Peter Bennett

Attorney News & Announcements

• Peter Bennett Appointed to Board of Directors of the Appellate Judges Education Institute
• Peter Bennett to Serve as Special Advisor to American Bar Association Committee
• Peter Bennett Named to the Board of the National Judicial College - June 2014
• ABA Calls For Safer State Courthouses- Chicago Daily Law Bulletin - Feb 2014
• Peter Bennett to Take Part in the 2014 Diversity Summit Panel Discussion
• The Best Lawyers in America® 2013 Recognizes Two Bennett Law Firm Attorneys
• HR PowerHour Guest Speaker - Peter Bennett
• Oregon Earns 'D' Grade in National Judicial Review - OPB News - June 2012
• Peter Bennett, Chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Judicial Independence to sit on the ABA hearing Committee February 3, 2012

Experience

• 2011 to Present - The Bennett Law Firm, P.A., Portland, Maine - President and Treasurer - Practice of Labor and Employment Relations Law and Litigation
• 2010 to 2011 - The Bennett Law Firm, P.A., Portland, Maine - Treasurer - Practice of Labor and Employment Relations Law and Litigation
• 1992 to 2010 - The Bennett Law Firm, P.A., Portland, Maine - President and Treasurer - Practice of Labor and Employment Relations Law and Litigation
• 1988 to 1992 - The Bennett Law Firm, P.A., Portland, Maine - Member - Practice of Labor and Employment Relations Law and Litigation
• 1985 to 1988 - Fulbright & Jaworski, Houston, Texas - Associate Attorney - Practice of Labor and Employment Relations Law and Litigation

Education

• Phillips Academy (cum laude, 1978)
• Harvard University (A.B., cum laude, 1982)
• Boston University (J.D., cum laude, 1985; M.B.A., 1986)

Selected Professional Honors

• 2012 AV® Preeminent Attorney Rating in Labor & Employment Law
• The Nation's Top 100 Most Powerful Employment Attorneys
• Fellow, ABA College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
• Fellow, American Bar Foundation, State of Maine Chair
• Best Lawyers in America
• Chambers USA
• Boston University School of Law Silver Shingle Award for Service to the Profession
• Fellow, Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section Foundation
• ABA TIPS Public Service Honor Roll
• A-V Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
• Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers
• New England Super Lawyers
• Super Lawyers National Business Edition
• Who's Who (Various Publications)

Academic Honors

• Edward F. Hennessey Distinguished Scholar (ranked 1st in third year law school class of 425 students)
• Paul Liacos Scholar (second year of law school)
• John Harvard Scholarship (Junior year of college)
• Harvard Scholarship (awarded twice, Sophomore and Senior years of college)

Admissions

• U.S. Supreme Court - 1993
• U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit - 1992
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit - 1987
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit - 1986
• U.S. District Court, Districts of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Texas, Southern and Western Districts
• Maine - 1987
• New Hampshire - 2007
• Massachusetts - 2007
• Texas - 1985

