Bernstein Shur's Linda McGill Speaks to Maine Municipal Association on 'Alternative Workforce' Issues Facing Local Governments

Linda D. McGill, a prominent labor attorney with Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson in Portland, spoke recently to the Maine Municipal Association on the issues faced by public officials in trying to maintain and enhance services under the tight fiscal constraints faced by many local governments.

In an effort to stabilize property taxes and meet legislative spending caps, municipal officials around the state are considering regionalization, contracting with private businesses, and using more part-time workers.

“These innovations could be the silver lining in the fiscal cloud,” McGill noted. However, new ways of delivering services will inevitably impact the jobs of current local government employees.

“It is important for elected and appointed officials to be aware of employment law issues as they consider how new service delivery models will affect their employees,” McGill said. “This will help them avoid practical and legal problems that could undo the savings and enhancements that they are hoping to achieve.

McGill also gave the group an overview of the latest employment law developments from the state and federal courts, noting increases in age and disability discrimination claims.

McGill is a top labor and employment law attorney in Maine, and is a shareholder at Bernstein Shur. She serves employers in the private and public sectors in all areas of labor law, including matters governed by the NLRA and public sector labor laws; union management negotiations; Title VII, ADA, and other discrimination matters. She also works in the area of workplace safety, executive compensation and employment contracts, and intellectual property issues in employment law. McGill is regularly selected by her peers for inclusion in both Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA.

McGill was also involved in organizing the recent State Hearing Officer Annual Conference held in Hallowell, a program sponsored by the Justice Action Group to improve access to justice for Maine residents, particularly those who are in financial need. The conference, supported by the Maine Community Foundation and Maine Bar Foundation, helps promote the best adjudicatory practices in Maine.

A resident of Freeport, McGill is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law and received her Bachelor of Science degree, magna cum laude, from Randolph-Macon Women’s College. She is involved in the Volunteer Lawyers Project and the Women’s Law Section of the Maine State Bar Association, and is currently editor of the Women’s Law Section newsletter.

Bernstein Shur is one of northern New England’s largest law firms with 85 lawyers in offices in Portland and Augusta, Maine and in Manchester, N.H. The firm provides legal services in all other major subject areas, including corporate and commercial law, litigation and trials, municipal and governmental affairs, labor and employment law, education law, construction law, and tax and estate planning. The firm also has an active practice in bankruptcy, health law, environmental law, technology and commerce, legislative law, intellectual property, public utilities, and other regulated industries. For more information, visit the Bernstein Shur web site at www.bssn.com.

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