Portland Lawyer Appointed Honorary Consul by Republic of Estonia

Scott Schul's appointment in conjunction with establishment of Estonian consulate in Portland, the first in New England

PORTLAND, Maine (January 4, 2002) -- The Republic of Estonia has appointed Scott E. Schul, an attorney with Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson, as Honorary Consul, an important step toward creating and strengthening economic and cultural ties between the Baltic nation and New England.

Schul's appointment by the Estonian Foreign Ministry is in conjunction with the establishment of an Estonian consulate in Portland, the first in New England and just the sixth in North America. Other locations include New York, Los Angeles, Seattle and Toronto.

"I am honored by this appointment and am confident that I can continue and expand my efforts to develop new economic opportunities for these two regions of the world that share so many similarities," said Schul, who envisions Maine companies partnering with counterparts in Estonia to access the lucrative markets of Northern and Western Europe as well as opportunities that exist in the Russian markets.

As Honorary Consul, Schul will focus his efforts on the creation and enhancement of economic and cultural relations between New England and Estonia. He also will perform traditional consular functions, including legalizing documents, issuing certificates of return and providing consular protection to Estonian citizens and businesses. His consular territory includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Almost two years ago, Schul embarked on a grassroots, one-person trade mission to Estonia. He met with a wide range of Estonian governmental officials and commercial leaders as well as the Honorable Melissa Wells, the U.S. Ambassador to Estonia, during his 10-day trip to the thriving Northern European country. He returned to Estonia last March, focusing on transportation, infrastructure and cultural exchange. Schul and his law firm also have hosted visits to Maine by Estonian Consul General Reimo Pettai, who noted that Maine's economy and infrastructure are remarkably similar to Estonia and that trade opportunities indeed exist.

Schul, a partner at Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson and Chair of the firm's Tax and Estate Planning Practice Group, has long maintained that a "mutual lack of information" is the only reason that closer ties have yet to be developed between the two regions.

But with his appointment and the establishment of an Honorary Consulate in Portland, Schul sees "great momentum" building for New England businesses to be able to expand distribution and production into the Baltic Sea region.

"Estonia is a vibrant and growing country with an enormous amount of economic promise and opportunity," Schul said. "With a deep water port and an efficient transportation system, the country provides easy distribution access to more than 100 million consumers in the Baltic Sea region, and has many programs in place to attract and retain investors."

A parliamentary democracy, Estonia is located in Northern Europe, across the Baltic Sea from Finland and Sweden on the north and northwest and bordered on the east by Russia and the south by Latvia. It is similar to Maine in population and Massachusetts in geographic size. For more information about Estonia and its economic opportunities, Schul urged those interested to visit http://www.estemb.org, the official web site of the Estonian Embassy in Washington D.C.

Schul is a member of Bernstein, Shur's growing International Law and Trade Practice Group. Attorneys in the group advise Maine companies on doing business overseas, and also are active in assisting foreign nationals in the purchase and development of businesses in the U.S. The firm's award-winning web site, http://www.mainelaw.com, is translated into six languages.

Schul, who lives in Portland with his wife Linda and daughter Annika, earned an L.L.M. in taxation from Boston University in 1997. He is a 1991 graduate of the West Virginia University College of Law in Morgantown, W. Va., and a 1988 graduate of Clarion University of Pennsylvania in Clarion, Pa.

Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson is one of northern New England's largest law firms, with more than 70 attorneys in offices in Portland and Augusta. The firm provides legal services in all major subject areas, including corporate and commercial law, litigation and trials, municipal and governmental affairs, and tax and estate planning. Bernstein, Shur also has an active practice in bankruptcy, health law, environmental law, technology and commerce, employment law, legislative law, intellectual property, public utilities and other regulated industries. For more information, visit the Bernstein, Shur web site at http://www.mainelaw.com.

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