Professional Memberships

• Maine State Bar Association
• Massachusetts Bar Association
• New Hampshire Bar Association
• State Bar of Texas (inactive)
• American Bar Association
  • Member, John Marshall Award Selection Committee to the ABA Justice Center Coordinating Council, 2010 - 2011
  • Task Force on Leadership Diversity Initiative, Member 2006-- ; Chair, 2009 - 2010
  • Member, ABA Task Force on Federal Agency Preemption of State Tort Laws, 2009 - 2010
  • Chair, Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice Section, 2007 - 2008
  • Chair Elect, Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice Section, 2006-2007
  • ABA Standing Committee on Judicial Independence, 2006 –
  • Executive/Administrative Committee, Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice Section, 2003 –2009
  • Vice-Chair, Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice Section, 2005-2006
  • Section Officers' Conference, Member, 2003--; Executive Committee, 2004-2005
  • Council Member, Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice Section, 2000—2009
  • Chair, Long Range Planning Committee, Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice Section, 2005-2006; Member 2010--
  • Secretary, Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice Section, 2003-2005
  • Fall Meeting Arrangements Chair, 2004-2005
  • Scholarship Board, Member, 2001-2002
  • Committee on Employment Law & Litigation, Chair, 1993-1995, Chair Elect, 1992-1993, Vice Chair, 1989-1992 and 1995--
  • Public Relations Committee, Chair, 1995-1997, Member and Chair-Elect, 1994-1995
  • Membership Committee, Chair, 1998-2000, Member and Chair Elect, 1997-1998
  • Family Life Committee, Chair, 1997-1999
  • Task Force on Strategic Alliances, Member at various times
  • Task Force on Law Student Involvement, Member at various times
  • Communications Coordinating Group, Member at various times
  • Financial Committee, Member at various times, including currently
  • Electronic Media Coordinating Group, Member in past
  • Member, Labor Law and Law Practice Management Sections
• Fellows of the American Bar Foundation, Maine State Chair, 2010 -
• The International Society of Primerus Law Firms, Director, 2000-2007; Regional Vice-President, 2000-2005, Charter Member, 1998-Present
• Boston University School of Law, Board of Visitors, 2003--; Alumni Association President, 2002-2003; President-Elect, 2001-2002; Vice-President, 2000-2001; Treasurer, 1999-2000; Executive Committee, 1997--, Member
• The Association of Trial Lawyers of America: Member, 1983-1996. (Young Lawyers Advisory Committee, 1991-1996; Employment Rights Section Executive Committee, 1993-1996)
• Million Dollar Advocates Forum

Teaching

• Faculty, University of Southern Maine Department of Continuing Education for Business, Personnel Law, 1989-- 2010;
• Employee and Labor Relations, 1995--2009
• Faculty, American Institute of Banking, Portland and Kennebunk, Maine, Personnel Law, 1990
• Guest Lecturer, Hotel and Hospitality Industry, Southern Maine Technical College, Personnel Law, 1993-1998
• Guest Lecturer, University Maine School of Law, Employment Litigation, 1995

Community Service

• Portland Museum of Art (Human Resources Committee, 2010--)
• Portland Stage Company (Board of Trustees, 2006--)
• Ingraham (Member, Board of Directors, 2003-2008)
• St. Joseph's Manor (Board of Trustees, 1994-2003; President, 1996-1998; President-Elect, 1995-1996; Treasurer, 2001-2003)
• Junior Achievement of Maine, Inc. (Board of Trustees, 1992-2001)

Seminars, Speeches and Presentations
Peter has given over 200 legal presentations in over 20 states. The following is a partial list of seminars, speeches and presentations that he has conducted:

