Rudman Winchell
Kristy Hapworth
January 9, 2023
Bangor-based law firm adds partners to roster
Rudman Winchell, a Bangor-based law firm, has promoted two attorneys to partner and two to senior counsel.
Kristy Hapworth, who made partner, has been with Rudman Winchell since 2016. She specializes in estate planning and probate litigation, which helps individuals and families with wealth transfers, trust and estate administration, and estate planning for owners of private businesses.
"I'm honored," said Hapworth. "Rudman Winchell has given me the support to grow as an attorney and develop a legal practice I'm passionate about, and it has encouraged me to serve my community in the process. I am proud to become a partner, and I look forward to the opportunities ahead."
In the 2022 and 2023 editions of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, she was recognized for her work in trusts, estates and litigation. Hapworth served two terms as a select board member for her hometown of Burnham. She is an active member of the Maine Advisory Committee on probate rules and the Maine Central Institute Board of Trustees and she serves as a member representative for the John Waldo Ballou Inn of Court.
Hapworth recieved her J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law. In her free time, she is a competitive candlepin bowler. She earned a bachelor's in psychology from the University of Maine.
The second new partner, Michael Hockenbury, is a corporate and business attorney in Rudman Winchell's corporate, business practices and general litigation practice groups. He has become known statewide for his experience representing the cannabis business and was recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for three consecutive years for criminal defense general practice.
"It is an honor and a privilege to etch my name next to those here at Rudman Winchell who have served the people and communities of Maine for more than a century," said Hockenbury. "I am looking forward to continuing my efforts to be a leader in the legal community and to celebrating the milestones of this firm that lie ahead."
He began working with the firm in 2019 and is a corporate and business attorney working with clients on business formation, commercial leasing, contract disputes, landlord-tenant issues, creditors' rights and criminal law.
Rudman Winchell
Michael Hockenbury
Hockenbury is a member of the Penobscot County Bar Association, serves on the steering committee for FUSION: Bangor, and is a trustee on Northern Light Health — Blue Hill and Maine Coast Hospitals boards.
New senior counsel Candace Augustine is a senior attorney who works on estate planning, elder law issues, Medicaid benefit planning, long-term care issues, estate and trust administration, special needs trusts and public benefit eligibility, and more generalized asset protection planning.
“I really look forward to this opportunity Rudman Winchell has given me,” said Augustine. ”When presented with the offer of becoming senior counsel, I jumped at it, knowing I would be supported and encouraged to create a practice that both met my personal growth goals and met the firm’s overall goal of being at service to the community.”
Senior counsel Stephen Wagner is a member of the firm’s municipal and land use practice group. He represents private and public sector clients before judicial and administrative bodies in the areas of municipal, land use, and environmental law. According to the release: “Clients and colleagues especially appreciate Stephen’s calm demeanor and strategic approach to finding pragmatic solutions to challenging municipal and land use disputes. Stephen is looking forward to continuing to serve our clients in this new role.”
Rudman Winchell has served the people and institutions of Bangor and the state of Maine since 1917. Its team has more than 50 boards within the communities. The firm has 27 attorneys and locations in Bangor and Ellsworth. Rudman Winchell was ranked No. 9 among the largest Maine law firms in the 2023 Mainebiz Book of Lists, based on Maine-based attorneys.
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