Michael E. Carey

Steve is a tax attorney who specializes in employee benefits, executive compensation, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). He works with employers of all stripes—including health care entities, businesses, nonprofits, municipalities, and individuals—on ERISA requirements and liabilities, Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MEPERS) compliance and controversies, as well as the tax and ERISA implications of mergers and acquisitions. In addition, Steve repres...

Emily Cooke’s practice focuses on commercial transactions, compliance, and corporate governance for a range of clients, including banks and other financial institutions, health care organizations, insurance industry participants, educational institutions, nonprofit entities, and small businesses. She negotiates third-party vendor contracts for banking services, negotiates master services agreements for outsourcing critical processing functions for national bank and insurers, and provide...

Agniezska Dixon is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Land Use and Zoning Law and Municipal Law. Agniezska, who practices law in Portland, Maine, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Agniezska is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Andy has more than 25 years experience in general environmental counseling and regulatory compliance, natural resource permitting, and land use permitting. He has served for more than 25 years as general counsel and has provided environmental law services on special projects to Maine municipalities. Andy is the Chair of the Environmental & Land Use and Municipal Law & Finance practice groups at Eaton Peabody. His practice concentrates on environmental compliance counseling, and repres...

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...

Kate works where the law, the Legislature, the governor and politics meet. Among the most highly regarded lobbyists and election law attorneys in Maine, she helps navigate the complex reality of elections and public policy. No challenge is too big, no campaign impossible. Kate takes on the tough – some might say, impossible – work that can change the world. With Kate, there’s no quit. She keeps working until she wins. Period. Kate has lobbied in Augusta for nearly 20 years, ...

With a past as a securities regulator in the New Hampshire Bureau of Securities Regulation, Joel has deep expertise in the federal and state securities laws—and the practical insight it takes to navigate today’s financial markets successfully. Whether you’re an operating company seeking early stage or later round financing, Joel will help you structure capital-raising transactions and prepare disclosure documents that have every “i” dotted and every “t&rdqu...

A straight-shooting, disciplined former naval officer and present-day real estate attorney, Bill gets projects done on budget and on time. Throughout his career, Bill has helped major real estate developers realize large-scale commercial projects in the Greater Portland area and throughout the state of Maine. His skill set includes acquisitions, sales, development projects, entity formation, financing, and leasing. He currently heads up Bernstein Shur’s Massachusetts Real Estate Initiat...

Amy Tchao is the Leader of the firm’s Municipal Law Practice Group and has over twenty-five years of experience advising municipalities and other public clients on a broad range of municipal issues, including land use permitting and enforcement, zoning compliance (including shoreland zoning matters), ordinance drafting (including zoning/land use ordinances and other ordinances governing short-term rentals, impact fees and other specialty areas), cannabis regulation, elections, freedom o...

Benjamin J. Smith is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Administrative / Regulatory Law, Energy Law and Energy Regulatory Law. Benjamin J., who practices law in Augusta, Maine, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Benjamin J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.