Harold J. Friedman, Esq.

Harold Friedman of Cape Elizabeth, ME blazed an incandescent path through the world for 80 years before passing away peacefully on May 17, 2023 in the arms of his loving wife Mary Mitchell Friedman. Born in Scranton, PA, Harold was raised by his parents Irene (Goldstein) and Frederick Friedman in Detroit, MI where he graduated from Mumford H.S. and Wayne State University. The mischievous escapades of his early years in Detroit provided great fodder for Harold’s legendary storytelling abilities. He went on to receive his law degree from Boston University and began his legal career as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. In 1974 Harold moved to Maine with his first wife Susan (Symmers) Bradford and their children Anna and Doug. He embarked on a career as one of Maine’s foremost attorneys, first with the Portland firm of Preti Flaherty, followed by decades of owning and operating his own firm with an incredible team of lawyers and staff. He and Mary, also an attorney, married in 1989 and welcomed their daughter Sara into the family. In 2013, Friedman, Gaythwaite, & Wolf merged with one of Maine’s most prominent law firms, Verrill Dana, where Harold continued trying cases until his retirement in 2020. Harold was admitted to the Bar in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York.

Harold’s legal career was as varied as his interests and he represented corporations and individuals in a variety of complex civil litigation matters, white-collar criminal cases, and landmark discrimination and civil rights violations. Harold tried well over 100 cases to juries throughout the United States in his storied career and he was honored to be one of just 500 lawyers worldwide inducted into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. To watch Harold in a courtroom was to witness someone at the peak of his game. As one juror put it after a trial, “when the silver fox spoke, everybody listened.”

Harold was an ardent champion of women in the law, which he always said was because of his mother Irene, his role model and confidant, who showed him as a young child the power and capacity of women in the work force. He never shied away from hard work and put himself through college and law school by working as a waiter. He had a keen appreciation for working people and treated everyone with respect and dignity.

Harold’s exploits as a lawyer were matched by his passions outside of the law. An avid chef, fly fisherman, cyclist, traveler, golfer, and fashion connoisseur, Harold travelled the world in search of adventure and to experience new cultures and cuisines. He especially loved Italy where he and Mary owned a home for years. Harold was unendingly curious about the world around him and an ardent student of geography, history, and politics. He loved nothing better than being surrounded by family and friends while he cooked an unbelievable meal and then would regale everyone around the dining table for hours discussing politics, telling stories, and laughing uproariously.

Harold is survived by his wife Mary, his daughter Anna and her fiancé Dave Shallow, his son Doug and daughter-in-law Laurie, and his daughter Sara and her partner John Hermann. He was so proud of all of his children and took a keen interest in their lives and careers, giving lots of wanted (and sometimes unwanted!) advice and guidance. His 3 grandchildren Jaxon, Grady, and Marina gave him unparalleled joy and their devotion to Papa during his illness was beautiful to see. Harold is also survived by his older brothers Donald Friedman of W. Bloomfield, MI and Gerald Friedman of Myrtle Beach, SC. He had a special relationship with his mother-in-law Janet Mitchell of Waterville, ME and a legion of Mitchell family relatives as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Harold’s family would like to thank the kind caregivers from Individual Care of Maine, the phenomenal team of doctors and nurses at Maine Medical Center who cared for Harold the last few days of his life, the Gosnell House, and especially Dr. Paul Muscat who provided outstanding care and support to Harold and Mary for the past few years.

Funeral services will be held for Harold 11 am Monday, May 22, at Temple Beth El, 400 Deering Avenue, Portland, ME with burial immediately following the service at Temple Beth El Memorial Park, 1 Johnson Road, Portland, ME. A luncheon reception will be held at Embassy Suites by Hilton, 1050 Westbrook St., Portland, ME from 1-4pm. Arrangements are by Jones, Rich, & Barnes Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Harold’s name to the Mitchell Institute, 75 Washington Ave, Suite 2E, Portland, ME 04101 (www.mitchellinstitute.org), the Maine American Civil Liberties Union (www.aclumaine.org), or the Alzheimer’s Foundation (www.alzfdn.org).

Online condolences may be shared with his family at www.jonesrichandbarnes.com