Portland, ME and Manchester, NH – November 7, 2025 – Bernstein Shur, one of northern New England’s leading law firms, is pleased to announce that Brian J. Farnkoff has joined the firm as Of Counsel with the Government and Public Affairs Practice Group. Based in Washington, D.C., he will provide strategic, hands-on guidance to nonprofit organizations, political committees, candidates, and political professionals navigating complex election law and regulatory matters, directly connecting firm clients to the latest developments in federal policy and politics. Farnkoff will enhance the practice’s ability to deliver timely, practical, and strategically informed counsel across New England and nationally.
Farnkoff brings two decades of experience in election law, campaign finance, investigations, and political strategy. Most recently, he served as Senior Counsel in the Office of Legal Policy at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he advised on judicial nominations and supported the White House Counsel’s Office in preparing nominees for Senate confirmation hearings.
Earlier in his career, Farnkoff served as General Counsel to a national political organization and as legal counsel to presidential campaigns, advising on election law, campaign finance, and nonprofit tax law.
“Brian’s unique combination of deep campaign finance and election law experience and firsthand political insight makes him an incredible addition to our team,” said Kate Knox, Shareholder and Co-Chair of Bernstein Shur’s Government and Public Affairs Practice Group. “His understanding of how decisions made in Washington impact clients across New England will allow us to offer even more strategic, informed, and practical counsel.”
He earned his J.D. from The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Contemporary Health Law & Policy, and holds a B.A. in Public Policy from Hamilton College.