Services

Employment Law

Compliance with employment laws can be one of the most pressing concerns for any organization, whether you are a new business hiring its first employee or a large employer facing a major down-sizing.

Our commitment is to provide prompt and strategic advice delivered in clear and declarative language. Clients want advice to act on, not a legal treatise. Lawsuits by disgruntled employees and former employees are a constant threat to employers. We work to minimize the risks of a lawsuit being filed through preventative measures such as policy development, training, and HR audits, and also by timely counsel when a client is making an important personnel decisions.

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“These are hands-on lawyers who understand our industry and how our company operates. They bring intelligence, integrity, and innovation to their representation of L.L. Bean.”

Leon A. Gorman

L.L. Bean President (1967-2001), Chairman (2001-2013), Chairman Emeritus (2013-2015)

We help management make sense of the myriad labor and employment laws, regulations, and court decisions and offer practical advice tailored to client business needs.

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Where We Excel

Day-to-Day Advice & Counsel

Brann & Isaacson advises employers in all areas of day-to-day employee relations matters. Our clients want a partner who can respond in minutes to the unexpected personnel matter that calls for legal advice.

Clients turn to us for advice on terminations—whether an individual or a mass layoff. We steer clients through investigations, termination assessments, termination letters, WARN Act and severance pay notices, unemployment, references, confidentiality, severance, and COBRA. We draft separation agreements.

On wage and hour matters, we advise on exempt/non-exempt status, overtime, minimum wage, independent contractor status, FLSA, and a host of related compliance issues.

We counsel employers about workplace safety and OSHA compliance, and we defend enforcement actions.  

Labor-Management Relations

B&I works with both public and private sector employers in the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements and contract administration. In the event of a dispute, we handle arbitrations and unfair labor practice proceedings before the NLRB and state labor relation agencies.

Employment Investigations & Litigation

B&I regularly serves as special outside counsel in high profile, sensitive,internal investigations. We also support our clients with their own internal employee investigations. We have a skilled Title IX investigator who works closely with our educational clients in public schools and colleges.

In the event of a lawsuit, we provide seasoned trial counsel. We vigorously defend employers before state agencies, the EEOC, and federal and state courts in wrongful discharge, wage and hour, harassment, and discrimination claims, including claims based on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, FLSA, FMLA, COBRA, WARN Act, ADEA, ADA, EPA, and OWBPA. 

Employment Matters & Labor

B&I attorneys draft and review employment policies and employee handbooks, and keep clients informed of emerging developments through newsletters, alerts, and seminars.

Our training programs include workshops on performance management and termination, performance evaluation, workplace harassment and discrimination, managing leaves of absence and attendance, and interviewing and hiring.    

Conferences, Workshops & Publications

B&I lawyers share their knowledge and expertise throughout the year as regular speakers at employment and HR conferences and workshops, including: The Maine HR Conference, Samoset; Annual Employment Law Update, Central Maine Human Resources Association; Maine Rural Water Association Annual Conference; Maine School Management Annual Conference; and the L.L. Bean In-House HR Law Training.

Our Employment Law Team

Primary Contacts

Peter Lowe

Email: plowe@brannlaw.com

Phone: 207.786.3566

Daniel Stockford

Email: dstockford@brannlaw.com

Phone: 207.786.3566

  • Nathaniel Bessey

    Nathaniel Bessey

    Partner

  • Lynn Gelinas

    Lynn Gelinas

    Counsel

  • Eamonn Hart

    Eamonn Hart

    Partner

  • Peter Lowe

    Peter Lowe

    Partner

  • Daniel Stockford

    Daniel Stockford

    Partner

  • Hannah Wurgaft

    Hanna Wurgaft

    Partner

Recent News

  • Employment Law Webinar Series
    • Events

    September 22, 2026 at 12PM ET Peter and Dave are back after a summer break…

  • Earned Paid Leave is Back on Employers’ Radar
    • Client Alerts

    If your organization’s Earned Paid Leave (EPL) policy has not been reviewed recently, now may…

  • New Sexual Harassment Training Resource for Maine Employers
    • Client Alerts

    Peter Lowe recently participated in a panel convened by the Maine Human Rights Commission and…

View All News

Case Studies

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Recent
Cases

  • Former Price Promotions, Current Legal Risk

    Former price promotions, you say? Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. This isn’t just a quote from Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr or a line from Circumstances by Rush. It’s also a fitting description of the risks associated with California’s thorny and potentially unconstitutional Business & Professions Code § 17501. The combination of this statute and avaricious lawyers is…

  • Texas Breaking News!

