Melissa R. O'Dea

Karen focuses her practice in the areas of estate planning, trust and estate administration, and planning for owners of closely held businesses. Karen is strongly client focused, a good listener, and delivers complex advice simply, with an emphasis on kindness and respect. Her practice includes advising clients on complex strategies relative to charitable giving and estate and gift taxes, including marital trusts, credit shelter trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts, qualified personal re...

Having worked in human resources and management in the private sector, Katy Rand brings hands-on experience to her practice. Her client work primarily involves employment law, with a focus on discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage / hour issues. Katy helps employers avoid litigation, counseling them on compliance and employee relations issues and, where appropriate, negotiating early resolution of disputes. She also has an active litigation practice, routinely advocating on behalf ...

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...

Jessica Scherb represents individuals and businesses in a wide variety of estate planning and corporate transactions matters. Jessica was recognized as a “Rising Star” by New England Super Lawyers, Estate Planning & Probate, Mergers & Acquisitions each year from 2011 to 2019. In 2020, she authored a chapter in A Practical Guide to Probate in Maine. Drawing on a deep well of professional experience, Jessica regularly speaks on estate planning and trust and estate administra...

Anne-Marie L. Storey is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management and Workers' Compensation Law - Employers. Anne-Marie L., who practices law in Portland, Maine, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Anne-Marie L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Michael K. Martin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Insurance Law. Michael K., who practices law in Portland, Maine, has been recognized since 2008. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael K. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

James M. Saffian practices principally in the areas of public finance, economic development and tax increment financing. Jim has represented issuers, borrowers, underwriters and trustees in a variety of structured public financings. In addition to regularly representing various municipalities and special purpose districts in Maine with respect to general obligation bond and revenue bond financings, Jim has also had substantial experience with complex private activity bond financings including...

Ken Lehman is a shareholder in Bernstein Shur’s Litigation Group and he co-chairs the firm’s Health Care Group. Ken has practiced health care law for more than 35 years. He is a former Maine Assistant Attorney General where he had responsibility for cases before Maine’s professional licensure boards that license physicians and PAs, nurses and nurse practitioners, dentists, psychologists, social workers, professional counselors, chiropractors, and other health care providers....

Jack has over fifteen years of experience litigating complex, high-stakes cases where there are millions or even billions of dollars on the line. Even under these pressures, Jack remains cool and grounded during the most heated and stressful cases. His broad range of experience includes defending the United States in large civil suits in federal courts across the country, such as two bellwether suits brought by residents of Greater New Orleans for flood damages incurred in Hurricane Katrina. ...

Jerry Crouter has 38 years of experience as a civil trial attorney and now focuses on serving as a mediator and arbitrator in commercial, construction, employment, real estate, probate, family law, malpractice and personal injury disputes. Jerry also serves as outside counsel for higher education institutions, advising them on a wide range of ever-evolving matters including student discipline, Title IX, faculty and staff employment, and tenure. Jerry is qualified to serve as a Title IX hearin...