J. Sampson "Sam" Hamilton

Maybe it started with his knack for math, but Kelly has always loved solving problems. And he’s good at it. He is a powerful analytical thinker and revels in solving highly technical challenges. As a lawyer, Kelly puts those skills to work on behalf of his clients to help resolve a wide range of disputes. Kelly’s practice focuses on litigation involving commercial, bankruptcy, boundary and construction issues. He works directly with clients and in-house counsel and has represented...

After clerking for Maine Supreme Court Justice Robert Clifford for a year after law school, Mike dove straight into construction law, defending architects and engineers in construction cases at a small Portland insurance defense firm. Since joining Bernstein Shur a decade and a half ago, Mike has had the pleasure of representing the full panoply of participants on a construction project: developers, owners, general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, lenders, and sureties in everything fr...

Pete’s employment practice is guided by the adage, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Pete uses his common sense business approach to help his clients make legally sound decisions regarding their employees while advancing the needs and mission of his clients’ businesses. Pete practices in all areas of employment law, providing counsel and representation to employers throughout East Coast on issues regarding federal and state leave laws, wrongful termina...

Neal Pratt is widely-regarded as a “go to” trial attorney for high-stakes litigation. With an extraordinary record of success over 30 years, Neal has unique experience handling “bet-the-company” litigation and other thorny legal disputes. He is renowned for his strategic planning skills and meticulous preparation, and often succeeds in achieving client goals without the need for protracted litigation. When a trial is necessary, however, Neal’s extensive track rec...

Having represented businesses in hundreds of commercial real estate and loan transactions for nearly 20 years, Tom really knows the interests and concerns of real estate developers and investors and banks. That expertise comes from a wealth of experience in all phases of real estate development—from pre-development planning, land acquisition, and permitting and approvals, to construction, financing, leasing, and eventual sale. Tom’s insight and frank, detail-oriented approach make...

Sara Murphy focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation and class action defense, representing clients from a number of different industries, including financial services, energy, pulp and paper, insurance, and professional services. Sara’s litigation practice includes disputes related to breach of contract, unfair trade practices, claims under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and other business-related torts. She also handles cases involving claims for ...

Jeremy R. Fischer is the Leader of the firm’s Bankruptcy & Restructuring Practice Group. He specializes in litigation and transactions involving distressed commercial matters, where he helps clients from the first sign of trouble through the most complex financial restructuring or Chapter 11 case. A Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Bankruptcy Institute, he has built a reputation for achieving exceptional results both...

Griff Leschefske’s practice centers on estate planning, charitable giving, and probate, trust, and fiduciary litigation, in which he represents individuals, families, fiduciaries, and institutional clients in all aspects of trust and estate planning, administration, and controversy. Griff also represents charitable organizations, educational institutions, and corporate clients with respect to planned giving and philanthropy matters. In his estate planning practice, Griff provides counse...

Bob is an experienced, widely respected bankruptcy practitioner practicing in the area of bankruptcy, reorganization, and workouts. Bob’s practice focuses on the representation of various parties in workouts and bankruptcy cases, including debtors, creditors, creditors committees, lessors and third parties acquiring troubled companies and/or their assets. Bob has appeared before the bankruptcy courts in the Districts of New Jersey, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Delaware, the Nort...

Jon Block represents and advises clients with Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts tax problems. Jon litigates tax cases at the administrative level and through all levels of the court system, advises clients on transactional and multistate tax issues, obtains advance rulings for clients, and does a substantial amount of legislative and government relations work in the tax area. Jon's substantive expertise in state and local tax encompasses corporate and individual income tax, business pro...