Biography

Joe brings over three decades of experience in all facets of utility law, including seven years as General Counsel to the Maine Public Utilities Commission, to his work as a senior Partner of the firm's Energy and Telecommunications Group. Joe has developed the firm's strength in the area of telecommunications. He specializes in regulatory, transactional and business issues relating to public utilities, with a concentration in the area of telecommunications providers.

Joe represents small incumbent telephone utilities and competitive telecommunications providers, as well as energy and water utilities, in regulatory, legislative and business matters in a dynamic regulatory and business environment. As a practitioner of utility law, he has been involved in many public utility regulatory and policy matters affecting Maine citizens and businesses. He has successfully litigated numerous regulatory cases, from rate cases to restructurings, on behalf of public utilities, competitive providers and consumers. 

Joe has spoken before the Maine State Bar Association, and at the annual conferences of the Telecommunications Association of Maine. In addition, He is the author of an article titled "An Argument for a Prudent Approach to Alternative Forms of Regulation," published in Maine Policy Review.

Joe served as law clerk to both the Honorable Charles A. Pomeroy and Honorable Edward S. Godfrey of the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine before working ten years as an attorney for the Maine Public Utilities Commission, the last seven as General Counsel. He joined Preti Flaherty in 1989.

Professional Activities

  • Federal Communications Bar Association

Honors & Recognition

  • Listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business
  • Listed in Best Lawyers in America
    • Lawyer of the Year (2022) for Administrative/Regulatory Law
  • Rated AV® Preeminent™ by Martindale Hubbell

Civic and Charitable Activities

  • Kennebec Land Trust, Member
  • Kennebec Historical Society, Member
  • Third Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, President
  • American Battlefield Trust, Member

Firm Highlights

News

Benchmark Litigation Names Preti Flaherty 2023 “Maine Firm of the Year”

Benchmark Litigation has named Preti Flaherty as 2023 Litigation Firm of the Year in the State of Maine. The Benchmark Awards honor distinguished litigators and law firms in all 50 states and 10 practice...

Publication

Maine Workers’ Compensation New Year Update 2023

The new year brings proposed legislation, an update to the Medical Fee Schedule, and two recent decisions from the Appellate Division. Proposed Legislation Workers’ compensation bill LD 53 (HP 28) would amend 39-A M.R.S.A...

Event

Jeff Talbert to Moderate Panel on PFAS Regulatory Action at ABA Toxic Torts & Environmental Law Conference

Jeff Talbert, Chair of Preti Flaherty's Environmental Law Group, will moderate "Regulatory Action: History & Horizon" at the ABA Toxic Torts & Environmental Law Conference. This panel will discuss the 2016 EPA health advisory, the...

News

Maine Lawyers and Judges Once Again Show Overwhelming Support of Campaign for Justice

2022 proved to be another challenging year for Mainers. Skyrocketing inflation, an uncertain economic future, an ongoing housing crisis and more factors continue to push more at-risk individuals into a tight spot. Maine’s civil...

News

Attorney Jeffrey Thaler Named to 2023 Lawdragon Green 500: Leaders in Energy Law

For the second time, Preti Flaherty attorney Jeffrey Thaler has been recognized by the esteemed legal publication Lawdragon as an elite practitioner in the field of energy law. Jeff is the only Maine-base lawyer...

Publication

Enforcers Make It Easy to Report Cartels

This article was originally published in the American Bar Association  Antitrust Newsletter  on February 8, 2023.  Did you know that global competition enforcers have easy-to-find websites to encourage reporting of anticompetitive conduct? Not only...

Publication

FY2024 H-1B Registration Fact Sheet for Employers

Registration Process To file H-1B petitions subject to the FY2024 cap for an employee, you must first electronically register and pay a $10 fee for each electronic registration. The electronic registration includes basic information about...

Event

Bodie Colwell will be a Featured Panelist at ABI Annual Spring Meeting

Bodie Colwell will be a featured panelist on "Danger Ahead! Avoiding and Addressing Ethical Landmines in Attorney Engagement and Compensation" at the American Bankruptcy Institute's Annual Spring Meeting. The panel focuses on disputes regarding engagement...

Press Coverage

Authorities Refuse to Release Records for Maine School Shooter Hoax Calls

On November 15, 2022, multiple law enforcement agencies in Maine received false calls alerting police to active shooter situations at several high schools throughout the state. In the wake of this widespread hoax, the Kennebec...

Press Coverage

What’s Inside Maine Freight Trains? Public Can Only Hazard a Guess

Due to an exemption from the state's Freedom of Access Act, Maine residents are prevented from reviewing information regarding the transportation through their communities via freight trains of potentially hazardous materials. Rail industry officials...