31 Attorneys from Bernstein Shur Selected by Peers as "The Best Lawyers in America"

Record-setting number represents more than half of the firm's shareholders

Thirty-one attorneys from Bernstein Shur – more than half of the firm’s shareholders – have been selected by their peers for inclusion in the soon-to-be-released new edition of “The Best Lawyers in America ®," regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States.

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

The 31 attorneys selected from the 83-member firm of Bernstein Shur exceeds its previous record of 27 attorneys in the last edition of Best Lawyers and represents one of the highest percentages among large law firms in New England. In all, 55 percent of the firm’s shareholders made the list, a new high. Bernstein Shur has offices in Portland and Augusta, Maine and in Manchester, N.H.

Newly added are Christopher L. Vaniotis of North Yarmouth for Real Estate Law; Lester F. Wilkinson, Jr. of Augusta for Real Estate Law; and Wayne E. Tumlin of Cumberland for Corporate Law. Also, Linda G. McGill of Freeport, who has been listed for many years for Labor and Employment Law, joined the firm earlier this year and is making her first appearance as a member of Bernstein Shur.

Attorneys making their second appearance are: Paul Frinsko of Gorham for Public Finance Law, and Labor and Employment Law; Philip H. Gleason of Cumberland Foreside for Corporate Law; James A. Houle of Scarborough for Employee Benefits Law and Trusts and Estates; Patricia A. Peard of Falmouth for Commercial Litigation and Labor and Employment Law; Leonard Gulino of Cape Elizabeth for Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law; Karen B. Lovell of Saco for Real Estate Law, Tax Law, and Trusts and Estates; Jaimie P. Schwartz of South Portland for Real Estate Law; and Mary DeLano of Cape Elizabeth for Construction Law.

Attorneys making their third appearance are: George F. Burns of Falmouth for Construction Law, and Commercial Litigation; Nathan H. Smith of Portland for Real Estate Law; Nelson A. Toner of Portland for Tax Law; Lee K. Bragg of Manchester, Maine, for Public Finance Law; John L. Carpenter of North Yarmouth for Corporate Law and Franchise Law; Patrick J. Scully of Brunswick for Energy Law; Jack Montgomery of South Freeport for Construction Law; and David P. Ray of Yarmouth for Construction Law.

They join 12 Bernstein Shur attorneys, including McGill, who have been listed for at least 10 years: Leonard M. Nelson of Falmouth for Corporate Law; Gregory A. Tselikis of Scarborough for Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law; Peter J. Rubin of Scarborough for Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation, Construction Law, and Criminal Defense; Eric F. Saunders of Cumberland for Corporate Law; Gordon F. Grimes of Durham for Corporate Law, Construction Law, and Energy Law; John M. R. Paterson of Freeport for Antitrust Law and First Amendment Law; Charles E. Miller of Portland for Real Estate Law; Robert J. Keach of Falmouth for Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law; Jeffrey A. Thaler of Yarmouth for Environmental Law, Natural Resources Law, Commercial Litigation, and Personal Injury Litigation; Kenneth W. Lehman of Cumberland for Health Care Law; and Andru H. Volinsky of Concord, N.H., for Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense, and Labor and Employment Law.

The nationally recognized list, now in its 12th edition, is published by Woodward/White, Inc. of Aiken, South Carolina. The 2006 edition will mark the first annual publication of Best Lawyers, which has previously been published biennially.

To compile the list, attorneys throughout the U.S. were asked to rate the abilities of other attorneys in their areas of specialization. Only those attorneys who earned the consensus support of their peers were included in the listings; inclusion cannot be purchased. For this reason, inclusion in the Best Lawyers is considered a reliable and valued recognition.

Established in 1915, Bernstein Shur is one of northern New England’s largest full-service law firms. From offices in Portland and Augusta, Maine and Manchester, New Hampshire, the firm's 83 attorneys provide practical legal counsel to a diverse group of public and private clients throughout the region and around the world. Bernstein Shur’s commercial, litigation, and municipal practices are complemented by the services of the firm’s wholly-owned government consulting affiliate (Bernstein Shur Government Solutions LLC) and its environmental and engineering consultancy (Stratex LLC). For more information, visit bernsteinshur.com.

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