PORTLAND – The Maine Civil Liberties Union, after relying on volunteer lawyers throughout its 26-year history, has hired its first staff attorney.

Director Louise Roback says having a lawyer on staff will enable the legal watchdog organization to respond more quickly to free speech and other civil rights issues that present themselves.

Since taking the job in late February, Zachary Heiden has convinced a federal judge to waive some fees imposed by the city of Augusta against anti-war protesters. He also has negotiated with Portland officials on behalf of critics of the Roman Catholic Church who wanted to demonstrate outside the Immaculate Conception Cathedral before the installation of Bishop Richard Malone.

They were the kinds of actions the MCLU probably would not have been able to tackle in the past, Roback says.

“[Now] we can run into court on a moment’s notice to get a temporary restraining order,” Roback said. “We have a wonderful group of volunteer lawyers and we are still going to rely on their time and talent. But this means a big boost for us.”

A graduate of Bowdoin College and Boston College Law School, Heiden spent last year as a clerk for Justice Susan Calkins of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.