Experience

Ralph has been trying cases for over forty years.  His practice includes both civil and criminal matters, and he has handled cases on national and international levels.  His cases have included admiralty, airplane crashes, corporate controversies, income tax evasion, murder, personal injury, wrongful death, white collar crime, real estate, eminent domain, products liability, and other complex matters.  Ralph continues to have an active trial practice, focusing, for the most part, on complex commercial and personal injury cases for both plaintiffs and defendants.

Although actively involved in trial practice, Ralph has also engaged in public and professional service.  He was appointed Independent Counsel to investigate allegations against former U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman, serving from 1998 to 2000.  He has been appointed Special Master by the United States Supreme Court in three original jurisdiction caes, first in New Jersey v. Nevada, et al. (1987-1988), then in Virginia v. Maryland, (2001-2003) and most recently in New Jersey v. Delaware (2006-2008).  In 1984, Ralph served as counsel for the United States before the International Court of Justice in a dispute between Canada and the United States.  Ralph was President of the Maine State Bar Association (1982), President of the American College of Trial Lawyers (1989-1990), and Chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Federal Judiciary (1989-1991).

Honors and Distinctions

Ralph was included in the first issue of The Best Lawyers in America for Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense and Personal Injury Litigation and has been listed in every edition since then. He is also listed in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for Litigation.

Ralph is one of three Maine lawyers listed in The International Who's Who of Commercial Litigators.

Professional Activities

Ralph is an honorary member of the Canadian Bar Association.