Catherine C. Miller

Calm under pressure, dependable, and a true advocate for her clients, Mary is an experienced municipal and environmental law counselor. Having worked in the public sector for years before joining Bernstein Shur, she has a firsthand understanding of the issues faced by municipal and state employees and boards—and how to help her clients confront them. Her most recent public sector position was associate corporation counsel to the City of Portland, where she advised the city staff and cou...

Melissa Hewey is an accomplished litigator with substantial experience across a broad range of practice areas, including insurance defense, school law, higher education law, employment matters, and complex commercial litigation. Melissa has represented a diverse set of clients, such as insurance companies, schools, colleges and universities, municipalities, law firms, hospitals, individuals, and businesses in a variety of industries. Melissa has tried a wide range of cases and argued signific...

Bob Mittel is the senior member of the firm. Following two years of service in the Army during the late 1960’s, he practiced with Pine Tree Legal Assistance until 1976, devoting the majority of his efforts to welfare and civil rights litigation in both state and federal courts. Since 1977, the majority of his work has been in the fields of intellectual property, compliance & defense work for debt collectors, and business and probate litigation. Bob has argued cases in a variety of s...

Eliza Nichols is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Eliza, who practices law in Portland, Maine, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Eliza is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Sarah Tracy advises energy generation facilities, large commercial energy users, and utilities with respect to state and federal energy regulatory issues throughout New England. Sarah assists owners of utility scale and distributed energy generation facilities and off-takers negotiate key energy agreements, including power purchase agreements, net energy billing agreements, renewable energy credit purchase and sale agreements, natural gas supply agreements and firm gas transportation agreemen...

David Soley leads Bernstein Shur’s Real Estate Litigation Group, is the author of the American Bar Association’s nationally acclaimed Real Estate Litigation Handbook and is recognized by Best Lawyers in America for his work in Real Estate Litigation. Mr. Soley concentrates his practice in the areas of business, real estate and constitutional litigation. He regularly represents entrepreneurs and property owners in disputes over boundaries, titles, easements, mortgage priorities, pa...

Erica M. Johanson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Real Estate and Litigation - Trusts and Estates. Erica M., who practices law in Portland, Maine, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Erica M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Christopher Brooks focuses his practice on bankruptcy, commercial finance, and business/commercial litigation. Chris primarily works with national and local lending institutions, quasi-state and governmental agencies, trade creditors, developers, corporations, and other for-profit and nonprofit entities in financing transactions and the restructuring or collection of troubled and defaulted loans. With an eye on maximizing returns and mitigating risk, Chris regularly advises lenders and other ...

Dave Barry is a partner in Pierce Atwood’s Litigation Practice Group. Dave served as the firm’s managing partner from 2016 through 2025. Previously, Dave was chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group and chaired the firm’s Government Investigations and White Collar Criminal Defense practice. Dave has managed complex business litigation in federal and state courts and has extensive experience assisting clients with government enforcement and compliance matters invol...

Kevin M. Noonan is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Workers' Compensation Law - Claimants. Kevin M., who practices law in Topsham, Maine, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kevin M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.