Portland-based full-service shop Drummond Woodsum is noted as one of the most comprehensive legal outfits in Maine. It is equally comprehensive in the litigation specialty, with a broad and diverse spectrum of sub-specialties on offer.
Melissa Hewey is one of the firm’s most active and visible partners. A client testifies on Hewey’s behalf, “Melissa is an able litigator first and foremost, so we always feel that if push comes to shove, we have a talented first-class option. But she is also not someone who wants to rush into litigation. She is cautious and calculating and is not shy about telling you what she thinks. She also does not waste time and gets right down to business.” Hewey led a team representing a school district and superintendent in connection with constitutional and tort claims brought by the parents of a student who died during an outdoor hiking field trip in 2023. The plaintiffs assert that the hike was unsafe and that the clients failed to adequately prepare or train chaperones. Hewey moved to dismiss the complaint, and in August 2024, the court granted the motion. The plaintiffs have appealed, and the appeal is pending in the First Circuit. Hewey also acted with
Robert Hayeson a matter in which a former patient of Northern Light Inland Hospital brought suit against the hospital alleging that she was drugged and sexually abused by an ultrasound sonographer during three separate ultrasound appointments. The case wound up at a jury trial, which delivered a unanimous defense verdict in October 2024. Hayes is cheered by a client for his “attention to detail, articulation and preparedness.”
Amanda Lynch and Mark Franco represent Synergy CHC in a contract-manufacturing dispute, in which both parties filed claims against the other. This was a $10 million contract dispute in which Synergy alleged that HVL decided to stop production of Synergy’s products in order to fill the market with their own products. A client of Franco’s declares, “His representation of our insureds is outstanding; he is very responsive and always on time with reports; [he] gets excellent results for our insureds.”
