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Jeff Ashby Opens New, General

Practice Law Firm in Presque Isle

 

By:  David Deschesne

Fort Fairfield Journal, October 24, 2018

 

   With 26 years of practicing law in various capacities in Aroostook County, Fort Fairfield native, Jeff Ashby has opened his own legal practice in Presque Isle.

   After graduating from the University of Maine School of Law in 1992, Ashby went to work in Alan Harding's law office in Presque Isle where he stayed for ten years.  He then took over the manager position at Pine Tree Legal, a general practice law firm dedicated to serving low income clients.  “We did a lot of helping people get benefits, protection from Domestic Violence, a lot of housing work where we represented tenants,” said Ashby. 

   Most recently, Ashby worked at TAMC as their Compliance Officer and made the decision to open his own law office only two months ago in a neighboring house he and his wife recently purchased on the corner of Park and Dyer Streets.   “This building is next door to my home.  We saw that it was for sale.  My wife, Desiree Chasse and I thought that it would be a good thing for us to own this building.  We weren't sure what we wanted to do with it but it's the building between the street corner and our house so owning all the way to the corner is something that we thought we'd like to do.  We originally thought it was going to be a rental property but upon buying it I started to think about how ideal it would be for a private practice law firm.    That really started the process for me to open my own firm.  I started thinking along those lines and Desiree was in agreement, so that's the decision we made.”

   “The house needed a great deal of work, a lot of work, and that was another reason why we wanted to buy the property.  We really like this section of town.  It's the old Gouldville section of town and there are some really nice houses around us but increasingly there are some really run down properties.  We think that this was one of them.  There was a big stockade fence around the property, the house was badly in need of paint.  The very first thing that we've done is put a coat of paint on the house, painted it green, we have a new roof and of course we remodeled the interior to suit our needs for a law firm.  Now, we're very pleased with the property.”

   “The property itself is a very beautiful property.  But it needed some tender loving care when we bought it.  Those are really all the reasons that went into the decision to buy the property and then ultimately it made perfect sense that we try this law firm.”

   Ashby plans on a general practice focusing on family law, and personal injury work.  “That's the kind of work I intend to be doing here, now,” he said.  “I will do some criminal law, thought it's not my favorite area of the law, and of course personal injury work.  If folks are injured in an accident, we'd be happy to represent those people.”  He explained family law encompasses a wide array of services from divorce and custody to estate and guardianship as well as adoptions.

   “I think if people have a legal issue that comes up they should speak to me and chances are that we'll either do it, or find someone that can do it for them.” 

   A Fort Fairfield High School graduate, Ashby is proud of the area he grew up in.  “I am Aroostook County, born and raised here and I never would have left.   I had this great opportunity right at the perfect time in my life to start this practice. I really want to make sure that the people of Aroostook County know that I'm still a “County Boy” - as it is - and still pretty eager to help the people of Aroostook County.”

   “I'm not sure that everyone would agree with this statement, but the reality is we need more attorneys here and so I hope I have a busy, vibrant practice.  I certainly want to help the people of Aroostook County.”

   Ashby plans to offer his service throughout Aroostook County.  “I'll practice law in any of the five District Courts in Aroostook County between Madawaska and Houlton, or either of the two Superior Courts in Caribou or Houlton.”

   For more information, visit www.ashbylawoffice.com or phone (207) 760-1400.