land Use and Zoning Law (2025) - The Best Lawyers in America® 2025 (Ranked since 2017)
Land Use and Zoning Law
Municipal Law - New England Super Lawyers “Rising Star”
- Faculty Significant Achievement Award, University of Maine School of Law
Here’s why you’ll enjoy working with him.
Having worked as an urban planner and chair of the Portland Zoning Board, and inside state government, Phil is well acquainted with municipal and land use law. That experience, combined with his legal expertise, makes him extremely adept at counseling municipal officials and boards and obtaining land use approvals for real estate developers and property owners. And he’s just as equipped to help clients demonstrate the property tax implications of new development projects and assist with the development of tax increment financing (TIF) districts.
Whether he’s working on planning and development issues, drafting bond documents, or helping clients solve seemingly intractable issues, Phil keeps his calm and level-headedness, and delivers efficient, thoughtful solutions.
But that’s not all. Phil is also very experienced in:
- Serving as bond counsel on matters such as tax-exempt leases, Maine Municipal Bond Bank issues, public and negotiated sales, and other municipal finance matters
- Working with municipalities on tax and economic development matters
- Municipal broadband initiatives, including both municipal-owned services and interlocal agreements for broadband utilities
- All aspects of election law and Maine’s Freedom of Access Act
- Ongoing general counsel to municipal officials and boards, covering general administration, zoning, planning, enforcement actions, administrative and judicial appeals, and more
- Drafting legislation and testimony before the Maine State Legislature
In his former life, Phil was:
- Senior policy and legal advisor on health care and health insurance matters for Governor John E. Baldacci’s Office, as well as one of the governor’s legislative liaisons to the Maine Legislature
- Associate at Verrill Dana in Portland, Maine
- Law clerk for the Honorable John A. Woodcock Jr. of the US District Court for the District of Maine
- Urban/land use planner at Sasaki Associates, an international architecture and design firm
When Phil isn’t working, he is…
Cooking up a storm—he loves good food and Maine beer. Phil is a member of the Cape Elizabeth School Board and the University of Maine School of Law Alumni Engagement Committee, and is a former member of the Board of Trustees for the Portland Stage Company. He enjoys playing tennis, canoeing, hiking, and spending quality time with his wife and two children.
Education
JD, University of Maine School of Law, cum laude
Editor in chief, Maine Law Review
BA, Vassar College
Admitted to practice
State of Maine
US District Court, District of Maine
Memberships
Maine State Bar Association, Co-Chair, Municipal Section
American Bar Association, State and Local Government Section
International Municipal Lawyers Association
Regional Association of Municipal Attorneys, Co-Chair