I was so pleased to read of Justice Donald Alexander’s decision that six Verrill Dana lawyers had not breached any ethical rules in the Duncan matter.

Over the years, I have come to know and greatly admire the firm and its members, and I was heartened that the judge’s decision confirmed my view of them.

It goes without saying that the lawyers at Verrill Dana are excellent at what they are paid to do. But what has impressed me even more has been the firm’s commitment to civic engagement and charitable works in the community.

Verrill Dana has a long history of providing generous support, in both dollars and personal participation, to a wide range of nonprofit organizations in our state.

Some years ago, I led a capital campaign for the University of Maine School of Law. Verrill Dana as a firm and many of its attorneys individually made an extraordinary combined gift to endow public interest fellowships for deserving law students.

The firm also has an impressive record of providing pro bono legal services to elderly and disadvantaged Mainers. This past year, I chaired the Campaign for Justice, a statewide effort to raise funds for six of Maine’s legal aid providers.

Again, Verrill Dana has been at the forefront. The firm is among only a handful to achieve a 100 percent participation rate, and many of its attorneys volunteer in the campaign and have done so for years. I believe that my personal experiences of Verrill Dana’s engagement are shared by many others across a broad spectrum of our community.

I only hope that the headlines of the last few years about the Duncan case will not obscure the wonderful work — both legal and charitable — that has characterized Verrill Dana and its lawyers through the years.

Colleen A. Khoury

Portland

Judge Donald Alexander’s ruling completely vindicates the six Verrill Dana attorneys in the Duncan case. His decision could not be clearer in describing the reasonableness and prudence exercised by the attorneys.

The length of time it took for this to come to justice was exceedingly long, and yet the firm, its attorneys and staff continued in their long history of the provision of excellent service.

At the same time, the firm exhibited its commitment to Maine communities for which our entire legal community is known:

• Verrill Dana lawyers contributed more than 3,000 hours representing clients on a pro bono basis.

• Verrill Dana attorneys and staff are active volunteering with the United Way and more than 100 nonprofit organizations across the state.

• A team of volunteers from the firm has been serving meals at a local soup kitchen throughout the year.

• Every attorney at Verrill Dana contributed to the 2010 Campaign for Justice, an annual statewide fundraising effort within Maine’s legal community on behalf of six civil legal aid providers.

These are our neighbors, our colleagues, our leaders. Let’s remember that above all else.

Meg Baxter

Former President, United Way of Greater Portland

Cape Elizabeth

A few things missing from Gov. LePage’s inaugural

It is with great relief that we hear Gov. LePage had no poets and no poetry at his inaugural. What with the economy the way it is, who can afford to have a poet at an inaugural?

This sends a clear message to all the people who waste millions of our tax dollars on poetry. That is going to end. We have had enough. Besides, as everyone knows, poetry is a threat to our freedom and our national security.

Some of the poets I know are subversive and have long hair. And beards. Some of the women poets have tattoos. Many poets don’t even have jobs as poets. They take other jobs that real Americans may need.

Some of them teach our kids! Some of them lobster. One poet we know was an insurance executive. Some are housewives raising kids! Can you believe that? It also makes us wonder what else our new governor has up his sleeve. If we could get poetry out of our schools, we would have more time for teaching values. And let us eliminate any money for the rest of the arts.

Who needs music, painting, pottery? Come to think of it, who needs museums? Or concerts? Or theater? Let us abandon the arts while we still have some art left to abandon. Surely we can use the money elsewhere. Please let us and our corporations keep our money in our pockets so we can have more of it. And the poets and artists can go jump in Plum Creek Lake.

Chris Queally

Scarborough

I have a serious comment to make about the so-called “improvement” to the program prepared for the governor’s inaugural event, as reported by The Portland Press Herald on Dec. 31.

I heartily resent the designation of poetry and choral music as “dry,” although this year’s program indeed sounds interesting.

If choral music was boring in the past, consider that the previous years’ planners must have overlooked obvious sources of selective excellence.

Your own impeccable Press Herald classical music reviews by Christopher Hyde could have guided discriminating inaugural event planners to discover critically acclaimed Maine choral ensembles.

So can classical music reviews at the nonprofit online music journal www.cvNewEng.org that will soon supply individual state websites beneath its umbrella.

Event planners without personal expertise should not rely on tips from patrons of the event who have vested interests in seeking a platform for certain poets or musicians.

The general public among the invited guests to any event will find even classical music irresistible when performed with inner spirit.

There are also poets that read better than others; planners should seek out the poetry societies and published critical comment in order to locate and invite the Maine poets who move audiences!

Was either Robert Frost or Maya Angelou boring as their words inspired millions at two different presidential inaugurations in the past?

Please in the future, ask Press Herald writers to encourage, and not to categorically denigrate outstanding poets and virtuoso classical musicians. Maine has both.

Mary Elizabeth Nordstrom

Past interim editor, Classical Voice of New England, Inc.

Kennebunk

 

Copy the Story Link