27 Lawyers from Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson Selected by Peers as "The Best Lawyers in America"

Fewer than 3 percent of all lawyers in the U.S. are selected for the prestigious list

Twenty-seven lawyers from Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson have been selected by their peers for inclusion in this year’s newly released edition of “The Best Lawyers in America ®," regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States.

The 2005-2006 edition of “The Best Lawyers in America” lists lawyers by their practice area and also is available online at www.bestlawyers.com. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers® “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.” Fewer than 3 percent of all lawyers in the U.S. are selected for the list.

The 27 lawyers selected from the 81-member firm of Bernstein, Shur exceeds its previous record of 19 lawyers in the 2003-2004 edition and represents one of the highest percentages among large law firms in New England. Bernstein, Shur has offices in Portland and Augusta, Maine and in Manchester, N.H.

Newly added are: Paul Frinsko of Gorham for Public Finance Law; Phil Gleason of Cumberland Foreside for Corporate, M&A, and Securities Law; Jim Houle of Scarborough for Employee Benefits Law, and Trusts and Estates; Patricia Peard of Falmouth for Business Litigation, and Labor and Employment Law; Len Gulino of Cape Elizabeth for Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law; Karen Lovell of Saco for Real Estate Law, Tax Law, and Trusts and Estates; Jaimie Schwartz of Portland for Real Estate Law; and Mary DeLano of Cape Elizabeth for Construction Law.

Lawyers making their second appearance are: George Burns of Falmouth for Construction Law; Nathan Smith of Portland for Real Estate Law; Nelson Toner of Portland for Tax Law; Lee Bragg of Manchester for Public Finance Law; John Carpenter of North Yarmouth for Corporate, M&A, and Securities Law, and Franchise Law; Pat Scully of Brunswick for Public Utility Law; Jack Montgomery of South Freeport for Construction Law; and David Ray of Yarmouth for Construction Law.

They join 11 BSSN attorneys who have been listed for some time, including Leonard Nelson of Falmouth for Corporate, M&A, and Securities Law; Greg Tselikis of Scarborough for Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law; Peter Rubin of Scarborough for Business Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation, Construction Law and Criminal Defense; Eric Saunders of Cumberland for Corporate, M&A, and Securities Law; Gordon Grimes of Durham for Corporate, M&A and Securities Law, Construction Law and Public Utility Law; John Paterson of Freeport for Antitrust Law and First Amendment Law, Charles Miller of Portland for Real Estate Law, Bob Keach of Falmouth for Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law; Jeff Thaler of Yarmouth for Environmental Law, Natural Resources Law, Business Litigation, and Personal Injury Litigation, Ken Lehman of Cumberland for Health Care Law; and Andru Volinsky of Concord, N.H., for Business Litigation, Criminal Defense, and Labor and Employment Law.

The nationally recognized list, now in its 11th edition, is published by Woodward/White, Inc. of Aiken, South Carolina. To compile the list, lawyers from throughout the U.S. were asked to rate the abilities of other lawyers in their areas of specialization. Only those attorneys who earned the consensus support of their peers were included in the listings, which cannot be purchased. For this reason, inclusion in the Best Lawyers is considered a valuable recognition.

Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson is one of northern New England’s largest law firms with 81 attorneys in offices in Portland and Augusta, Maine and Manchester, New Hampshire. The firm provides legal services in all major subject areas, including corporate and commercial law, litigation and trials, municipal and governmental affairs, education law, construction law, employment law and tax and estate planning. Bernstein, Shur also has an active practice in bankruptcy, health law, environmental law, technology and commerce, legislative law, intellectual property, public utilities and other regulated industries.

For more information, visit the Bernstein, Shur web site at www.bssn.com.

# # #