Carol Godfrey Warren
Carol Warren is a member of the bar of Maine and New York. At the Portland law firm of CurrierBuchanan, her practice focuses on business issues. Because of her background in federal income tax issues, many of the transactions she works on are tax sensitive, like investments in real estate and business acquisitions. Carol has previous experience with a variety of complex legal transactions, such as:

• venture capital financing for growing businesses, representing both investors and companies
• purchase and sale of businesses of all sizes, including leveraged buy-outs using asset-based bank loans
• organization of limited liability companies and limited partnerships
• commercial financing, including government guaranty programs
• project financing for alternative energy facilities
• private placements of securities

In advising her clients, Carol stresses the importance of planning, both to avoid legal difficulties and to reduce the costs of doing business. In particular, advice on the potential tax consequences of proposed transactions allows a client to consider alternative approaches, which may result in preferable tax treatment. Carol works with entrepreneurs, who need to choose the right type of business enterprise for their new businesses, as well as established companies which face tax and securities law issues or need to understand the particular legal implications of contracts and other business transactions.

Carol represented several clients in the alternative energy field, including Swift River Hafslund and Northeast Energy Management. She represented Coastal Enterprises, Inc., a community development financial institution, in organizing several socially responsible venture capital funds. Her current clients include Harris Golf Inc., a Maine developer and manager of golf courses.

Carol received her law degree from New York University School of Law in 1978 and an LL. M. in Taxation from NYU in 1983. Carol graduated from the Summit School in St. Paul, Minnesota, then attended Swarthmore College and transferred to Yale University during the first year of co-education, where she majored in Russian language and received her B.A. in 1972.

Carol began her law practice as an associate with Richards & O'Neil in New York City (now part of Bingham McCutchen LLP), where she worked on leveraged buy-outs, formation of venture capital funds, employee compensation, industrial revenue bond financing, real estate syndications, research and development partnerships, and tax planning. Carol moved to Maine in 1984, where she was an associate at Murray, Plumb & Murray for two years before starting her own firm.

After serving on the board of the Maine Bar Foundation and as its President in 2002, Carol is active on two MBF committees. For three years, she represented MBF on the Justice Action Group, a cooperative effort of members of the judiciary, legislature and bar to improve civil legal aid in Maine. She belongs to the American Bar Association and the Maine State Bar Association.

Carol was Vice Chair of the Brunswick Local Redevelopment Authority, the agency which prepared the master plan for redevelopment of the former Naval Air Station in Brunswick from 2005 to 2007. She continues to work on environmental issues as a member of the NASB Restoration Advisory Board.

Carol has been on the board of other non-profit organizations, including Bronx Educational Services, Inc., a literacy organization, and the Women's Business Development Corporation. In 1994, Carol was a member of the Alpha Class of the Leadership Maine program of the Maine Development Foundation. Carol served as Chair of the Maine Educational Loan Authority from 2000 to 2003.

Carol has often spoken at continuing legal education programs on tax and securities issues. She participated on committees of the Business Section of the Maine State Bar Association which revised the Uniform Limited Partnership Act in 2005, the Uniform Partnership Act in 2006, and the Maine Limited Liability Company Act in 2009. Carol is married to Justice Thomas D. Warren.

Their son graduated from Brunswick High School and attends Tufts University.

Email: carol@wacubu.com