David M. Kallin

Practice Areas

David M. Kallin is Drummond Woodsum’s Practice Group Leader for Land Use & Conservation. His practice includes land conservation, land use, natural resource law, including natural resources on tribal land, school and municipal law, administrative law and general litigation. He specializes in complex problems which require effective advocacy before municipalities, administrative agencies and state and federal courts.

Since joining the firm David has been involved in representing schools, municipalities, Indian tribes and private clients on a variety of issues involving municipal law, land use, environmental law, and land conservation, including zoning matters, interpretation and enforcement of ordinances and litigation of land use complaints, zoning appeals, and real estate law disputes. David has helped conservation organizations qualify for carbon credits on forests that they own and manage in Maine. He has represented conservation organizations and private individuals in establishing conservation easements over working landscapes including farmland and forestland. He has represented clients in administrative proceedings before the land use planning commission, the department of marine resources, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He was part of the trial team in complex litigation in which a municipality successfully established a public easement for general recreation on a beach in which private landowners had asserted the right to exclude the public after centuries of public use. He successfully represented another municipality against a challenge to changes in health insurance benefits for retirees. He has worked on various matters arising under the Clean Water Act. He has represented school districts before state courts regarding issues arising from bathroom provisions for transgender students, and has issued training to schools and school staff on compliance with transgender nondiscrimination laws. David is also involved in numerous Rule 80K land use enforcement actions and Rule 80B Municipal Appeals.

A former oceanographer, David received an undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 2002 and a law degree from the University of Maine School of Law in 2009, where he graduated first in his class and received the Law School’s 2008 Shur-Frinsko Award for student work in municipal law and local governance. David brings the problem-solving skills from this quantitative and scientific background to his practice of law. He has also completed a 2,180 mile hike of the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia.