Portland attorney Maria Fox, a partner at Murray Plumb & Murray, is one of eleven nominees named by the Governor to begin serving on the Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Authority next month. Fox was nominated to serve in the Authority seat reserved for a member with expertise in employment law representing employee interests.

The fifteen-member Authority is responsible for overseeing the implementation and administration of the Paid Family and Medical Leave program that will make available 12 weeks of paid time off to eligible public and private sector workers beginning in 2026.

“I am proud to nominate each of these qualified individuals to serve on the Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Authority,” said Governor Janet Mills in an announcement made by her office last month. “I am confident that each will work hard to ensure that Maine’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave Program serves its intended purpose of helping Maine people deal with life’s unexpected challenges while accommodating potential hardships for Maine employers.”

“The paid family and medical leave program will impact so many Mainers, and I’m honored to have been selected for this important role as Maine joins the wave of states around the country making paid family and medical leave a reality,” said Fox. “I am especially interested in working to ensure that, from its inception, this new benefits program has a solid foundation that is set up for long term success and accessibility for employees.”

Maria Fox has practiced employment law for over 25 years. She provides legal consultation and representation before administrative tribunals as well as in state and federal court to both employees and employers. Her experience covers a broad range of workplace disputes, and she has negotiated countless employment contracts and severance agreements, working with high level employees including CEOs and School Superintendents.

Fox provides neutral services, including mediation and arbitration, as well as independent investigations of workplace issues for employers faced with difficult or highly sensitive personnel matters. Fox’s clients include employers and employees in all types of public and private settings, including healthcare entities, non-profit organizations, law enforcement agencies, schools (pre-K through higher education), factories, and law firms.

Fox is a frequent presenter on employment law and alternative dispute resolution topics for professional organizations such as the Maine Association of Mediators and the Maine State Bar Association (MSBA). She is a former Co-Chair of the Women’s Law Section of the MSBA and she is a member of the MSBA Labor and Employment Law Section, the Maine Employment Lawyers Association, and the National Employment Lawyers Association. She serves on the Employment Arbitration Panel and the Labor and Employment Mediator Panel for the American Arbitration Association. The Maine Human Rights Commission and Maine Labor Relations Board selected her to serve on their respective mediator panels. She is a resident of Portland.

The Governor’s nominations were confirmed by the Joint Standing Committee on Labor and Housing on February 13th and approved by the Senate on February 15th. Her nomination was broadly supported by the Maine Employment Lawyers Association and the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, among others. Fox has been appointed for two years and the Benefits Authority is scheduled to begin meeting next month.

More information about Maine’s Paid Family and Medical Leave is available online at https://www.maine.gov/labor/pfml/