Biography
Severin is one of Maine's best-known attorneys and has significant experience in legislative and regulatory issues. He is a founding partner of Preti Flaherty and directs the firm's Government Affairs practice in Augusta, ME and Washington, D.C. His practice also involves public issues, environmental projects and international trade.
Severin's private practice experience as a legal generalist, along with his work in public practice, the Maine Legislature and the U.S. Congress, make him uniquely qualified as a litigator concentrating in regulatory law and project development. His comprehensive understanding of every financing and regulatory agency in Maine allows him to employ creative, nontraditional legal solutions to problems by effecting changes in law as an alternative to litigation.
Throughout his career, Severin has been a leader in national and international organizations, giving him perspectives that transcend state boundaries. As a former director of the bipartisan American Council of Young Political Leaders, he helped promote cultural and political exchange programs among NATO countries and Eastern Europe. His work took him to Moscow, Leningrad, Riga and Tbilisi in the former Soviet Union. He also served on political leadership committees dealing with U.S.-Canadian relations, European security, the environment and technological change.
Severin was born in Rumford to a distinguished family of Maine lawyers and judges. His father, Albert J. Beliveau, Sr., was a justice of the Maine Supreme Court. His grandfather, Matthew McCarthy, served as the first municipal court judge in Rumford. His uncle, William E. McCarthy, was a Superior Court judge. His brother, Albert J. Beliveau, Jr., was Oxford County Judge of Probate and is a Member of Preti Flaherty.
Professional Activities
- Maine Bar Association
- State Bar Association and the Maine Trial Lawyers Association Director, Emerge Maine
Honors & Recognition
- Recipient of the French Legion of Honor Award, the highest distinction France awards civilians, for his leadership on key projects to improve the relationship between Maine and France (2008)
- President of the American Association of the Forum Francophone des Affaires, the Maine-based United States chapter of a worldwide alliance of 36 French-speaking nations working to promote economic development through business, industry and technology exchanges
- French Consular Agent for the State of Maine
- Selected by his peers for inclusion in Woodward/White's The Best Lawyers in America
- 2021 and 2023 Lawyer of the Year, Government Relations Practice (Augusta, ME)
- Rated AV® Preeminent™ by Martindale Hubbell
- Distinguished Professor of Franco American Studies at University of Maine, 2008-Present
Civic and Charitable Activities
- Director, Arts Engage Me
- Former Oxford County District Attorney
- Order National De La Légion D' Honneur, Member, 2009-Present
- Forum Francophone Des Affaires, President, 1996-Present
- Former member of the Maine State Senate and Maine House of Representatives
- Former chair of the Maine Democratic Party
- Former member, Democratic National Committee
- President, Governor John E. Baldacci's 2007 Transition and Inaugural Committee
- Former member of the Commission on Maine's Future
- Former member, Board of Trustees, American Council of Young Political Leaders
- Former director of Medical Care Development Inc.
- Former trustee of the University of Maine
- Founder of the Maine Alliance (part of the Maine Chamber and Business Alliance)
- Former president of the Samantha Smith Foundation, Board of Trustees, 1993-1996
- Former member of the Board of Governors of both the Maine State Bar Association and the Maine Trial Lawyers Association
- Former member of U.S. Capitol Police Department