Contents:
Probate Court Contact Information
Agencies Licensed In Maine To Provide Home Studies
Attorneys and Their Fees: What You Should Know
Probate Court Contact Information
County |
Address |
Contact Information |
Androscoggin |
2 Turner Street
Auburn, ME 04210 |
782-0281 |
Aroostook |
26 Court Street, Suite 103
Houlton, ME 04730 |
532-1502
www.aroostook.me.us/probate.html |
Cumberland |
142 Federal Street, Suite 125
Portland, ME 04112 |
871-8382
www.cumberlandcounty.org/Probate/index.htm |
Franklin |
38 Main Street
Farmington, ME 04938 |
778-5888 |
Hancock |
60 State Street
Ellsworth, ME 04605 |
667-8434
www.co.hancock.me.us |
Kennebec |
95 State Street
Augusta, ME 04330 |
622-7558
www.kennebeccounty.org |
Knox |
62 Union Street
Rockland, ME 04841 |
594-0427
knoxcounty.midcoast.com/departments/probate.html |
Lincoln |
32 High Street
P.O. Box 249
Wiscasset, ME 04578 |
882-7392 |
Oxford |
26 Western Avenue
P.O. Box 179
South Paris, ME 04281 |
743-6671
www.oxfordcounty.org/probate.php |
Penobscot |
97 Hammond Street
Bangor, ME 04401 |
942-8769 |
Piscataquis |
159 East Main Street
Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426 |
564-2431
www.piscataquis.us |
Sagadahoc |
752 High Street
P.O. Box 246
Bath, ME 04530 |
443-8218
www.sagcounty.com/sag_probate.html |
Somerset |
41 Court Street
Skowhegan, ME 04976 |
474-3322
www.somersetcounty-me.org |
Waldo |
39A Spring Street
P.O. Box 323
Belfast, ME 04915 |
338-2780
www.waldocountyme.gov/rop/ |
Washington |
P.O. Box 297
Machias, ME 04654 |
255-6591
www.washingtoncountymaine.com/probate/ |
York |
P.O. Box 399
45 Kennebec Road
Alfred, ME 04002 |
324-1577 |
Agencies Licensed In Maine To Provide Home Studies
(Licensed Adoption Agencies)
Agency |
Contact Information |
Families And Children Together
(F.A.C.T.) |
304 Hancock Street, Suite 2B
Bangor, ME 04401
941-2347
www.familiesandchildren.org |
Good Samaritan Agency |
100 Ridgewood Drive
Bangor, ME 04401
942-7211
1-800-249-2811 |
International Adoption Services Center |
432 Water Street
P.O. Box 56
Gardiner, ME 04345
582-8842
1-888-682-3678 |
Maine Adoption Placement Agency
(MAPS)
Only the Bangor and Portland Offices conduct home studies. |
181 State Street
Bangor, ME 04401
941-9500
100 Brickhill Avenue
South Portland, ME 04106
775-4101
www.maps-worldwide.org |
Maine Children’s Home For
Little Wanderers |
93 Silver Street
Waterville, ME 04901
873-6350
www.mainechildrenshome.org |
St. Andres Home, Inc.
|
283 Elm Street
Biddeford, ME 04005
282-3351
www.standrehome.org |
Maine Department of Health
and Human Services (DHHS) |
Central Office
Bureau of Child & Family Services
221 State Street
Augusta, ME 04333
287-5060 |
Attorneys and Their Fees: What You Should Know
Stick to the Facts
Almost any issue that moves you to seek legal advice is likely to affect you emotionally, and it’s natural for you to want an attorney to understand how you feel. It will be easier for an attorney to assist you, however, if you focus on facts more than feelings.
Present it in Print
Bring any documents that pertain to your problem (such as contracts, citations, deeds, will,
e-mails, letters, or photographs) to your first meeting.
Don’t Leave Things Out
Your attorney needs to see the situation from every side in order to determine how the law can serve you best. Your information will be held in strict confidence. Attorneys are bound by the same code of confidentiality as clergy and doctors, and without your consent, an attorney cannot reveal anything that you say as part of a professional relationship, even in a first meeting, before you have actually made a decision to retain the attorney. No Court or other authority can force the attorney to violate that confidence. Good or bad, flattering or unflattering, tell the truth and don’t leave out any relevant facts about yourself or the problem.
Ask Questions
If you don’t understand something, ask. And it’s also ok to ask about an attorney’s professional education, background, and familiarity with the kind of problem you are presenting.
Discuss fees and payments
Legal fees pay for your attorney’s time and professional experience, as well as for the business expenses of a legal practice—trained support staff, specialized computer systems, office equipment, law books and references, communication services, postage, supplies, rent, travel, insurance, professional fees and more. Discuss both the ways you will be charged and the way you will be billed. If you think you will have difficulty paying what the attorney asks, say so. If it doesn’t put your welfare or the attorney’s ethical obligations in jeopardy, you may be able to arrange for the attorney to do part of the project (called “unbundled law”), and do the rest yourself “pro se”. Or you may be able to make a payment plan. At the end of your first meeting, ask the attorney to send you a letter stating the rates and fee arrangements you have agreed to, so there will be no question later on.
Lastly, to keep your costs down:
Be Clear Know what outcome you want.
Be Informed Make sure you understand how your attorney plans to assist you.
Be Prepared Have contact information for everyone involved written down.
Be Business-Like Focus on the facts.
Be Brief Avoid unnecessary phone calls.
This information is from the Maine Bar Association.
For additional information, contact the Maine Bar Association at 1-800-860-1460 or www.mainebar.org.
