“It ain’t over ‘till it’s over,” depending on your point of view, may be a Yogi-ism (as to baseball and life) or a Lenny Kravitz refrain (as to relationships). But it can also be an admonition from an appellate court that things in the trial court are not yet final, and the parties have jumped
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Deal or No Deal? Enforcing Preliminary Settlement Agreements
Brief author introduction: My name is Sage Shaheen and I am a summer associate finishing the last week of my summer here at Pierce Atwood. You can find my previous writing and research for this blog here and here.
The Law Court recently issued an opinion on the enforceability of preliminary settlement agreements in…
When Will I Get the Decision?
Our clients often ask this question about appeals before the Law Court. And so we decided it was time to look at what the data say. Our summer associate, and part-time blogger, Sage Shaheen thoroughly reviewed the information available and, while her findings are interesting, what is perhaps more illuminating about this exercise is…
Death Knells, Due Process, and Democracy: May 2026 Law Court Roundup
A brief introduction from the author: My name is Sage Shaheen and I am a summer associate here at Pierce Atwood. I am a rising 2L at Vermont Law School and, as a long-time reader of the Maine Appeals blog (before ever setting foot at the firm), I am thrilled to now be guest authoring…
March/April 2026 Law Court Roundup: Dentists and Vodka and Weed, Oh My!
Welcome to our second roundup of recent notable Law Court decisions (our previous roundup for January and February of 2026 is available here). Lots of interesting stuff here on legal topics as far-ranging as qualified and sovereign immunity, the First Amendment, liquor regulations, and, one of our favorites, the final judgment rule. Many of…
The Devil’s in the (Jurisdictional) Details: Facts Matter in Establishing Personal Jurisdiction
Issues of personal jurisdiction are inherently fact specific. But the First Circuit’s recent decision in Putnam v. EPR Properties, No. 25-1857 (1st Cir. Apr. 28, 2026), offers broader lessons applicable to future disputes over personal jurisdiction—both before the district court and First Circuit.
What follows is a somewhat lengthy factual recitation. With apologies to…
Please Read the Rules (and Other Good Advice): A Day With the Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Buckle up for a long (but informative!) post, everyone.
On March 30, 2026, the Maine State Bar Association hosted an all-day seminar on appellate practice before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. The seminar featured ten separate educational sessions, each led by one or more current Law Court Justices. Court staff, a Maine Law professor, and…
Dear Alaska: We know our own constitution, thank you very much.
On April 6, 2026, the Justices of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court handed down their respective opinions in the latest “solemn occasion” proceeding, this one concerning ranked-choice voting. If this sounds familiar to you, it’s because this is the second such solemn occasion concerning ranked-choice voting, with the last one in 2017. In both solemn…
January/February 2026 Law Court Roundup
While we will write lengthier posts for cases that merit a broader discussion, as we did in our last post with respect to the Xamplas decision, we also will write brief updates for notable cases issued recently. Here goes for Law Court decisions issued in January and February 2026:
- Jellison v. Jellison, 2026
…
My Big Fat Greek Divorce – The Collateral-Order Exception to the Final Judgment Rule
The Law Court typically may only consider an appeal of a “final judgment”—that is, a decision that fully decides and disposes of the parties’ entire case and leaves no further questions for consideration. However, this “final judgment rule” is subject to exceptions which, under certain circumstances, may allow a party to bring an appeal on…