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Court Rules
On this page:
- Recent rule amendments and orders regarding rules
- Procedural rules
- Rules governing judges, lawyers, and guardians ad litem
- Other guides
Recent Rule Amendments & Orders Regarding Rules
| Order Number | Rule Set Adopted or Amended | Rule Nos. Adopted or Amended | Subject | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | Bar Admission | 11A | Statement of court's decision to not adopt proposed rule amendment regarding reciprocity in admissions by motion | None |
| 2025 Me. Rules 03 | Criminal | 3(b); 4(e)-(h) | Signature on complaint; warrant request outside of presence of court or justice of the peace | 5/1/2025 |
| 2025 Me. Rules 02 | Maine Assistance Program for Lawyers and Judges | 1 | Correction of citation of rule imposing assessments on members of Maine bar | 4/11/2025 |
| 2025 Me. Rules 01 | Bar Admission | 6(a) | Fees | 3/15/2025 |
| 2024 Me. Rules 10 | Maine Civil Legal Services Fund Commission | 8(A) | Due date of annual report to Commission. | 1/1/2025 |
| 2024 Me. Rules 09 | Bar | 5(f)(8) | CLE credit for pro bono service | 11/25/24 |
| 2024 Me. Rules 08 | Small Claims | 4; 12 | Service of notice of claim; disclosure | 11/1/24 |
| 2024 Me. Rules 07 | Appellate | 1B; 1D; 1E; 3; 6(b); 7; 7A; 8; 10; 11; 12A; 14; 19; 20; 23 | Email filing and service of documents; formatting of documents; motions; reconsideration of procedural orders; Clerk's authority; amendment of application to allow appeal of sentence | 11/1/24 |
| 2024 Me. Rules 06 | Judicial Conduct | Definition of "Judicial candidate" | Time that Code applies to candidate for appointment to judicial office | 9/23/24 |
| 2024 Me. Rules 05 | Civil | 89(c) | Temporary permission to practice law | 9/23/24 |
| 2024 Me. Rules 04 | Bar Admission | 11C | Temporary permission to practice law | 9/23/24 |
| 2024 Me. Rules 03 | Bar Admission | 9(c) | Interviews of applicants by character and fitness review panel | 8/7/24 |
| 2024 Me. Rules 02 | Civil (Family) | 126; 127 | Probate matters in the District Court; protection from abuse matters | 2/27/24 |
| 2024 Me. Rules 01 | Civil | 80D | Enlarging deadlines and making other clarifying changes to the Forcible Entry and Detainer rule | 2/5/24 |
| 2023 Me. Rules 08 | Bar Admission | 11A(a)(2), (3) | Admission by motion of attorneys who attended a law school that conducts its courses by correspondence or that does not require attendance at lectures or classes; technical correction | 11/14/23 |
| 2023 Me. Rules 07 | Civil | 3; 4(a); 4A(c), (g); 4B(c), (e), (i); 5; 7(e), (f); 11; 12; 24(c); 25(a)(1); 30; 33; 34(b); 36(a); 41(a), (d); 65(a); 67; 76C(b); 76D; 76F(a); 80F(b); 80K(a), (h); 80L(b), (c); 83; 93(f) | Technical changes and clarifications, in part to ensure consistency with Maine Rules of Electronic Court Systems | 11/15/23 |
| 2023 Me. Rules 06 | Maine Assistance Program for Lawyers | Title of set; preamble; 1 | Name of program | 9/28/23 |
| 2023 Me. Rules 05 | Judicial Conduct | 2.15(F) | Exception from mandatory reporting of misconduct for information obtained during participation in Maine Assistance Program for Lawyers and Judges or equivalent program | 9/28/23 |
| 2023 Me. Rules 04 | Professional Conduct | 8.3(c) | Exception from mandatory reporting of misconduct for information obtained during participation in Maine Assistance Program for Lawyers and Judges or equivalent program; name of program | 9/28/23 |
| Standing order (No number) |
Electronic Court Systems | 14 | Paper versions of pleadings accessible to the public under MRECS | 8/18/23 |
Procedural Rules
(Updated October 31, 2024)
- Maine Rules of Civil Procedure:
- Rules only--no advisory notes (September 27, 2024)
- Rules complete with advisory notes
- See also Standing Order Regarding Motions Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law in Family Matters (March 10, 2023)
- Maine Rules of Unified Criminal Procedure
- Rules only--no advisory notes (May 2017)
- Rules complete with advisory notes (May 2017)
- Maine Rules of Electronic Court Systems (March 2021)
- See also Temporary Standing Order and Administrative Order JB-20-03
- Maine Rules of Evidence
- Rules only--no advisory notes (June 2018)
- Rules complete with advisory notes (June 2018)
- Maine Rules of Appellate Procedure
- Rules only--no advisory notes (November 2024)
- Rules complete with advisory notes (November 2024)
- Maine Rules of Probate Procedure (July 2019)
- Maine Rules of Small Claims Procedure (November 2024)
Rules Governing Judges, Lawyers, and Guardians ad Litem
(Updated March 10, 2025)
- Rules governing judges:
- Maine Code of Judicial Conduct only (no advisory notes) (September 2024)
- Maine Code of Judicial Conduct complete with advisory notes (September 2024)
- Maine Rules of the Committee on Judicial Conduct (May 2021)
(Formerly the Committee on Judicial Responsibility and Disability)
- Rules governing lawyers:
- Maine Rules of Professional Conduct (ethical rules):
- Rules only--no advisory notes (September 2023)
- Rules complete with advisory notes (September 2023)
- Maine Bar Rules:
- Rules only--no advisory notes (as amended November 2024)
- Rules complete with advisory notes (as amended November 2024)
- Other rules governing lawyers:
- Maine Bar Admission Rules (March 2025)
- Rules for the Maine Assistance Program for Lawyers and Judges (September 2023)
- Rules for Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection (April 2019)
- Maine Rules of Professional Conduct (ethical rules):
- Rules governing guardians ad litem:
- Rules only--no advisory notes (March 2022)
- Rules complete with advisory notes (March 2022)
- Maine Civil Legal Services Fund Commission (January 2025)
Other Guides
- Checklist for Preparing, Filing, and Maintaining an Appeal Pursuant to the Maine Rules of Appellate Procedure (September 2017)
- Appellate Practice Guide for use with The Maine Rules of Appellate Procedure (restyled, effective September 1, 2017) (September 2017)
- Maine Law Review: Uniform Maine Citations (2022) -- Uniform Maine Citations, 2022-2024 Edition, provides updated rules for the citation of Maine legal authorities, including judicial decisions, constitutional provisions, statutory and legislative materials, court rules, treatises, periodicals, and miscellaneous Maine authorities.