Practice Focus
Business and Transactional Law; Real Estate Law

Biography

Eric P. Stauffer practices with the firm’s Business Law and Real Estate Practice Groups and is the former Business Law Group Chair. He handles all types of commercial transactions, with emphasis on buying and selling businesses and structuring business relationships. He has served as counsel to the Maine Turnpike Authority for nearly two decades, and to the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority since its establishment in 1995.

Representative Matters

• Eric's contributions to major real estate development projects have included regulatory, contract and procurement work for the development of a major newspaper printing and production plant, the construction of a large psychiatric hospital and expansions for various Maine hospitals.  He was lead counsel in the design and implementation of the cross-border ownership structure for a power generating facility.
• In financial workouts, he has handled the negotiation and documentation of waste handling agreements for several Maine municipalities as part of the financial restructuring of one of Maine's largest waste-to-energy plants.  He also led the firm's groundbreaking work on the restructuring of a housing cooperative association.
• He has been lead counsel in a number of business acquisitions including purchases of television stations in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Springfield and Champaign, Illinois, and Tallahassee, Florida, in addition to several newspapers in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. He has also handled acquisitions of other telecommunications, call center, computer software, hydroelectric and insurance businesses both in and out of Maine.
• Rick also handles negotiation and documentation of purchases, financings and leasing of real estate, including broadcast tower, shopping center, office building and other commercial leasing.
• As lead attorney on many major transactions, Rick has coordinated participation by other practice groups in the firm, particularly on matters related to the environment, employment and bankruptcy. He has a long record of success in collaborations with other professionals (including lawyers outside of the firm) to the maximum advantage of the firm's clients. .

Previous Legal Experience

After receiving his law degree from Yale Law School in 1972, Rick worked in the Maine Governor's Office as Federal State Coordinator, Maine Alternate to the New England Regional Commission and Special Assistant to Governor Kenneth M. Curtis. As the governor's aide, Rick had staff responsibilities for natural resources, energy, environmental protection, economic development and Native American affairs. He served as Development Officer and General Counsel to the Maine State Housing Authority from 1975 to 1977. In 1977, he became Administrative Assistant to Governor Curtis during the governor's term as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. A year later, he joined Preti Flaherty.

Admissions

• Arizona; Maine; District of Columbia
• Admitted to practice before the State Courts in Maine, Arizona and District of Columbia and the U.S. District Courts in the District of Maine and the District of Arizona

Professional Associations

• Member, Cumberland County, Maine, Arizona and District of Columbia Bar Associations
• Fellow, American College of Mortgage Attorneys
• Member, The American Health Lawyers Association
• Member, New England Historic Genealogical Society

Civic Involvement

• Member of Board of Directors and Executive Committee of Maine Real Estate Development Association
• Former president and treasurer of Goodwill Industries of Maine, Inc., and has more than twelve years of service on its Board of Directors.
• Former member of the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of Maine.

Professional Achievements

• Woodward-White's The Best Lawyers in America. 
• Recipient of the Public Policy Advocacy Award in 1992 and the Founder’s Award in 2002 from the Maine Real Estate Development Association in connection with his efforts as a member of its Legislative Committee, which he has chaired or co-chaired since the early 1990's.
• He has lectured on legal opinions in business transactions and health privacy matters.

Education
J.D., Yale Law School, 1972
B.A., New College of Florida, 1969