Pierce Atwood

What Pierce Atwood does

Pierce Atwood LLP is a full-service regional law firm founded in 1891 and headquartered at Merrill's Wharf in Portland, Maine. The firm operates seven offices spanning Portland, Augusta, Boston, Providence, Portsmouth, Concord, and Washington DC, employing 501-1,000 people including over 150 attorneys. It delivers counsel across more than 40 practice areas, with concentrated depth in energy and renewable energy regulatory work, trusts and estates/private wealth, banking and financial services regulation, bankruptcy and creditors' rights, litigation, real estate, intellectual property, immigration, and mergers and acquisitions. The client base spans large corporations, financial institutions, energy companies, government entities, small and mid-sized businesses, and high-net-worth individuals across New England and nationally.

The firm's revenue model is traditional professional services billing, relying on hourly rates tiered by attorney seniority, fixed fees for specified matters, and contingency arrangements where applicable. Pricing is engagement-specific and not publicly disclosed; billing occurs monthly. Distribution is direct through attorney-led client engagements supported by a thought leadership apparatus that includes a website, the Maine Appeals blog, attorney-authored client alerts and newsletters, webinars, seminars, and active presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and JD Supra. Named enterprise engagements include Casella Waste Systems (multi-acquisition representation), AVANGRID (NECEC hydropower project), Cambridge Trust Company ($110M affordable housing financing), Electronic Recyclers International (IP counsel), and NEWSME Landfill Operations (three-decade representation).

The firm holds Chambers High Net Worth Band 1 rankings for Trusts & Estates in Maine and Rhode Island for ten consecutive years, Chambers USA recognition across energy, banking, bankruptcy, and litigation, and Legal 500 Boston Elite status for Banking & Finance. Best Lawyers in America recognized 83 Pierce Atwood attorneys across 50 practice areas in 2026, up from 77 in 2025 and 61 in 2024. The firm is privately held as a limited liability partnership under managing partner Molly Liddell, with no disclosed parent company, institutional investors, or M&A history.

Name

Pierce Atwood

Legal name

Pierce Atwood LLP

Website

https://pierceatwood.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1891

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Pierce Atwood LLP is a full-service regional law firm founded in 1891, headquartered in Portland, Maine, operating seven offices across New England and Washington DC. It serves corporate, institutional, governmental, and high-net-worth clients across 40+ practice areas with 150+ attorneys.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Real Estate & Construction Law (BPAHAAAE)

Keywords

• Legal advisory services
• Commercial litigation
• Trusts and estates
• Energy regulatory law
• Banking and finance law

Headquarters

HQ city

New England

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Billing: Traditional law firm revenue through hourly billing, fixed fees for specific services, and contingency arrangements where applicable. Clients include businesses, institutions, and individuals across diverse industries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pierce Atwood is a multiservice law firm delivering comprehensive legal counsel across more than 40 practice areas, including energy, real estate, litigation, bankruptcy and creditors' rights, banking and financial services, trusts and estates, immigration, intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, and tax. Services are sold through direct attorney-client engagements out of seven offices across New England and Washington, DC, and span both transactional work and litigation representation.

Product overview

Pierce Atwood is a multiservice law firm offering comprehensive legal services across multiple practice areas. The firm provides legal counsel through its network of offices throughout New England (Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Washington DC). Services span specialized practice groups including Energy, Real Estate, Litigation, Bankruptcy & Creditors' Rights, Trusts & Estates, Immigration, Intellectual Property & Technology, and numerous other legal disciplines. The firm serves clients ranging from individuals and small businesses to large corporations and institutions, delivering both transactional and litigation services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Energy Law Practice Legal services for power traders, public utilities, natural gas producers, pipelines, energy storage companies, and renewable energy developers covering FERC and state regulatory representation, project development, interconnection, and project finance.
• Real Estate Law Practice Legal counsel on commercial real estate matters including transactions, development, financing, and land use, with separate Boston commercial real estate and Maine real estate practice groups.
• Litigation Services Representation in commercial litigation, appellate matters, arbitration and mediation, class action defense, and probate litigation for businesses and individuals.
• Banking and Financial Services Practice Regulatory representation before the Federal Reserve, OCC, FDIC, CFTC, and state banking departments for national and international financial institutions, plus financing transactions and troubled loan workout work.
• Trusts and Estates Practice Estate planning, wealth transfer, trust administration, and charitable giving services for high net worth individuals and families, led by attorneys recognized in Chambers High Net Worth.
• Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights Practice Bankruptcy and creditors' rights representation, including restructuring matters, recognized in Chambers USA rankings.
• Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Legal counsel on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and corporate reorganizations for buyers, sellers, and target companies.
• Intellectual Property and Technology Practice Intellectual property counsel including patent prosecution, trademark strategy, IP portfolio management, and technology-related legal issues for corporate clients.
• Immigration Law Practice Counsel on employment-based immigration, corporate immigration compliance, and visa matters for businesses and individuals.
• Tax Practice Counsel on federal, state, and local tax matters including tax credit, tax strategy, and tariff strategy for corporate and individual clients.

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Casella Waste SystemscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing client relationship representing Casella in multiple acquisitions of waste disposal assets including a $47 million acquisition in western Massachusetts and Albany, NY, as well as multiple Maine acquisitions (Oceanside Rubbish, Central Maine Disposal)
• Electronic Recyclers International (ERI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerU.S. intellectual property counsel to ERI, the largest recycler of electronic waste in North America, providing patent and trademark strategies and IP portfolio management
• AVANGRIDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServing as legal counsel for AVANGRID's NECEC hydropower project bringing clean energy to New England
• NEWSME Landfill OperationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresented NEWSME Landfill Operations, operator of Maine's largest state-owned landfill, in licensing, expansion, and regulatory matters over three decades

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Preti Flaherty: Maine-headquartered full-service firm with offices across New England, offering overlapping practices in energy, litigation, real estate, and corporate law. Competes directly for the same regional institutional clients.
• Verrill Dana: Portland, Maine-based full-service law firm with comparable headcount and a similar regional New England footprint. Direct competitor for corporate, litigation, and trusts & estates work in Maine.
• Bernstein Shur: Portland, Maine-based multi-service firm serving New England clients across corporate, real estate, energy, and litigation practices — direct head-to-head competitor for mid-market and institutional clients in the region.

Broad incumbents

• Brown Rudnick: Boston-based full-service firm with practices in bankruptcy, litigation, energy, and corporate law. A comparable Boston/New England competitor, particularly for distressed and restructuring matters.
• Choate Hall & Stewart: Boston-based full-service firm with deep private client, real estate, and corporate practices. Overlaps with Pierce Atwood in serving high-net-worth clients and New England-based enterprises.
• Nixon Peabody: Larger national full-service firm with offices in Boston and other East Coast markets. Competes with Pierce Atwood on energy, banking, real estate, and trusts & estates matters, particularly for clients needing broader geographic reach.
• Mintz Levin: Boston-based full-service firm with a similar energy regulatory, real estate, and litigation bench. Larger scale and broader national footprint make it an incumbent competitor for cross-border or multi-state matters.
• Husch Blackwell: Mid-size national full-service firm with comparable headcount and a similar mix of energy, real estate, banking, and litigation practices. Competes for institutional and middle-market clients seeking multi-state capability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/pierceatwood
• Facebookfacebook.com/pierceatwoodllp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pierce-atwood
• Xx.com/pierceatwoodllp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pierce Atwood