Preti Flaherty announced today that Michael L. Lane has been elected to the Maine Real Estate & Development Association Board of Directors (MEREDA) for a two year term. MEREDA is a statewide organization of commercial real estate owners, developers and related service providers. 

Lane is a Partner practicing in Preti Flaherty's Real Estate Group out of the firm’s Portland, Maine office. As a member of the MEREDA Public Policy Committee, with extensive experience representing clients in all aspects of real estate and land use law, expanding his involvement to the board level of the organization was a natural next step. “I’m extremely pleased to have been selected and look forward to contributing to the positive work the board is doing on behalf of the industry,” said Lane. 

At Preti Flaherty, Lane has developed a strong timberlands practice representing mills, land management companies and industrial land owners in complex timberlands transactions, including acquisitions, sales, operating agreements, wood supply agreements, underwriting timberland titles, Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) development compliance and permitting. He routinely appears before municipal planning boards, LUPC and the Department of Environmental Protection to permit residential, commercial and industrial projects.

He also serves as Vice President and General Counsel to Charter Title Company, LLC, Preti Flaherty's wholly-owned subsidiary, a respected agent for a number of nationally recognized title insurance companies. He has substantial experience in underwriting and negotiating title insurance coverages involving multisite, multimillion dollar commercial transactions, particularly energy, industrial and timberland properties, covering Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

In addition to the recent board elections, Preti Flaherty Partner Sharon Newman has joined the MEREDA Conference & Seminar Committee. Rick Stauffer, also of Preti Flaherty, currently serves on the MEREDA Public Policy Committee.