Brann & Isaacson expanding to lawyer-depleted Piscataquis County

File Photo / Tim Greenway Stacy Stitham, managing partner of Brann & Isaacson, is a direct descendant of the founding partners of the Hayes Law Offices in Dover-Foxcroft.

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By Renee Cordes

Brann & Isaacson, a Lewiston-based law firm with a second office in Portland, is expanding to lawyer-depleted Piscataquis County with a satellite location in Dover-Foxcroft. It plans to take over the former Hayes Law Offices, which is closing after 136 years in business.

Brann & Isaacson's roots go back to 1927. Seeking to capitalize on the increasing use of remote conferencing tools, Brann & Isaacson said it saw an opportunity to provide legal services in an underserved area by expanding its footprint with a third office location.

The most recent annual Maine State Bar Association report shows that there are only six lawyers in Piscataquis County — the lowest of any Maine county — while densely populated Cumberland County boasts 1,163 attorneys.

“There is a large, unmet market in Maine today with fewer and fewer rural practitioners, yet people in these areas continue to have legal needs,” said Stacy Stitham, managing partner at Brann & Isaacson and former president of the Maine State Bar Association.

“This is a market that needs business law services," she added. "We’re thrilled to be able to serve clients throughout this region with a satellite office, remote tools and all the benefits that modern technology brings."

Growth spurt

For Brann & Isaacson, the rural expansion comes on the heels of a growth spurt that saw the firm add four attorneys to its ranks in 2025. The firm also said it looks forward to welcoming back its former summer associate after she completes law school.

With 21 attorneys employed in Maine, the firm was ranked No. 10 in last month’s list of the state's largest law firms published by Mainebiz.

Stitham was born and raised in Dover-Foxcroft and is a direct descendant of Hayes Law Offices' founders, C.W. and H.M. Hayes. As a child, she even played “lawyer” in those very offices. She is a graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Law School.

In Dover-Foxcroft, she said Brann & Isaacson will serve as an "alternative option for business and estate planning legal services in the region," she said. "And I hope this serves as a model for other law firms in rural states, that we can innovate and serve residents, regardless of their geography.”

To facilitate the transition in Dover-Foxcroft, Brann & Isaacson has hired Hayes’ longtime paralegal, Amanda Sickles, to serve the residents of Piscataquis County and elsewhere from the new satellite office, located at 592 Bangor Road. Starting in January, it will be open by appointment only.