Jodi Nofsinger, Nicole Maines to speak about historic transgender case

Jodi Nofsinger, an attorney at Berman & Simmons, will give a presentation with Nicole Maines and her father, Dr. Wayne Maines, to law students and the public at the University of Maine School of Law in Portland on Friday, March 24. The talk will be held from 12:10 to 1:10 p.m. in the law school’s moot courtroom.

Nicole Maines has earned a national reputation for fighting for the rights of transgender students in Maine and nationwide. Nofsinger, one of Maine’s top trial lawyers, has played a key role as part of Nicole’s legal team.

In 2014, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the Orono school district violated the state’s Human Rights Act by not allowing Nicole to use girls’ bathrooms. It was the first time that a state high court concluded that a transgender person has the right to use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify.

The ruling represented a groundbreaking victory for the Boston-based Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, and the Berman & Simmons law firm, which assisted GLAD and the ACLU of Maine in the representation of Nicole.

In Friday’s presentation at Maine Law, Nofsinger, Nicole, and Wayne Maines will reflect on Nicole’s journey, the legal battles, and the momentum achieved through victory.

Jodi Nofsinger, Berman & Simmons

Jodi Nofsinger, Berman & Simmons

Here is more informattion from the LGBT+ Law & Policy Group and the Maine Juvenile Law Society at the law school:

A Talk with Nicole Maines, Dr. Wayne Maines, and Attorney Jodi Nofsinger

Fri, March 24, 12:10pm – 1:10pm

Maine Law, 246 Deering Avenue, Moot Courtroom

Description

The LGBT+ Law & Policy Group and the Maine Juvenile Law Society Present: A Talk with Nicole Maines, Dr. Wayne Maines, and Attorney Jodi Nofsinger On December 28th 2007, when Nicole Maines was 10 years old, she listened to her parents remind her and her identical twin brother Jonas to be proud of who they are. Later that year she learned about other people’s fears, hate, and real danger. Her parents used words, like courage, justice and equality. They said “When it is safe to do so you must fight for what you believe in.” They did and they won.

Come meet Nicole, her father (Wayne) and their attorney Jodi Nofsinger as they look back at the journey and discuss the future. Nicole Maines has been recognized nationally for fighting for transgender students across the nation. In January of 2014 the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled that Nicole’s rights had been violated under the state’s Human Rights Act, marking a historic and landmark victory for transgender rights in the U.S. In the fall of 2015 Nicole was featured in a New York Times Bestseller, Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family.

Dr. Wayne M. Maines and his amazing wife Kelly have worked extremely hard to raise their children in an environment that was not ready for a new generation of transgender children. Wayne is an Air Force veteran, an outdoorsman and basket maker who also has a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and Doctor of Education from West Virginia University. Wayne has written articles for Time Magazine, the BBC and the Huffington Post– all stories about helping society learn to accept and support transgender children.

Jodi Nofsinger is a trial attorney at Berman & Simmons in Lewiston, Maine. Her practice focuses on representing plaintiffs in medical negligence and personal injury cases. She is a graduate of the University of Maine School of Law (Class of 1996) and the University of Illinois. She serves on the Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine. She had the privilege of assisting Attorneys Jennifer Levy and Ben Klein in representing Nicole Maines and her parents.

Contact: [email protected] or [email protected]

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