Maria Fox
Partner / Chair of ADR & EMPLOYMENT Practice GroupS
“I love employment law. No matter is too big or too small. I especially enjoy working with employers to find fair and sensible solutions to workplace problems, being a powerful advocate for employees who need a voice, and serving as a mediator in complex or high conflict cases where my knowledge of the law and my understanding of people can shine.”
Practice Areas
- Alternative Dispute Resolution – Practice Chair
- Employment
- Employment – Practice Chair
- Litigation & Trial
Education
Northeastern University School of Law, JD
Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, cum laude, B.A. in Public Policy
Clerkships
Legal extern for the Honorable Eugene Wright, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Bar & Court Admissions
- Maine
- U.S. District Court for the District of Maine
- First Circuit Court of Appeals
Maria Fox (she/her) has practiced employment law for over 20 years, and has spent the last decade also providing neutral services including mediation, arbitration and independent investigations.
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 all manner of workplace disputes, including allegations of wrongful termination, disability discrimination, sexual harassment, whistleblower retaliation, non-payment of wages and overtime, breach of contract and non-competition agreements, and more. She has negotiated countless employment contracts and severance agreements, and has experience working with high level employees, including CEOs and School Superintendents. She also regularly troubleshoots with employer clients regarding matters such as disability accommodation, managing internal employee complaints and leaves of absence, and whether and how to terminate an employee.
Maria drafts and refines employee handbooks in addition to providing preventative training for employers, including anti-harassment, reasonable accommodations in the workplace, and supervisor best practices. She also offers private mediation and arbitration in labor and employment matters, and serves as a mediator for the Maine Human Rights Commission, the Maine Labor Relations Board, and Maine’s Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Services. She serves on the Employment Arbitration Panel and the Labor and Employment Mediator Panel for the American Arbitration Association.
Maria was recently appointed to the Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Authority in the seat reserved for a member with expertise in employment law representing employee interests.
Her experience includes facilitating high stakes communications and negotiations in internal workplace disputes as well as serving as an independent investigator of workplace issues for employers faced with difficult or highly sensitive personnel matters. Maria’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.
Maria is a frequent presenter on employment 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 and ADR Section, the Maine Employment Lawyers Association, and the National Employment Lawyers Association. Maria served on the Board of STAGES Youth Theater in Portland from 2017-2023
Maria grew up in rural Quebec where she learned French at a young age. She lives in Portland with her spouse and their two daughters.