AUBURN — Three attorneys from the firm of Skelton Taintor & Abbott spoke at the 43rd Annual Fall Conference of the Maine School Management Association, Oct. 27-28 at the Augusta Civic Center.

The theme of the conference was Maine Public Schools: The Gold Standard. Attorneys Bryan M. Dench, Rebecca Webber and Theodore Small addressed issues of importance in today’s education landscape.

Dench, chairman of Skelton Taintor and Abbott’s board of directors, led the clinic session How to Work with Your School Board Lawyer. Dench, whose diverse practice areas include schools and higher education, focused on helping boards and administrators make the best and most cost-effective use of legal services.

Webber, a respected attorney in the field of employment law, civil rights and compliance, conducted the clinic titled Reducing the Risk of Discrimination Claims: with that Legal/HR State of Mind. She gave attendees practical guidance on how to minimize the risk of claims while also protecting individual rights.

Small, whose practice areas include business law, business litigation, construction law, and municipal law, addressed the topic Construction Issues for Maine School Projects. This topic included a comparison of construction delivery methods, namely a comparison of Construction Management and Design-Bid-Build.