Staff and Commission
Executive Director
Christina R. Blake, Esq. (she/hers), is the Executive Director of the Maine Assistance Program for Lawyers and Judges (MAP). Prior to MAP, Christina served as an Assistant District Attorney in Androscoggin County. She then went on to work in mental health and special education advocacy, representing clients throughout the state. Before practicing law, Christina supervised a case management program supporting individuals facing housing instability, connecting folks with needed resources and services.
Christina is a 2015 graduate of the University of Connecticut Honors Program and a 2018 graduate of The George Washington University Law School. In law school, Christina was President of the Human Rights Law Society, a notes editor on the Federal Communications Law Journal, and a member of the Domestic Violence Law Clinic.
Christina is in longterm recovery and has been a part of Maine’s recovery community for over 7 years. She first got involved with MAP in 2021.
Clinical Director
Ella L. Brown, LCPC (she/hers), is MAP’s first Clinical Director. Ella began her work in mental health counseling after practicing law for 35 years. In addition to her role with MAP, she has had a small private mental health counseling practice since 2022. Ella works with clients facing a variety of challenges, including but not limited to anxiety, depression, substance use, feelings related to connectivity/isolation, general day-to-day issues that are adding up or becoming overwhelming, issues with life transitions, and issues with family members. She meets her clients wherever they are on their journey and provides a safe space where clients can feel seen and heard. She works with her clients to identify the emotions associated with life’s challenges, to process those emotions, and to discover their strengths.
Ella received a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Southern Maine, a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, and an A.B. in history and psychology from Bowdoin College.
Governing Commission
The MAP Governing Commission consists of eight members and includes two persons who are not members of the legal profession. Commission members have diverse experience, knowledge, and demonstrated competence in the problems of chemical dependency or mental conditions that impair members of the legal profession. Members are appointed for a term of three years, with no term limit.
Commission Membership Roster
Anthony A. Trask, Esq., Bangor, Chair
Tracy Collins, Esq., Falmouth, Vice-Chair
Gerald P. Conley, Jr., Esq., Portland, Secretary-Treasurer
Guy Cousins, LCSW, LADC, CCS, Augusta
Lisa Love, MSN, CNS, BC, Brunswick
Peter T. Marchesi, Esq., Waterville
Hon. John O’Neil, Maine Superior Court
Charles W. Smith Jr., Esq., Saco
Hon. Rick E. Lawrence, Supreme Judicial Court Liaison
