Portland and Augusta, Maine, and Manchester, New Hampshire
Bernstein Shur announced that 46 of its attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers® in 2026. Of that list, 39 were listed in The Best Lawyers in America® category, with another 7 listed in the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, recognizing newer attorneys in private practice for outstanding professional excellence in their field. Six Bernstein Shur attorneys earned the additional Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” designation, an honor exclusive to their legal specialty and geographic location.
The six attorneys recognized in Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” (2026 Edition) are:
- James D. Kerouac, Commerical Transactions / UCC Law
- Richard C. Gagliuso, Litigation – Construction
- Roy W. Tilsley, Land Use and Zoning Law
- Joel T. Shaw, Securities / Capital Markets Law
- Philip R. Saucier, Municipal Law
- Katherine R. Knox, Government Relations Practice
The 39 attorneys recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® (2026 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
Mark W. Dean
- Energy Law
- Energy Regulatory Law
- Utilities Law
Matthew J. Delude
- Appellate Practice
- Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- 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
Nelson A. Raust
- Trust and Estates
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
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
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
- 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
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
Kenneth W. Lehman
- Administrative / Regulatory Law
- Health Care Law
Arnold C. Macdonald
- Construction Law
- Corporate Law
- Project Finance Law
- Real Estate Law
Paul McDonald
- Commercial Litigation
- Litigation – Bankruptcy
N. Joel Moser
- Energy Regulatory Law
Eliza Cope Nolan
- Nonprofit / Charities Law
- Real Estate Law
David C. Pierson
- Construction Law
- Litigation – Construction
- Litigation – Land Use and Zoning
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
- Litigation – Construction
The 7 attorneys recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America (2026 Edition) are:
MANCHESTER, NH
James Armillay
- Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
- Commercial Litigation
Hilary Holmes Rheaume
- Commercial Litigation
- Construction Law
- Labor and Employment Law – Management
- Litigation – Construction
- Litigation – Labor and Employment
PORTLAND, ME
Rachael Becker McEntee
- Energy Law
- Environmental Law
Lucas L. Fortier
- Appellate Practice
- Commercial Litigation
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
About Best Lawyers®
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 2026 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.