Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson

With more than 120 lawyers and three New England offices, Bernstein Shur focuses on over 20 key areas across a variety of industries. The firm is Maine’s exclusive member of Lex Mundi.

Made in Maine

Bernstein Shur was born of a merger in 1964 between two New England firms: Bernstein, Bernstein & Nelson and Shur & Sawyer. The former dates back to 1915 when Israel Bernstein began a solo practice in Portland, ME. He was joined by his brother, Louis, in 1930 with an aim to become a force in real estate, probate, and commercial. The pair was later joined by Israel's son Sumner after WWII and to-be named partner Leonard Nelson in the 1960s.Around the same time Louis and Israel were getting together, Barnett Shur was founded in 1930 in Portland by municipal lawyer Barney Shur. Herb Sawyer joined him in 1949, and the firm gained renown for insurance, trials, and personal injury litigation. While staying true to its New England roots, the firm has expanded beyond its Portland beginnings with the addition of a New Hampshire office in 2003 and remote work for attorneys outside of New England. 

Multi-Faceted

With over 20 practice areas, Bernstein Shur offers wide-ranging legal services to its clients across a variety of industries. The firm is particularly well known for its corporate, energy, litigation, and real estate work. The firm doesn’t practice inside a box; much of its work is interdisciplinary and crosses practice areas.

The firm’s M&A group is well regarded in New England, providing strategic counsel to clients, including buyers, sellers, target companies, and venture capital and investment companies. The firm prides itself in not merely tackling the isolated transaction, but taking time to understand each client’s business to best advise on long-term goals.

In the energy arena, the firm has experience working with clients across the globe on the whole gamut of energy issues—from financing to insurance. The firm’s experience ranges from local matters to much larger international ones. Among the firm’s focuses include contract negotiation, government issues, insurance matters, real estate issues, renewable energy, and tax matters. 

The firm boasts a top-notch Real Estate practice. Lawyers are skilled in handling everything from development projects to leases to real estate litigation to tax-financed projects to real estate finance issues, and so much more. The firm even has an in-house title insurance company, offering clients the ultimate convenience.

Partnering for Diversity

Since 2019, Bernstein Shur has partnered with ten other Maine law firms and organizations and the University of Maine School of Law to create the Maine Diversity Summer Associate Program. Through this program, diverse 1Ls participate in a 10-week paid summer internship at one of the participating firms or companies. The program strives to provide the summer associates with networking and professional development activities, while also bringing more diversity to Maine’s legal community.