Business Law Practice Group

Skelton, Taintor and Abbott's deep team of business lawyers has the training and business experience to address all business clients' legal needs. We handle the organization, finance and operational needs of our clients. We represent them in commercial planning, contract negotiations, regulatory compliance, and general company legal compliance. Skelton, Taintor & Abbott's attorneys have expertise in structuring business ownership, and succession plans and creating the documents and financing strategies to make them, succeed. We have business clients we have helped through generations of ownership. At all stages of the business venture, Skelton, Taintor and Abbott provides clients with sound, cost-effective legal solutions.

Bryan M. Dench has experience since 1975 representing and counseling businesses and their owners, especially many small independent businesses. He has extensive experience handling contracts, commercial transactions, limited liability companies, mergers and acquisitions, corporate and business planning, labor, employment, collective bargaining, and tax matters. He has handled many tax disputes and has tried cases in the United States Tax Court. Mr. Dench also works with our business clients on their personal estate and financial planning. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America as a tax attorney.

Bryan M. Dench Publications (Partial List)

Estate Planning For Shareholders Of Closely Held Corporations: Valuation Problems After Chapter 14, 11 Maine Bar Journal 298 (September 1996)

Avoiding Federal Estate Tax On Inflation, 9 Maine Bar Journal 44 (January 1994).

Medicaid Planning With Retained Life Interests, The Elder Law Report, Vol. IV, Number 6, at 1 (January 1993).

Planning With Life Estates, 6-August Probate & Property 38 (ABA, July/August 1992)

Business Valuation Tax Freezes After OBRA 1990, 7 Maine Bar Journal 238 (July 1992)

Farming and Ranching In The Corporate Form, 20 A.B.A. Real Property, Probate & Trust Journal 777 (Fall 1985) (one of fourteen co-authors)

Peter M. Garcia is an expert in private and public finance and handles finance, borrowing and banking matters for many financial institutions and businesses. He is an approved bond attorney with experience in many public financings, and is listed in the publication The Bond Buyer's Municipal Marketplace.

Norman J. Rattey is an expert in banking and finance law, and represents lenders and business borrowers. He is general counsel for, among others, Androscoggin Savings Bank and Auburn Savings and Loan. He represents many business entities and business people.

Gretchen L. Jones represents and counsels entities and individuals in all areas of business and commercial matters. She handles mergers, acquisitions and spin offs for the firm's clients, from planning stages through consummation. She also advises clients as creditors in bankruptcy proceedings and handles state and federal trademark and federal copyright matters. She has extensive experience in legislative and regulatory advocacy on behalf of clients before the State Legislature, members of Congress, federal financial regulators and state agencies.

Darcie P. L. Beaudin is an experienced commercial and bankruptcy lawyer. Ms. Beaudin has extensive experience representing creditors in refinancing and restructuring extensive commercial liabilities and protecting their interests in bankruptcy proceedings. She also represents businesses experiencing financial difficulties, developing and negotiating work-out agreements or seeking bankruptcy relief. Ms. Beaudin assists both purchasers and sellers in asset sales and stock transfers and both lenders and borrowers in commercial loan transactions. Ms. Beaudin has extensive experience drafting and negotiating a variety of business relationship agreements, including consulting agreements, material supply agreements, and commercial leases. Ms. Beaudin also represents entities and individuals in forming new business organizations and new non-profit organizations, including obtaining federal tax-exempt status.

Marc N. Frenette represents entities and individuals in business and corporate matters. Mr. Frenette has expertise in start-up and new business organization and formation, business operations and governance, and in mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Frenette represents entities and individuals in negotiating and preparing shareholder, partnership, employment, acquisition and other commercial agreements. Mr. Frenette also has extensive experience in representing clients in a variety of business related disputes involving shareholder and partnership disputes, shareholder and director deadlocks, business frauds, non-competition agreements, contract disputes, and other disputes that have their origin in business transactions.