(Courtesy Erin Rhoda / The Courier-Gazette)

Kelly A. Gould of Lincolnville, left, and James Lee Nickelson of Camden, right, were inducted into the Maine State Bar Association Wednesday at Knox County Superior Court. Between them is attorney Elizabeth Gifford Stuart.

ROCKLAND - Two attorneys were inducted into the Maine State Bar Association Wednesday at Knox County Superior Court.

Fellow attorneys, family and friends watched on as Kelly A. Gould of Lincolnville and James Lee Nickelson of Camden took the oath at the association's induction ceremony Wednesday morning.  Justice Samuel W. Collins Jr. presided.

The Rev. Mark Glovin of Rockland's First Universalist Church, Maine Superior Court Justice Jeffrey Hjelm, Maine District Court Justice Patricia Worth and Knox County Probate Court Judge Carol Emery joined Collins in welcoming the pair.

Gould grew up in Connecticut and graduated from Morehead State University in Kentucky with a major in sociology.  She attended California State University at Sacramento to earn a master;s degree in social work and then graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Law in May 2007.  She has worked in the California State Legislature as a senior policy consultant in labor law.

Gould is married to Randy Helmhotz and is th emother of Carrie, 10, and Caitlin, 22.

Nickelson was an undergraduate at the University of Texas at Austin, where he majored in aerospace engineering.  He worked at NASA for three years, before attending Harvard Law School, from which he graduated in 1998.  He then moved to Colorado for four years to practice with three different law firms, mainly specializing in litigation and intellectual property work.  Afterward, he moved to Connecticut and worked for three years as in-house counsel at United Technologies Research Center.  Now, while living in Camden, he does long-distance work for Schubert, Osterrieder & Nickelson in Texas.

Nickelson is married to Becky Anderson and is the father of 20-month-old Eliza Nickelson.

At the induction, Collins encouraged the two to do pro bono work and explained a little of the history of distinguished lawyers in Maine.

The Maine State Bar Association is a professional and public service organization of more than 3,100 member lawyers licensed to practice in Maine.  It works to promote its members' professionalism and advance their skills and knowledge, helping them meet the legal needs of all Maine people and advance Maine's system of justice, according to its Web site.  Headquartered in Augusta, the MSBA is a voluntary association that serves as an advocate for lawyers, the courts, and the public.

AUGUSTA - The Maine State Courts will hold the spring Administrative Week this year during the week of March 31 through April 4, 2008. The purpose of these temporary hours is to allow Court personnel to catch up on important work of the court and only emergency matters will be heard.  During the Administrative Week, the Clerks’ Offices in all District Courts, Superior Courts, and the Supreme Judicial Court will be open to the public from 12:00 P.M. until 4:00 P.M.

ROCKLAND - The Knox County Bar Association has launched a new website at http://www.knoxbar.net.

Attorney Jason Heath, who oversees the website, commented, "The new website is a great resource for both attorneys and the public.  We have a comprehensive member directory that provides contact information about our members.  Additionally, the website contains many links to online legal resources."

Don Briggs, President of the Knox County Bar Association, agrees.  "The website allows us to communicate with our members and the public on important issues.  This is a very exciting time for the Association."

In addition to online legal resources, the new website contains a history of the Knox County Courthouse, a listing of past presidents of the Association, a history of the Association, Association Bylaws and news about the Association.

Attorney Alison Mynick commented, "This website contains something for everyone, both lawyer and non-lawyer alike."

Knox County Bar Association Enjoys an Evening of Art at the Farnsworth Art Museum
October 12, 2007

“This is a first for us,” said Attorney Don Briggs, President of the Knox County Bar Association, last Friday evening as he surveyed the Farnsworth Art Museum library filled with members and their guests eating dessert, drinking champagne and heading off into the galleries to view the museum’s acclaimed collection of art. Briggs explained, “We’ve had traditional get-togethers before, but we wanted to do something different, and nothing compares to having a private showing of art work of this caliber.” Attorney and Farnsworth Board Member Ed Miller worked with Museum staff to arrange for the private showing that took place on the evening of October 12th. “We’re really lucky to have a top rated museum here in the midcoast, and I have to say that the Farnsworth’s willingness to allow us to be here tonight says a lot about the value the museum places on community,” said Miller. The Knox County Bar Association has been in existence since about 1860 as an informal gathering of local attorneys holding a banquet the few times a year that a Superior Court Justice would travel to Rockland to conduct trials. In 1923 the Knox County Bar-Library Association was formally established by an Act of the Maine Legislature, and has been meeting to enjoy friendships outside the courtroom ever since. Association Treasurer, Attorney Randall Watkinson, summed up the evening, saying “In the courtroom we might be adversaries, but tonight, with family and friends, we’re just folks who also happen to be lawyers, getting together for a great time.”