Maine Tort Law

Jack H. Simmons is a founding partner of the Maine law firm of Berman & Simmons. He has been an active trial lawyer for more than 40 years and has tried complex medical malpractice cases, all types of tort cases, and significant criminal cases. He has been listed in every issue of The Best Lawyers in America under every litigation heading. Jack has served as both a member and Chair of the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Evidence and the Rules of Civil Procedure. He also served as the Chair of the Medical-Legal Committee of the Maine State Bar Association for twenty years and served on the Board of Governors of the Maine Trial Lawyers Association. Jack is a regular speaker on trial practice at CLE Seminars. Jack is a member of the state Bars of Maine and Massachusetts. He received his law degree from Boston University School of Law and his undergraduate degree from Bates College.

Donald N. Zillman is the Edward Godfrey Professor of Law at the University of Maine School of Law. Before coming to Maine as the Dean of the University of Maine Law School in 1991, Don served as an Army Judge Advocate officer and a professor of law at Arizona State University and the University of Utah. From 2006-2012, Don served as the President of the University of Maine at Presque Isle. He has also been a visiting professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point and the University of Southampton (UK). He received his LL.M. from the University of Virginia and his J.D. (Order of the Coif and Editor-in-Chief, Wisconsin Law Review) from the University of Wisconsin. Don also earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin.

Robert H. Furbish has been practicing law in Maine at the highest level for more than 30 years, the past 12 years with the law firm of Berman & Simmons. Bob represents clients involved in personal injury cases, particularly those involving motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice claims, and product liability actions. His practice covers a full range of insurance coverage disputes, and he is an experienced appellate advocate who has briefed and argued numerous appeals in the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Bob is a member of the state Bar of Maine and is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Bob received his law degree from Rutgers Law School and his undergraduate degree from Rutgers College.