Elizabeth J. Ernst

Elizabeth J. Ernst was born in Buffalo, New York and attended State University of New York at Fredonia (B.A., high honors, 1976) and DePaul University (J.D., 1983). Admitted to practice in Maine,Illinois, and the U.S. District Court, Liz is a member of the Maine and Illinois State Bar Associations.

In addition to a general civil litigation practice, Liz specializes in employment and workers' compensation law – representing employers in employment cases under the state and federal discrimination laws, such as the Maine Human Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Family Medical Leave Act.

Liz is a frequent speaker on the issues of employment law and workers' compensation, particularly addressing the interplay between the ADA and the Workers' Compensation Act (Liz coauthored the Maine Employers Guide: Workers Compensation [1992] and Maine Workers' Compensation Handbook: Employer's Guide, Second Edition [1996], published by Northern New England Law Publishers). Liz practices before the state and federal courts, the Maine Human Rights Commission, the EEOC, and the Workers' Compensation Board.

Liz also has maintained a gratifying 27 year adoption practice representing birth and adopting parents. Her experience includes domestic interstate work (ICPC), step-parent, grandparent, single parent and non-traditional situations working with agencies and private cases as well as litigation is this field.

Liz practices under the premise that the most effective attorney-client relationships are collaborative and that the best results are achieved through honest and direct dialogue. Not afraid to aggressively argue a point, Liz also recognizes that there's often room for non-combative tactics and/or arguments. These qualities have been the hallmark of her many years of successful legal practice.

E-mail: