Maria Fox, Esq.
Murray Plumb & Murray
75 Pearl Street
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 699-3306
mfox@mpmlaw.com

As of January 1, 2022, Maria Fox is a partner at the law firm of Murray Plumb & Murray. Maria 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.

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 has served as Board President for STAGES Youth Theater in Portland since 2017. She also volunteers as a coach for the Mock Trial Team at Casco Bay High School.

Maria grew up in rural Quebec where she learned French at a young age. She lives in Portland with her spouse and their two teenage daughters.