    Tax on Marketplace Facilitator Commissions to be Repealed Marketplace facilitators and the businesses that rely on them received encouraging news from the new Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. On September 30, 2026, Don Huffines signed an executive order directing the agency to propose amendments to Texas Tax Rule 3.330 to remove marketplace and platform fees…

  • Good News From California: “Trap & Trace” Claims Bite the Dust

    In possibly the first time in recorded history, the California legislature amended one of its own laws to limit one kind of cynical money grab by plaintiffs’ lawyers—private lawsuits alleging routine website analytics are “pen registers” or “trap and trace” devices. Click here for more information.

  • PFA Discrimination – Who Knew About This Protected Class?

    When co-workers are in a relationship, it gets tricky when the relationship sours. Our Alert highlights a protected class under Maine law that has received very little attention.   Click below to view or download the full client alert. Read Full Article.

  • Peter Lowe to Join Panel on Navigating Conflict in Family Businesses

    Brann & Isaacson attorney Peter Lowe will participate in “Communication & Conflict: Handling Hard Conversations Without Breaking What Matters,” presented by the Institute for Family-Owned Business on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. The panel will explore how family businesses can approach conflict arising from major decisions, changes in direction, employee concerns, succession planning, growth, and unexpected…

  • Mike Carey and Eamonn Hart Lead Discussion on Law Court’s Consent Judgment Decision

    Mike Carey/Eamonn Hart recently led a discussion on the Law Court’s decision in 2026 ME 73 Town of Sabattus v. L.P. Poirier & Son, Inc., et al. at the Regional Organization of Municipal Attorneys (ROMA) recent mtg on 9/9. This case involved a land use enforcement matter brought by the Town and settled through the…

  • Brann & Isaacson Attorneys Led Estate Planning Workshop at Center Theatre 

    Brann & Isaacson attorneys Meghan Myers and Isobel Golden led a free estate planning workshop at the Center Theatre for the Performing Arts in Dover-Foxcroft on Monday, September 14, 2026.  The workshop provided practical information on estate and long-term care planning, including financial and health care powers of attorney, guardianship and conservatorship, end-of-life decisions, wills,…

  • Employment Law Webinar Series

    September 22, 2026 at 12PM ET Peter and Dave are back after a summer break and ready to continue their complimentary Employment Law Webinar Series. Join Peter Lowe of Brann & Isaacson and David Ciullo of Career Management Associates on Tuesday, September 22 at 12:00 PM for the next installment in this popular series, where they’ll discuss the latest developments and…

  • B&I University: The Latest Developments on Packaging EPR Programs

    Are you in compliance with new packaging regulations? Customer see a package. Regulators see obligations. Join Jamie Szal for a follow-up webinar on the hot topic of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Programs.  If your business manufactures, sells or imports packaged goods, these regulations could impact you.   This program will focus on the packaging EPR…

  • Brann & Isaacson Ranked by Chambers High Net Worth Guide for Private Wealth Law

    Brann & Isaacson has been ranked in the 2026 Chambers High Net Worth Guide for its Private Wealth Law practice in Maine, underscoring the firm’s reputation as one of the state’s leading private wealth practices. The firm advises individuals, families and closely held businesses on sophisticated estate planning, trust and estate administration, tax planning and…

  • Tax Notes State: Extraterritoriality and the Internet — In the State Tax Event Horizon

    On August 17, David Swetnam-Burland authored the latest installment of his Eyes on E-Commerce column for Tax Notes State, titled “Extraterritoriality and the Internet: In the State Tax Event Horizon.” States and localities are increasingly taxing online business activity that occurs entirely outside their borders — from Colorado home-rule cities to income tax theories based…

View All Cases

Retail & E-Commerce News

  • Former Price Promotions, Current Legal Risk

    Former price promotions, you say? Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. This isn’t just a quote from Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr or a line from Circumstances by Rush. It’s also a fitting description of the risks associated with California’s thorny and potentially unconstitutional Business & Professions Code § 17501. The combination of this statute and avaricious lawyers is…

  • Texas Breaking News!

