2 fewer licensed attorneys in cities associated with Somerset County during July compared to the previous month

Cities in Somerset County had a decline in the number of lawyers with active licenses during July compared to the previous month, according to the Board of Overseers of the Bar.

In total, there were 21 active legal licenses registered in cities in Somerset County in July, compared to 23 in the previous month.

Within Somerset County, Skowhegan had the highest number of lawyers with active licenses during July (14).

Up until recently, Maine was the only US state without any public defenders, relying solely on private attorneys to represent low-income defendants. In 2022, it hired five public defenders to cover these cases statewide, but officials acknowledged that this number falls short of meeting the current demands.

Justin Andrus, executive director of the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services, said the state cannot effectively rely on only five people to address systemic issues.

At the same time, the state was found to be struggling when representing clients requiring legal aid or who couldn’t afford their own lawyers. A 2021 report revealed that more than one in eight assignments requiring specialized representation were given to ineligible attorneys.

To tackle the problem, Governor Janet Mills proposed allocating $17 million to hire ten more attorneys.

As of 2023, the average salary for a lawyer in Maine is around $101,226 per year.

Data refers to all lawyers who were actively practicing during this period.