State regulators have suspended the law license of former state Rep. Lynne Williams, an activist attorney who served for nearly two terms as a Democrat in the Legislature.
The order, which was written by the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar and approved by a judge, cites an “exigent circumstance” in the immediate interim suspension, but it does not go into detail on her conduct. The board oversees the professional conduct of licensed lawyers in Maine.
The order also cites 10 violations of the state’s rules for lawyer conduct but, aside from citing the specific rules by their identifying numbers, does not provide details on what the alleged violations were.
According to the information posted on the Overseers’ website, some of the rules Williams has been cited for pertain to diligence, communication with clients, nonrefundable fees, and safekeeping a client’s property and trust accounts. Other rules that Williams is alleged to have violated deal with truthful communications in lawyer disciplinary matters, committing criminal or unlawful acts, engaging in dishonest or deceitful conduct, and conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice, the site indicates.
In a separate order, state officials also placed Williams’ practice under receivership, requiring her to turn over all legal files, client information, funds, access to modes of communication and electronic equipment associated with her practice to two other attorneys while her license is suspended.
“Attorney Williams’ misconduct serves as an imminent threat to clients, the public and to the administration of justice,” the suspension order reads. Both orders were issued Dec. 17.
Williams did not respond Wednesday afternoon to messages seeking comment on her suspension. She served as a state representative from 2020 until last spring, having been re-elected in 2022. She resigned from her seat last spring to take a state job as a worker’s compensation mediator.
Prior to serving in the Legislature, Williams practiced as a lawyer specializing in marijuana business law and civil rights. After receiving her doctorate in social psychology, she worked in southern California as an organizer and also served as a fundraiser and campaign advisor for progressive candidates. Williams worked on then-Colorado Sen. Gary Hart’s presidential campaign from 1983 to 1984, according to her former biography on the Legislature’s website.
She sought the Maine Green Independent Party’s nomination for governor in 2010 but did not gather enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.
Before serving the Legislature, she narrowly lost to Republican incumbent William Blaisdell in the 2018 race for Hancock County probate judge, falling short by 25 votes out of nearly 28,000 cast in the election.
Blaisdell himself has since run afoul of state conduct rules since that election, having been suspended by the state’s top court last fall for violating judicial conduct rules.
His suspension capped off months of official scrutiny after he was found in contempt of court last spring for not paying child support to his ex-wife. As part of the court hearings related to Blaisdell’s messy divorce from his ex-wife, it was divulged that he had refused to pay nearly $50,000 in child support and had not filed tax returns from at least 2020 through 2022.
While serving in Augusta, Williams represented House District 14, which includes the towns of Bar Harbor, Cranberry Isles, Lamoine and Mount Desert.
