Harmon, Jones & Sanford, LLP of Camden, Maine

Rendle A. Jones

Rendle A. Jones joined Gilbert Harmon, Esquire (1910-1998) the founder of Harmon, Jones & Sanford, LLP, in 1968 after helping establish a state-wide legal services agency. Since that time, he has been instrumental in maintaining the law firm as a highly regarded legal services provider and counselor in Knox County and the State of Maine.

Mr. Jones' primary areas of practice include:

• Business and Estate Planning
• Probate and Trust Administration
• Real Estate Transactions

A former President of the Knox County Bar Association and a Governor of the Maine State Bar Association, he is also a past Chairman of the Real Estate Section of the Maine State Bar Association. In 2003, Mr. Jones was the recipient of the Townsperson of Year award given by the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Jones has been active in numerous community organizations and boards, frequently in a leadership capacity, including:

• Camden National Corporation (a bank holding company) (Chairman)
• Northeast Health (Past Chairman)
• Camden Area YMCA (Director & Officer)
• West Bay Rotary (a Paul Harris Fellow) (Director)
• Camden Public Library (Past President)
• Maine School Administrative District No. 28 (Past Chairman)
• Camden Comprehensive Planning Committee (Past Chairman)

Mr. Jones lives in Camden with his wife, Pat, who is a local real estate agent. He enjoys reading, boating and skiing.

Contact Rendle A. Jones at

John J. Sanford

John J. Sanford joined the firm in 1973 after graduating from Suffolk University Law School, cum laude, where he was a member of the Law Review. He is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and a Vietnam Veteran.

Since 1978, he has been a Visiting Lecturer at Harvard Law School including serving as faculty member of the Harvard Trial Advocacy Workshops. With more than 25 years of litigation experience, Mr. Sanford has been lead counsel for several complex trials and has argued many significant cases before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. He also has extensive experience in the administration of trusts, including trusts holding non-traditional assets.

Mr. Sanford's primary areas of practice include:

• Probate Litigation
• Civil Litigation
• Trust & Estate Administration
• Estate Planning
• Mediation

Mr. Sanford has been active in the community, including service on numerous boards including:

• Camden Area YMCA
• The Henderson School
• Merryspring Park
• Our Lady of Good Hope Catholic Church Parish Counsel
• Camden Community Hospital (Chairman, 1978-80)
• Northeast Health (Chairman, 1981-1983)
• Camden Rotary Foundation (awarded Paul Harris Fellow)
• Camden Public Library (President, 1996-2001)
• Camden Public Library Foundation (President, 1995-present)

Mr. Sanford has four daughters and lives in Camden with his wife, Claire. His hobbies include sailing, flying, squash and wood-working.

Contact John J. Sanford at

Mary Platt Cooper

Mary Platt Cooper joined the firm in 1999 having moved to Camden from Bethesda, Maryland where she was born and raised. Ms. Cooper graduated from the law school at Catholic University in Washington D.C. with top honors in 1993 and then served for 2 years as a law clerk to a United States District Court Judge in New Jersey. She then practiced for 4 years in the Washington, D.C. area before moving to Camden.

Ms. Cooper's current practice consists primarily of handling real estate transactions, a variety of civil disputes and litigation including personal injury, property and land use/zoning matters, contractual matters, and probate and trust matters. She also enjoys handling other transactional work including estate administration and business organization. She is a skilled litigator having worked solely as a litigator prior to moving to Camden. She is an attorney licensed to practice in Maine, Maryland, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia.

Ms. Cooper currently serves on the Planning Board of for the Town of Hope as well as on the Hope Ordinance Review Committee. She previously served for 6 years on the Board of Trustees for the Camden Public Library and volunteers her time to several other local organizations as well.

Ms. Cooper lives in Hope, Maine with her husband and their two sons. When not practicing law, she enjoys spending time with her family, playing tennis and working on home-improvement projects. She played field hockey at Wake Forest University, where she received her undergraduate degree in Business & Accountancy. Previously, she coached field hockey at the Camden-Rockport Middle School and hopes to someday have the time to devote to coaching again.

Contact Mary Platt Cooper at