Tim Zerillo
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“He operates at the highest level of professionalism, but doesn't hesitate to rip his opponents to shreds when warranted.” - Former Client
“It’s always a good idea to hire Zerillo.” — Judge to Defendant at his arraignment.
Timothy E. Zerillo is a civil and criminal litigator. Attorney Zerillo's practice focuses primarily on criminal defense and complex civil litigation. Renowned for his zealous advocacy, Zerillo has won numerous trials of all types, as well as motion hearings, settlements and criminal dismissals for his clients.
Tim has a love for Maine, and that is why he has made the state his home.Despite practicing law in a small state, he has gained a national reputation. He has given talks to other lawyers across the country on a variety of topics, including lectures for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Association of Federal Defense Attorneys, the Maine Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, the Virginia State Bar and the Idaho Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Tim Zerillo was born in Portland, Maine. He is the grandson of noted writer and historian Earl Schenck Miers. His mother was a school teacher and his father an Economics Professor at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. Zerillo attended the University of New Hampshire, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature degree in 1995. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from New England Law in 2000.
Tim has represented people from all walks of life. He has represented actors and athletes, lawyers and doctors, lobstermen and laborers. Zerillo's cases are often notable and have at times been the subject of national, and even international, media coverage. Tim has been featured in newspapers throughout Maine and the United States, including the Boston Globe and New York Times, the Daily Mail in London, and in magazines such as Vanity Fair.
Zerillo began his career in 2000, ultimately founding what became Zerillo Law Firm, LLC in Portland, Maine, with a focus on criminal defense and civil litigation.
Zerillo has won jury trials all over the State of Maine. These include felonies and misdemeanors of various case types, including drug cases, sex cases, criminal threatening cases, assault cases and white collar cases of many different varieties.
He has also hung juries in many criminal cases. For example, on one Class A Gross Sexual Assault case, the prosecutor told him it was impossible to win the case. The odds were heavily stacked against him to be certain. Zerillo tried the case anyway and hung the jury, preventing the State from convicting his client.
Zerillo has also represented a number of individuals and businesses in complex "bet the house" business litigation. In 2020 and 2021, Zerillo earned two large trial verdicts in trial for his clients, each verdict which was worth multi-millions. Each involved disputes between business partners and Zerillo effectively sued for the value of the businesses. Each side was represented by able counsel, one lawyer of whom is now a judge. Zerillo prevailed in each trial.
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Zerillo is a Life Member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (“NACDL”). He has served two-terms on the Board of Directors NACDL.
Zerillo is a Past President of the Maine Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (“MACDL”). He is a winner of the “President’s Award,” which is given to the criminal defense attorney who best exemplifies the goals and values of MACDL and the legal profession.
In 2023, Zerillo was elected as a member of the prestigious American Board of Criminal Lawyers. The American Board of Criminal Lawyers (“ABCL”) was founded in June 1978 by San Francisco attorney Nathan Cohn, who conceived the idea of an exclusive national, legal, honorary society for outstanding criminal trial lawyers, with admission to fellowship by invitation only. To possess sufficient qualification for admission to fellowship, members must have at least 10 years of criminal trial experience and have tried at least 50 trials of which 35 were felony jury trials.
Tim is the only lawyer practicing in Maine to ever be elected to the prestigious American Board of Criminal Lawyers.
Zerillo is a frequent lecturer across the United States, teaching criminal defense lawyers on a variety of topics, including cross-examination, digital evidence and the Fourth Amendment and storytelling at sentencing. He has spoken to audiences on the topics such as “Beating a Stacked Deck: Attacking Electronic Evidence in Digital Searches,” “Representing Clients in the Cannabis Industry,” “Cross-Examining the Medical Expert in Child Sexual Assault Cases,” “Songs of Freedom: Making Your Client’s Story Sing at Sentencing” and “I Don’t Believe You: Cross-Examining the Alleged Victim In the He Said/She Said Case.”
In 2022 and 2024 Zerillo was listed in NACDL’s “Best of the Best List” of the highest-rated speakers from all NACDL seminars throughout the year, as rated by seminar attendees.
Zerillo is the author of dozens of articles in various publications on criminal defense tactics. His book, “Defending Specific Crimes,” is in its second revision, and is published by James Publishing.Hobbies
If you have read this far, you may rightly wonder what Zerillo does in his spare time (if he indeed has any). First, thanks for your interest and for reading this far. Second, while Zerillo does not have a lot of spare time, he does have a number of interests outside the law.
Zerillo is a longtime fitness enthusiast and considers fitness the way he keeps himself sane. A weightlifter, runner and cyclist, he always tries to make fitness a priority.
Like any good Mainer, Zerillo loves boats. On those rare sunny days in Maine, you may see Zerillo out on his boat on Sebago Lake. Naturally, it is named the “Knot Guilty.”
