"Without Pine Tree Legal Assistance, access to justice would be little more than a hollow
concept for many low-income Mainers."
-Maine Attorney General G. Steven Rowe
"The legal services offered by Pine Tree Legal are invaluable to many of Maine's
economically disadvantaged. Without these services many of Maine's residents are
at the mercy of a legal system that they neither understand nor can afford."
-a Case Manager at Sweester
Pine Tree Legal Assistance is a nonprofit corporation with 501(c)(3) status
established in 1966 by private attorneys in Maine to promote access to justice by providing
high quality free legal assistance responsive to the immediate needs of individual
low-income clients and to address the long-range barriers to justice affecting low-income
people in Maine.
Pine Tree provides free individual representation in our core services areas such as housing, health
care, and income.Pine Tree also provides outreach and community education, works with entities that
serve low income people, including social service providers, members of the private
bar and the court system. In addition Pine Tree manages several important projects including a
Farmworker Unit,
Native American Unit,
KIDS LEGAL,
Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, a
Family Law project, and a
Foreclosure Prevention project.
Over the past 40 years, Pine Tree has become a recognized part of the justice system in
Maine, providing help to over 400,000 Maine people since its doors first opened.
Pine Tree is governed by a local Board of Directors, composed of attorneys, client
representatives of various organizations and at large members. Many of the Board members
have served for 10+ years on the Board, and they take a very active role in setting policy
for the program.
