PRACTICE AREAS
Employment & Labor
Collective Bargaining
School & Education
Disability Law
School Computer & Technology
School Employment
EDUCATION
University of Maine School of Law, J.D.,
cum laude, 2003
Colby College, including a semester at the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland (Spring 1997), B.A., 1998
BAR & COURT ADMISSIONS
Maine
New Hampshire
U.S. District Court, District of Maine
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
MEMBERSHIPS
Maine Council of School Attorneys
Member, 2009 to Present
Maine State Bar Association
Board Member, Board of Governors, 2008-2014
Maine State Bar Association
Member, Continuing Legal Education Committee, 2004-2010
Maine State Bar Association
Board Member and Chair, New Lawyers Section, 2004-2009; Chair 2006
New Hampshire Bar Association
Maine State Bar Association
Maine State Bar Association Labor & Employment Section
Co-Chair
COMMUNITY/PUBLIC SERVICE
Maine's Justice Action Group
Committee Member (2006-2007)
PRACTICE AREAS
Employment & Labor
Collective Bargaining
School & Education
Disability Law
School Computer & Technology
School Employment
EDUCATION
University of Maine School of Law, J.D.,
cum laude, 2003
Colby College, including a semester at the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland (Spring 1997), B.A., 1998
BAR & COURT ADMISSIONS
Maine
New Hampshire
U.S. District Court, District of Maine
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
MEMBERSHIPS
Maine Council of School Attorneys
Member, 2009 to Present
Maine State Bar Association
Board Member, Board of Governors, 2008-2014
Maine State Bar Association
Member, Continuing Legal Education Committee, 2004-2010
Maine State Bar Association
Board Member and Chair, New Lawyers Section, 2004-2009; Chair 2006
New Hampshire Bar Association
Maine State Bar Association
Maine State Bar Association Labor & Employment Section
Co-Chair
COMMUNITY/PUBLIC SERVICE
Maine's Justice Action Group
Committee Member (2006-2007)
Peter Felmly is Drummond Woodsum’s Practice Group Leader for the School & Local Government group. He counsels private sector employers and public schools in all aspects of labor law, employment law, and school law.
Peter advises employers of all sizes on compliance with state and federal employment laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Maine Human Rights Act, and the Whistleblowers’ Protection Act. His practice involves counseling management and human resources personnel on hiring practices, discipline and discharge practices, conducting workplace investigations, and employee classification issues. Peter helps employers conduct training for employees and supervisors, and assists employers with the development of employment agreements, separation agreements, employment policies and handbooks. He also regularly represents employers at the bargaining table, in grievance arbitration proceedings, in state and federal court proceedings, and before administrative agencies, including the Maine Human Rights Commission, the Maine Labor Relations Board and the Department of Labor.
In addition, Peter provides advice and counsel to schools regarding the constitutional rights of students and school employees, public schools’ obligations under Maine’s Freedom of Access Act, and compliance with a myriad of state and federal laws and regulations controlling the operation of educational institutions. He frequently provides seminars and trainings for his school clients on a variety of topics, including effective hiring practices, teacher evaluations, investigating staff misconduct, employees’ and students’ rights under the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments, collective bargaining strategies, and copyright law for educators.
Peter received his undergraduate degree from Colby College and his law degree from the University of Maine School of Law. Peter is also a co-author of Maine School Law (6th edition 2018), and has served as a lead instructor for graduate-level school law courses offered by the University of Southern Maine. He has been selected by Best Lawyers in America in the area of Employment Law.
REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS & MATTERS
Regional School Unit No. 5 v. The Coastal Education Association
Mount Abram Teachers Association v. M.S.A.D. 58
Michael Doyle v. Town of Falmouth, et al.
Richardson v. Winthrop Sch. Dept.
Bristol West Ins. Co. v. Wawanesa Mut. Ins. Co., et al.
Blethen Maine Newspapers, Inc. v. Portland School Committee
St. John v. City of South Portland
Berry v. City of South Portland
Cyr v. Madawaska School District
Downeast Coffee Co. v. Seacoast Coffee Company, LLC, et al.
Cole v. Maine School Administrative District No. 1
AWARDS
-
New England Super Lawyers, Employment & Labor, Schools & Education, Employment Litigation, Rising Star 2008-2016
-
Best Lawyers USA, Employment Law - Management
PUBLICATIONS
- Editor, Maine School Law and Practice for Board Members: A Practical Guide, 5th Edition (2017)
- Co-Author, Maine School Law, 5th Edition (2014)
- Co-Author, Maine School Law, 4th Edition (2012)
Peter Felmly is Drummond Woodsum’s Practice Group Leader for the School & Local Government group. He counsels private sector employers and public schools in all aspects of labor law, employment law, and school law.
Peter advises employers of all sizes on compliance with state and federal employment laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Maine Human Rights Act, and the Whistleblowers’ Protection Act. His practice involves counseling management and human resources personnel on hiring practices, discipline and discharge practices, conducting workplace investigations, and employee classification issues. Peter helps employers conduct training for employees and supervisors, and assists employers with the development of employment agreements, separation agreements, employment policies and handbooks. He also regularly represents employers at the bargaining table, in grievance arbitration proceedings, in state and federal court proceedings, and before administrative agencies, including the Maine Human Rights Commission, the Maine Labor Relations Board and the Department of Labor.
In addition, Peter provides advice and counsel to schools regarding the constitutional rights of students and school employees, public schools’ obligations under Maine’s Freedom of Access Act, and compliance with a myriad of state and federal laws and regulations controlling the operation of educational institutions. He frequently provides seminars and trainings for his school clients on a variety of topics, including effective hiring practices, teacher evaluations, investigating staff misconduct, employees’ and students’ rights under the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments, collective bargaining strategies, and copyright law for educators.
Peter received his undergraduate degree from Colby College and his law degree from the University of Maine School of Law. Peter is also a co-author of Maine School Law (6th edition 2018), and has served as a lead instructor for graduate-level school law courses offered by the University of Southern Maine. He has been selected by Best Lawyers in America in the area of Employment Law.
REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS & MATTERS
Regional School Unit No. 5 v. The Coastal Education Association
Mount Abram Teachers Association v. M.S.A.D. 58
Michael Doyle v. Town of Falmouth, et al.
Richardson v. Winthrop Sch. Dept.
Bristol West Ins. Co. v. Wawanesa Mut. Ins. Co., et al.
Blethen Maine Newspapers, Inc. v. Portland School Committee
St. John v. City of South Portland
Berry v. City of South Portland
Cyr v. Madawaska School District
Downeast Coffee Co. v. Seacoast Coffee Company, LLC, et al.
Cole v. Maine School Administrative District No. 1
AWARDS
-
New England Super Lawyers, Employment & Labor, Schools & Education, Employment Litigation, Rising Star 2008-2016
-
Best Lawyers USA, Employment Law - Management
PUBLICATIONS
