Municipal Law & Litigation

Ben has served as counsel to municipalities spanning from Berwick to Fort Kent.

Litigation can pose significant costs to towns, cities and governmental bodies. When representing municipalities, Smith Legal seeks to provide proactive advice in order to avoid litigation whenever possible. Smith Legal assists municipalities and other government entities in drafting policies, ordinances, and charters. We are also prepared to assist municipalities with other matters, including, land use/enforcement actions, zoning, variances, tax abatement and assessing, and tax increment financing matters. We strive to always provide our private and public clients with proactive advice in order to minimize the likelihood of litigation. However, when litigation is inevitable, we handle such matters diligently, effectively, and efficiently. Although we are a small firm, we are known to “fight above our weigh class and win.”

When representing developers and others before municipalities, Ben leverages his knowledge of municipal and regulatory law and his training as a litigator to help clients seek the most cost-effective solution to meet their needs. He approaches cases pragmatically. Clients are informed of the risks and the pros and cons of litigation and non-litigated outcomes in order that they can make informed decisions.

In addition to his practice experience, Ben has served on and chaired several municipal boards and committees, giving him first-hand experience into navigating the municipal process.