• Peter Bennett to Speak at the Nevada Limited Jurisdiction Judges 2014 Winter Seminar
• February 9, 2011, Augusta, Maine, Kennebec Valley Human Resource Association, "Employment Law Update"
• November 3, 2010, Social Media and Employment Law Webinar, "The New Frontier"
• June 8, 2010, Labor & Employment Law Webinar, "Navigating Uncharted Waters: Protection of Confidential Information in a Mobile Society"
• January 26, 2010, Portland, Maine, "Fundamentals of Employment Law"
• November & December, 2008 and February, 2009, at numerous locations in Maine and New Hampshire, Presenter, "The Employee Free Choice Act - The Most Dramatic Change in Labor Law Since 1935"
• August 8, 2008, Ellis Island, New York, ABA Annual Meeting, Ellis Island Reception on Diversity, "From Generation to Generation" and presentation of TIPS Liberty Achievement Awards
• March 6, 2008, Phoenix, AZ, Welcome Remarks at ABA TIPS Conference, "Masters of the Courtroom: A Display of Innovative and Proven Trial Techniques"
• September 7, 2007, Chicago, Illinois, Facilitator, ABA Section Officers Conference, "Effective Relations with Section Staff"
• August 10, 2007, San Francisco, California, ABA Annual Meeting, "Why Be Active in the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section?"
• May 23, 2006, South Portland, Maine, "Employment Law from A to Z"
• January 6, 2006, Boston, Massachusetts, "Mental Disabilities Pose Challenge for Litigants Under ADA," (Labor and Employment Relations Association)
• December 2, 2005, Augusta, Maine, "The Legal Issues Managing Difficult Employees and Situations in the Workplace," (Maine Association of Payroll Professionals)
• September 14, 2005, Portland, Maine, "Maine FMLA Update 2005," (Council on Education in Management)
• June 9-11, 2004, South Portland, Maine, "Twelfth Annual New England Payroll Conference"
• November 19-21, 2003, Chicago, Illinois, "National Workers' Compensation & Disability Conference & Exhibit"
• July 22-24, 2003, Hyannis, Massachusetts, "Twenty-Third Annual National Workers' Compensation and Occupational Medicine Seminar"
• January 3, 2003, Washington, D.C., "When Zero Tolerance Makes Zero Sense: An Employer's Perspective," (The Industrial Relations Research Association)
• August 10, 2002, Washington, D.C., "Violence in the Workplace: How to Predict and Prevent It While Protecting Employee Rights," (ABA Annual Meeting; Labor and Employment Law Section)
• March 1, 2002, New York, New York, "Restoring Professionalism to the Profession," (American Bar Association; 2d Circuit Meeting of Law Student Division as Representative from TIPS)
• November 9, 2001, Atlanta, Georgia, "Handling Employee Misconduct Caused by a Disability," (American Bar Association National Program Co-Sponsored by TIPS and Labor and Employment Law Section. Served as Program Co-Chair)
• September 22, 2001, Rockport, Maine, "Employment Law Update" (Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel - Fall Meeting)
• August 5, 2001, Chicago, Illinois, "Employee Misconduct and the Americans with Disabilities Act," (American Bar Association 2001 Annual Meeting)
• July, 2001, Portland, Maine, "Bringing Professionalism Back to the Legal Profession," (Kiwanis Club)
• January 25, 2001, Rockland, Maine, "Litigating Sexual Harassment Cases: Tips and Twists," (Maine State Bar Association) (Moderator)
• July 8, 2000, New York, New York, "How to Find a Job," (American Bar Association; 2000 Annual Meeting Law Student Division Luncheon as Representative from TIPS)
• April 8-10, 1999, Chicago, Illinois, American Bar Association Second Annual National Institute on the Americans with Disabilities Act (Faculty and Co-Chair)
• December 17, 1998, Boston, Massachusetts, "Bullet-Proofing Clients from Sexual Harassment Claims," (Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc.)
• October 22-23, 1998, Boston, Massachusetts, "Emerging Issues in Employment Discrimination Litigation," (American Bar Association: TIPS)
• August 2, 1998, Toronto, Canada, "Trial Demonstration of a Workplace Electronic Monitoring Invasion of Privacy Case," (ABA Annual Meeting)
• July 29, 1998, Presque Isle, Maine, "How to Prepare Your Company Against a Unionization Campaign" (Northeast Society for Human Resource Management)
• January 22-24, 1998, New Orleans, Louisiana, ABA First Annual National Institute on the Americans with Disabilities Act (Co-Chair and Faculty)

Publications
Author

• "A Strategic Approach to Employment Cases in the Courtroom" in "Inside the Minds: Courtroom Strategies", Aspatore Books, 2008
• "Adding Real Value for the Client" in "Inside the Minds: Domestic and International Litigation Strategies: Leading Lawyers on Trial Preparation, Risk Assessment, and Best Practices for Prosecution and Defense", Aspatore Books, 2007
• "Defamation Claims Arising Out of the Employment Relationship," 33 Tort and Insurance Law Journal 857 (1998)
• "Mediating or Arbitrating an Employment Discrimination Claim," Employment Discrimination Litigation: Developments and Strategies, American Bar Association, 2000
• "Supreme Court Defines Employer's Liability for Sexual Harassment," TortSource, 1998
• "Direct Examination of the Defendant," The Practical Litigator, ALI-ABA, 1999
• "Direct Examination of the Defendant in a Wrongful Discharge Action," Litigating the Employment Tort Case: A Guide for Plaintiff and Defense Attorneys, American Bar Association, 1995

Contributing Author and Editor
Guide to Equal Employment Practices, Warren Gorham & Lamont, 1998

Contributing Author

• Bullet Proofing Clients From Sexual Harassment Claims, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, 1998
• "Foreword," Litigating the Sexual Harassment Case: A Guide for Plaintiff and Defense Attorneys, American Bar Association, 1994

Editor

• Insurance Coverage of Employment Disputes, American Bar Association, 1996
• Board of Editors, Personnel Law Update - National Edition, Council on Education in Management, 2004-2007 (Monthly Circulation: 14,000)