James M. "Jim" Bowie

Melinda (Mindy) J. Caterine represents management in employment disputes before federal and states courts and agencies throughout New England. Her practice includes defending employers in matters involving: Sexual harassment Employment discrimination Retaliation Wrongful discharge Employment contract dispute cases Mindy also conducts training on numerous employment issues, such as: Harassment Wage and hour compliance Reductions-in-force Leaves of absence Discipline and discharge In addition t...

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...

John Kaminski’s practice is centered on business transactions and tax law with an emphasis on community and project development. He leverages a combination of tax and transactional expertise to help clients achieve their objectives. John regularly advises developers and lenders involved in real estate development, affordable housing projects, and historic rehabilitation projects. He has worked with for-profit and non-profit developers on mixed commercial and residential developments, fe...

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...

Christopher E. Howard, partner in the Business Group, serves on the firm's Management Committee and is the former head of its Business Practice Group. Chris has a unique combination of technical legal skills and hands-on business and finance experience, which enables him to integrate these disciplines into strategies that match client objectives and provide clients with a competitive advantage. Chris's practice has three main areas of focus: Corporate finance and transactional representation ...

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...

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...

Aimee B. Parsons is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Aimee B., who practices law in Portland, Maine, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Aimee B. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

For more than 30 years, Eric Herlan has been representing public school districts on a wide variety of legal issues, focusing on both special education and general school law questions. Eric gives clients practical guidance on how to resolve problems consistent with the law, often coming up with creative solutions to help them achieve their goals, even with the most complicated legal issues. He has represented Maine and New Hampshire school districts in more than 100 special education due pro...

As a shareholder in Bernstein Shur’s Real Estate Practice Group, Eliza represents timberland investment companies and wind energy developers on real estate-based projects in Maine and around the country. Her acute knowledge of all aspects of real estate transactions and financings, robust organizational and drafting skills, and calm demeanor under pressure are a boon to companies whose complex projects often involve multiple parties and many moving parts. Eliza’s previous experien...