Our Team
Elizabeth T. McCandless, Esquire
Admitted to practice law in Maine and New York
Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
Highest Martindale-Hubbell Rating (A-V)
Included in Best Lawyers in America
Included in Superlawyers
B.A. in Government, Franklin & Marshall College, 1977
J.D. Hofstra University School of Law, 1982; Associate Editor, Hofstra Law Review
Betsey began her legal career in New York City as an admiralty lawyer with the firm of Haight Gardner. In 1985, she moved to Maine to raise her children and joined the Portland firm of Pierce Atwood. After six years as a litigator, Betsey transitioned to trust and estate law, a practice area better suited to her conciliatory personality and creative skills. In 1992, she co-founded Maine's first boutique trust and estate law firm, McCandless & Hunt, which is now known as McCandless LLC.
Betsey is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), a national professional organization to which she was elected in 1995. Betsey serves as a Trustee of the Portland Museum of Art where she is also a member of the Executive Committee and the Collections Committee; she is a Trustee of the Diocesan Funds for the Episcopal Diocese of Maine; and is a member of the Finance Committee of the Hospice of Southern Maine. By appointment of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, she served for nine years on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court's Advisory Committee on Probate Rules, including seven years as its Chair; Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the University of Maine Foundation; and a Director of Hospice of Southern Maine. She frequently lectures on charitable giving, estate and trust administration and estate planning. Betsey excels in navigating complex family dynamics, particularly blended families.
Betsey's creativity as a lawyer is complimented by her love of art. She is an artist, working mostly in oil and watercolor, and a collector of current Maine artists. She also enjoys sailing whenever an opportunity arises, watching the Tennis Channel, playing 9 holes of golf and traveling. Betsey is the mother of three adult children and has two grandchildren.
Kevin Cassidy
Senior Estate Planning Paralegal
B.A., Bowdoin College, 1985
Kevin began his career at Pierce Atwood and spent ten years in Trusts and Estates Law before joining McCandless LLC in 1995. He loves his work for the challenges it provides and the complex problem-solving required.
Kevin is an avid runner, cross-country skier, kayaker and cyclist. When he is not working or in the outdoors pursuing one of his many active pursuits, he enjoys being at home with his wife and their greyhound.
Kimberly Dunfey
Senior Estate and Trust Administrator
A.B. in Psychology with distinction, University of Maine at Orono, 1982
Kim began her career as a trust and estate administrator with McCandless & Hunt in 1995. After 26 continuous years in the field, Kim continues to handle all tasks related to the administration of decedent’s estates and client’s trusts, including asset collection, asset distribution, trust and estate accounting, estate tax preparation, trust and estate income tax preparation and general trust and estate administration tasks.
Assisting clients through the difficult times after a loved one’s death has been a rewarding experience for Kim and with her years of experience in the field, she can provide the Firm’s clients with the comfort in knowing they are in very good hands, their questions will be answered and the trust or estate tasks that they didn’t even know were necessary, will be accomplished.
Prior to becoming a trust and estate administrator, Kim worked in the bookkeeping department at a large Portland law firm, worked in the ski industry in Vail, Colorado, and worked as a crew member on a private charter sailboat traveling up the east coast as far as Northeast Harbor, Maine and down the east coast to the Caribbean, as far as Grenada. Kim continues to enjoy sailing and skiing with her husband, Sean, and her two adult sons, Braedon and Teagan.
Lisa Chase
Senior Estate and Trust Paralegal
B.S. in Paralegal Studies, Rivier College, 1985
Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA) Institute of Certified Bankers, 2006
Lisa has over 30 years of combined experience in the legal field and wealth advisory business. She began her career at Pierce Atwood as a real estate paralegal in Augusta and then a trust and estates paralegal in Portland. For the next decade, she was a Trust Officer at H.M. Payson & Co. Most recently, she worked as Senior Associate at Plimsoll Mark Capital before joining McCandless LLC in 2018.
Lisa volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House and was a Big Sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. She is currently a member of the 100+ Women Who Care Southern Maine. She has traveled to 13 countries, including three trips to China where she adopted her two daughters. Lisa lives in South Portland with her daughters, where she is a swim, track and soccer mom. In her soon to be empty nest, she will continue to enjoy traveling, biking, gardening and the hunt of thrifting.
Samantha Labrie
Senior Estate and Trust Paralegal
B.A. in Business and English, Skidmore College, 1990
Samantha began her career as a probate paralegal in 1991 at a local law firm before joining McCandless LLC in 1994. After staying home to raise her sons for seven years, she rejoined McCandless LLC in 2008. As a trust and estate administrator, she handles all tasks related to the administration of decedent’s estates and client’s trusts, including asset collection, asset distribution, trust and estate accounting, estate tax preparation, trust and estate income tax preparation and general trust and estate administration tasks.
Samantha enjoys spending time at the lake and hiking with her husband, John, and her two adult sons, Nate and Joey.
Anne Wilkinson
Legal Assistant
B.A. in Political Science and Economics, Wellesley College, 1989
Anne joined the firm in 2019 after more than 20 years in merchandising at Cole Haan and quickly realized that working at a trust and estate law firm allows her to have a meaningful impact on peoples’ lives. She enjoys interacting with clients and making the estate planning process as seamless and efficient as possible.
Anne is a competitive triathlete and a 5-time Ironman finisher, including the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. A Maine native and a lover of the outdoors, Anne and her husband live in Falmouth with their two sons.
Kate Hunt
Legal Assistant
B.A., University of Colorado at Boulder, CO, 2006
Kate joined McCandless LLC after moving back to Maine in the summer of 2020. After 15+ years as an omni-channel merchant she was ready to apply her skills in a new way, as a legal assistant. When Kate is not at the office you can find her outside exploring with her husband, baby boy and dog.
Phoebe Ijams
Legal Assistant
B.A. in Anthropology, Rollins College, 2012
Phoebe joined the firm in 2021 after eight years in the real estate industry. Though she is “from away,” her strong family ties to Small Point brought her “home” in 2013. When not working, she enjoys skiing, spin classes and sunny days at the beach with friends and family.