    Tax on Marketplace Facilitator Commissions to be Repealed Marketplace facilitators and the businesses that rely on them received encouraging news from the new Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. On September 30, 2026, Don Huffines signed an executive order directing the agency to propose amendments to Texas Tax Rule 3.330 to remove marketplace and platform fees…

  • Good News From California: “Trap & Trace” Claims Bite the Dust

    In possibly the first time in recorded history, the California legislature amended one of its own laws to limit one kind of cynical money grab by plaintiffs’ lawyers—private lawsuits alleging routine website analytics are “pen registers” or “trap and trace” devices. Click here for more information.

  • PFA Discrimination – Who Knew About This Protected Class?

    When co-workers are in a relationship, it gets tricky when the relationship sours. Our Alert highlights a protected class under Maine law that has received very little attention.   Click below to view or download the full client alert. Read Full Article.

  • Peter Lowe to Join Panel on Navigating Conflict in Family Businesses

    Brann & Isaacson attorney Peter Lowe will participate in “Communication & Conflict: Handling Hard Conversations Without Breaking What Matters,” presented by the Institute for Family-Owned Business on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. The panel will explore how family businesses can approach conflict arising from major decisions, changes in direction, employee concerns, succession planning, growth, and unexpected…

  • Mike Carey and Eamonn Hart Lead Discussion on Law Court’s Consent Judgment Decision

    Mike Carey/Eamonn Hart recently led a discussion on the Law Court’s decision in 2026 ME 73 Town of Sabattus v. L.P. Poirier & Son, Inc., et al. at the Regional Organization of Municipal Attorneys (ROMA) recent mtg on 9/9. This case involved a land use enforcement matter brought by the Town and settled through the…

  • Brann & Isaacson Attorneys Led Estate Planning Workshop at Center Theatre 

    Brann & Isaacson attorneys Meghan Myers and Isobel Golden led a free estate planning workshop at the Center Theatre for the Performing Arts in Dover-Foxcroft on Monday, September 14, 2026.  The workshop provided practical information on estate and long-term care planning, including financial and health care powers of attorney, guardianship and conservatorship, end-of-life decisions, wills,…

  • Employment Law Webinar Series

    September 22, 2026 at 12PM ET Peter and Dave are back after a summer break and ready to continue their complimentary Employment Law Webinar Series. Join Peter Lowe of Brann & Isaacson and David Ciullo of Career Management Associates on Tuesday, September 22 at 12:00 PM for the next installment in this popular series, where they’ll discuss the latest developments and…

  • B&I University: The Latest Developments on Packaging EPR Programs

    Are you in compliance with new packaging regulations? Customer see a package. Regulators see obligations. Join Jamie Szal for a follow-up webinar on the hot topic of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Programs.  If your business manufactures, sells or imports packaged goods, these regulations could impact you.   This program will focus on the packaging EPR…

  • Brann & Isaacson Ranked by Chambers High Net Worth Guide for Private Wealth Law

    Brann & Isaacson has been ranked in the 2026 Chambers High Net Worth Guide for its Private Wealth Law practice in Maine, underscoring the firm’s reputation as one of the state’s leading private wealth practices. The firm advises individuals, families and closely held businesses on sophisticated estate planning, trust and estate administration, tax planning and…

  • Tax Notes State: Extraterritoriality and the Internet — In the State Tax Event Horizon

    On August 17, David Swetnam-Burland authored the latest installment of his Eyes on E-Commerce column for Tax Notes State, titled “Extraterritoriality and the Internet: In the State Tax Event Horizon.” States and localities are increasingly taxing online business activity that occurs entirely outside their borders — from Colorado home-rule cities to income tax theories based…

View All Online & Multichannell Marketing News