53 Bernstein Shur Attorneys Recognized by Best Lawyers® in 2025 in America

Portland and Augusta, Maine, and Manchester, New Hampshire (August 15, 2024) – Bernstein Shur announced that 53 of its attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers® in 2025 in America. Of that list, 44 were listed in The Best Lawyers in America® category, with another 9 listed in the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch^® in America, recognizing newer attorneys in private practice for outstanding professional excellence in their field. Five Bernstein Shur attorneys earned the additional Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” designation, an honor exclusive to their legal specialty and geographic location.

The five attorneys recognized in Best Lawyers “Lawyer of Year” (2025 Edition) are: 

• Richard C. Gagliuso, Construction Law
• Robert J. Keach, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Litigation – Bankruptcy
• Kenneth W. Lehman, Health Care Law
• Gregory Michael, Litigation – Land Use and Zoning
• Philip R. Saucier, Land Use and Zoning Law

The 44 attorneys recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® (2025 Edition) are: 

Augusta, ME

Lee K. Bragg
Administrative / Regulatory Law
Land Use and Zoning Law
Municipal Law

Katherine R. Knox
Government Relations Practice

Manchester, NH

Vera B. Buck
Trusts and Estates

Mark W. Dean
Energy Law
Energy Regulatory Law
Utilities Law

Matthew J. Delude
Commercial Litigation

Christina Ferrari
Administrative / Regulatory Law
Commercial Litigation
Health Care Law
Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Richard C. Gagliuso
Arbitration
Commercial Litigation
Construction Law
Consumer Law
First Amendment Law
Litigation – Construction
Litigation – First Amendment

James D. Kerouac
Banking and Finance Law
Commercial Finance Law
Commercial Transactions / UCC Law
Corporate Compliance Law
Corporate Governance Law
Real Estate Law

Ovide M. Lamontagne
Commercial Litigation
Litigation – Construction
Nonprofit / Charities Law

Jim Merrill
Government Relations Practice

Gregory Michael
Land Use and Zoning Law
Litigation – Land Use and Zoning
Litigation – Real Estate
Real Estate Law

Edward Sackman
Commercial Litigation
Litigation – Intellectual Property
Litigation – Labor and Employment

Roy W. Tilsley
Commercial Litigation
Environmental Law
Land Use and Zoning Law
Litigation – Land Use and Zoning
Litigation – Real Estate

Portland, ME

Eben M. Albert
Commercial Litigation

Sam Anderson
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Litigation – Bankruptcy

Michael R. Bosse
Construction Law
Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
Litigation – Construction

James N. Broder
Energy Law
Project Finance Law
Real Estate Law

George F. Burns
Arbitration
Commercial Litigation
Construction Law
Corporate Law
Litigation – Construction
Mediation
Timber Law

John L. Carpenter
Corporate Compliance Law
Corporate Governance Law
Corporate Law
Franchise Law
Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Securities / Capital Markets Law

Mary E. Costigan
Environmental Law
Land Use and Zoning Law
Municipal Law

Christopher M. Dargie
Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Corporate Law

Asha A. Echeverria
Construction Law

Joan M. Fortin
Municipal Law

Steven R. Gerlach
Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Gordon F. Grimes
Construction Law
Corporate Law
Energy Law
Oil and Gas Law

Tom S. Hanson
Real Estate Law

Glenn Israel
Employment Law – Management

Robert J. Keach
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Litigation – Bankruptcy

Kenneth W. Lehman
Administrative / Regulatory Law
Health Care Law

Arnold C. Macdonald
Construction Law
Corporate Law
Project Finance Law
Real Estate Law

Robert F. Macdonald, Jr.
Franchise Law

Paul McDonald
Commercial Litigation
Litigation – Bankruptcy

Lindsay Milne
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Joel Moser
Energy Regulatory Law

Eliza Cope Nolan
Nonprofit / Charities Law
Real Estate Law

Philip R. Saucier
Land Use and Zoning Law
Municipal Law

Joel T. Shaw
Corporate Law
Securities / Capital Markets Law

David A. Soley
Commercial Litigation
Litigation – Real Estate
Real Estate Law

Hawley R. Strait
Real Estate Law

Matthew Tarasevich
Employment Law – Management
Labor Law – Management

Nelson A. Toner
Tax Law

Peter J. Van Hemel
Real Estate Law

William M. Welch
Real Estate Law

Jack Woodcock
Commercial Litigation

The 9 attorneys recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America (2025 Edition) are: 

Manchester, NH

Hilary Holmes Rheaume
Commercial Litigation
Construction Law
Labor and Employment Law – Management
Litigation – Construction
Litigation – Labor and Employment

Portland, ME

Pawel Z. Binczyk
Labor and Employment Law – Employee
Labor and Employment Law – Management
Litigation – Labor and Employment

Eviana Englert
Commercial Litigation

Rachael Becker McEntee
Energy Law
Environmental Law

James G. Monteleone
Commercial Litigation

John J. Moran
Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Corporate Governance and Compliance Law
Corporate Law

Conor Shankman
Technology Law

Tara A. Walker
Labor and Employment Law – Management

Andrew Wells
Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Nonprofit / Charities Law
Tax Law

About The Best Lawyers in America

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers^® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers recognitions are compiled based on an exhaustive Purely Peer Review^® evaluation. More than 184,000 industry leading lawyers are eligible to vote (from around the world), and we have received more than 25.8 million evaluations on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas around the world. For the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America^®, more than 23 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in more than 80,000 leading lawyers included in the milestone 31st edition. For the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch^® in America, more than 4 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in more than 27,000 lawyers honored in the new edition. “Lawyer of the Year” honors are awarded annually to only one lawyer per practice area in each region with extremely high overall feedback from their peers, making it an exceptional distinction. Lawyers are not required nor allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Find out more at www.bestlawyers.com.

About Bernstein Shur
Founded in 1915, Bernstein Shur is a New England-based law firm advising clients across the U.S. and around the world. The firm’s 100+ award-winning attorneys and professionals provide practical and innovative counsel, and practice in more than 20 key areas across a variety of industries. Bernstein Shur is known for simplifying complex issues and winning through steadfast persistence. The firm is Maine’s exclusive member of Lex Mundi, the world’s leading network of independent law firms. Find out more at www.bernsteinshur.com.