Bernstein Shur Expands its Property Tax and Valuation Team

Bernstein Shur, one of northern New England’s largest law firms, announced the expansion of its long-standing, multi-state Property Tax and Valuation Team. With more than seven decades of experience counseling private businesses, not-for-profit entities, municipalities and public clients on all aspects of property taxation, the team has grown its capacity to respond to the increased demand for its services throughout New England and across the United States.

The Property Tax and Valuation Team members, all of whom are attorneys, have deep experience in local property taxation, including the methodologies and appraisal science that local assessors use to determine a property’s assessed value. Working closely with clients, the team analyzes a host of market factors, income and sales studies, capital and investment markets, budgets and costs trends and other relevant information to support or challenge a property’s assessed valuation.

The team’s experience includes counseling both locally and nationally on the tax and valuation of grid-scale wind turbine projects, which are large projects that involve many separate taxing jurisdictions and new technologies. “We’ve expanded our team to meet the rapidly growing needs of emerging industries, such as wind power and renewable energy,” said Rob Crawford, chair of the team. “We have developed unique systems that allow us to effectively and efficiently model expected and projected property tax liabilities, a critical need for both businesses and taxing authorities.”

Clients rely on the team’s knowledge of valuation and property taxation in the context of economic development, trusts and estate planning, bankruptcy, real estate transfers, easements, leaseholds, project financing and construction. The team assists clients in revaluation and abatement disputes, and regularly appears before the ME State Board of Property Tax Review and through all levels of the judicial appeal process. Attorney Rob Crawford is the ME representative of the National Association of Property Tax Attorneys.

“Business, not-for-profit entities, and municipalities rely on our team of nationally respected attorneys for guidance in valuation services and how property will or should be locally assessed for tax, economic development and financing purposes. We use a cost-effective and results-oriented approach to help our clients navigate today’s dynamic and quickly changing markets,” said Pat Scully, CEO for Bernstein Shur. “Guided by 70 years of experience, our team works to develop a methodology that often can be applied across multiple tax years, thereby reducing costs to the taxpayers while also maximizing savings to the property owners.”

The Tax and Valuation team includes the following attorneys:

• Lee K. Bragg, Esq.
• Robert J. Crawford, Esq., Chair
• Joan M. Fortin, Esq., Municipal and Regulatory Practice Group Leader
• N. Joel Moser, Esq., M.P.A., Co-chair
• Shana Cook Mueller, Esq., M.P.A.
• Roy W. Tilsley, Jr., Esq.
• Andru H. Volinsky, Esq.

Click here to learn more about Bernstein Shur’s Property Tax and Valuation Team.

About Bernstein Shur
Widely regarded as one of New England’s most entrepreneurial law firms, Bernstein Shur has more than 100 attorneys in offices in ME and New Hampshire. Founded in 1915, the firm provides practical and innovative counsel in the areas of business law, litigation, and municipal law to clients throughout the region and around the world. Bernstein Shur is ME’s exclusive member of Lex Mundi, the world’s leading association of independent law firms. More information is available at www.bernsteinshur.com.