21 lawyers with active licenses in cities in Somerset County as of November

There were 21 lawyers with active licenses in cities located within Somerset County as of November, according to the Board of Overseers of the Bar.

The number of lawyers remained the same compared to the previous month.

Within Somerset County, Skowhegan had the highest number of lawyers with active licenses during November (15).

Maine, previously the only state without public defenders, now faces a shortage despite the recent addition of five attorneys. State 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.

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

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.

As of Dec. 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.