Meryl Poulin

Meryl is a trial lawyer who is defined by her competitiveness and commitment to her clients. She understands that those are the two most valuable qualities in a lawyer whose job is to stand up in a courtroom and fight for individuals who have been harmed by the carelessness of others. 

One of the greatest rewards of this work is seeing the depth of the human spirit her clients possess. There is something special about a person who chooses to stand up and fight when they have been wronged. 

Meryl’s representation style is one that is client focused. She enjoys getting to know her clients far above and beyond the harms they have endured. She considers it essential to providing the best representation to her clients.

"I am so very grateful to Meryl and her team for doing an amazing job representing me and winning my case with a great settlement. The Gideon Asen team is very professional and they put in 110% for their clients."

Floyd P.

Meryl believes that the best lawyers are the ones who are willing to take risks. Gideon Asen's mission is to serve its clients not just through hard work and superior strategy, but by taking calculated risks to maximize results

Meryl is included in Best Lawyers – Ones to Watch for her expertise in Plaintiff’s Medical Malpractice Law, Personal Injury Litigation, and Product Liability Litigation, and in Super Lawyers Rising Stars; these designations are given to attorneys that distinguish themselves during their first decade of practice.

"It’s so important to me to make sure my clients feel seen, heard, and protected throughout the life of a case. I consider my client my teammate in the cause and want them to feel that way."

Meryl Poulin 

Meryl is a Maine native and attended Colby College and the University of Maine School of Law.

Meryl is an extraordinary athlete. At Colby, Meryl played varsity hockey, field hockey, and softball and was captain of the hockey and field hockey teams. Meryl was able to achieve incredible athletic success despite being sidelined for many months with two major knee injuries and reconstructive surgeries. Her experience dealing with chronic knee injuries gave her insight into the difficulties of living with pain and the effect of debilitating injuries on every part of a person’s physical and emotional well-being.

At Maine Law school, Meryl distinguished herself as an appellate advocate, winning the honor of “Prize Arguer” in her class and the Gignoux Award for Appellate Advocacy. Meryl was a part of two moot court teams that competed on a national level. In her third year, she and her moot court partner – now Gideon Asen colleague Trevor Savage — finished in the top three of a competition of more than forty.

After law school, Meryl worked at a large law firm in Portland defending medical malpractice and personal injury cases. This work gave her a keen understanding of how insurance companies operate. Meryl also worked at Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Maine’s largest legal aid organization. At Pine Tree, Meryl represented low-income Mainers in housing and eviction cases and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in protection order and family law cases. At Pine Tree, Meryl tried nearly twenty cases to verdict and prevailed in all but one case.

In her free time, Meryl loves everything to do with working out – running, road and gravel cycling, weightlifting, hiking, skiing, pickle ball, tennis, yoga...the list is endless. Most of the time, she’s doing these activities alongside her wife and best friend, Heather. They live in the greater Portland area with their two cats, Bert and Ernie.

“I met Meryl when she was representing hospitals. She was fearless, and I could see right away that she was going to be one of the best trial lawyers of her generation.”

Taylor Asen

Verdict: $5.5 million, funeral home malpractice. In September 2022, in one of the first jury trials following court closure during the Covid pandemic, Meryl, along with attorney Ben Gideon, obtained a $5.5 million verdict in Androscoggin County on behalf of a client whose father’s remains were mishandled by a funeral company. This was a landmark verdict because Ben and his team were successful in obtaining this verdict and a substantial recovery for numerous victims represented by Gideon Asen despite the fact that none of the victims suffered any physical injury.

Verdict: $4.5 million, child sexual abuse. In January 2023, Meryl, along with attorney Taylor Asen, obtained a $4.5 million verdict in a child sexual abuse case, one of the largest verdicts of its kind in Maine’s history. 

Settlement: $10.5 million, truck crash.

Other notable settlements. More than $1.25 million in other cases involving professional negligence, explosions, motor vehicle collisions, brain injuries, and premises liability