Linsey Ruhl

Linsey Ruhl supervises students in the General Practice Clinic. She joined the Maine Law faculty in July 2024.

Professor Ruhl is an experienced litigator who has represented thousands of clients in criminal, civil, and administrative proceedings. Prior to joining Maine Law, she was most recently a staff attorney at Pine Tree Legal Assistance. There she represented clients in a broad array of civil cases including divorce, parental rights and responsibilities, adoption, de facto parentage, protection from abuse, and eviction defense. She also served as the president of the attorney union, chair of the Litigation Practice Group, and was a founding member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

The Maine Law Court appointed Professor Ruhl to the Family Law Advisory Commission (FLAC) in 2022. FLAC was created by the legislature for the purpose of conducting a continuing study of the family laws of Maine. While on the Commission, Professor Ruhl drafted reports advising the Joint Standing Committee on the Judiciary on the visitation rights of grandparents, appointment of counsel in child protective matters, amendments to the Home Court Act, preliminary injunctions, and funding for essential services for victims of crime. She also assisted in drafting legislation, testified before the legislature, and attended working group sessions. Professor Ruhl served on FLAC until June 2024.

Before returning home to Maine in 2019, Professor Ruhl was a public defender at the Colorado State Public Defender, the Bronx Defenders, and the Bronx office of the Legal Aid Society. In these roles, she provided holistic representation to adults and juveniles charged with misdemeanor and felony offenses. In addition to representing clients at hearings, bench trials, and jury trials she has litigated complex suppression motions related to DNA, human remains detection dogs, crime scene investigation, serology, and ballistics.