The truth is that in his 31 years of practicing law, Fontaine has devoted himself to the rights of the poor, of women, of the disabled, of labor unions…Thanks to his lawsuits, Maine abolished its laws that allowed people to be thrown in jail – or “debtors prison” – for not paying their debts. It was his lawsuit that gave teachers the right to use sick days so that they could be paid for a certain amount of time during pregnancy and after they gave birth.