Practice Areas

James R. Erwin

Partner

Jim Erwin leads Pierce Atwood's Employment Group. He has extensive state and federal litigation experience in a wide range of substantive areas at the trial, appellate, administrative and arbitration levels. His practice involves the defense at agencies and in court of all forms of employment discrimination, including retaliation and whistleblower claims, as well as wage-hour claims and class actions, defamation claims, and labor arbitrations.

Jim counsels employers on a wide range of workplace issue, conducts training sessions on harassment and other workplace issues, and performs investigations for employers. He also advocates for employers before the Maine State Legislature and administrative agencies on selected, important issues of public policy.

Jim obtained contempt findings and a fine against local 14 of the United Paperworkers International Union a union for violence arising out of the strike at International Paper Company's Androscoggin Mill in 1987.

In 2007, Jim successfully led a coalition of employers and business associations before the Maine Legislature to obtain an amendment to the definition of disability under the Maine Human Rights Act.

Before joining Pierce Atwood Jim served for five years as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Maine. In that capacity he prosecuted homicides statewide and advised multiple state agencies on law enforcement matters.

In 1985, Jim was also appointed by the Governor to serve as a member of the Maine Human Rights Commission, Maine's Fair Employment Practice commission.

Recent Experience

Defense of multi-plaintiff and class action wage-hour cases
Defense of Federal False Claims Act and Whistleblower claims in U.S. District Court for hospital
Defense of employment-related claims arising out of termination by hospital in receivership
Defense of age and disability discrimination claims arising out of hospital IT reorganization
Arbitration of labor disputes involving discharges, health benefits and clocking for hospital clients