Roy W. Tilsley

Roy W. Tilsley

Manchester, NH recognized lawyers icon Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2013
Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson PA

40 Best Lawyers awards

Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson PA logo

Awarded Practice Areas

Land Use and Zoning Law Commercial Litigation Environmental Law Litigation - Land Use and Zoning Litigation - Real Estate
*Named the "Lawyer of the Year" in this practice area in the 2026 edition in Manchester.

Biography

Roy has a diverse legal practice, focusing mostly on real estate litigation and land use matters. Roy’s clients span a number of industries and include real estate brokers, automobile dealerships, contractors, health clubs, and restaurants. No matter the industry Roy is working in, his mission remains the same: to empower clients with the information they need to make strategic and well-informed decisions.

In his litigation practice, Roy is an assertive and thoughtful partner to his clients. He consistently takes on complex and challenging cases that require courts to examine laws and their future application. For example, in 2017, Roy successfully litigated on behalf of the plaintiffs in front of the NH Probate Court’s Complex Trust Docket and the New Hampshire Supreme Court in the widely-cited case, Hodges v. Johnson 170 N.H. 470 (N.H. 2017). In that case, the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled that trustees had unlawfully breached their duties to the trust’s beneficiaries.

Roy routinely represents clients before municipal boards and state regulatory agencies- and wins. He successfully challenged the Department of Revenue Administration’s application of the Real Estate Transfer Tax to “no consideration” transactions. Additionally, Roy acted as co-counsel to the State Bureau of Securities in a successful administrative proceeding against a Pooled Risk Management Program, an effort that led to a recovery exceeding $50 million. Additionally, Roy has an active real estate mediation practice.

Roy is also very experienced in:
  • Probate law
  • Advising on tax abatements and municipal reassessments
  • Any stage of real estate transactions, including acquisition, financing, leasing, and development, with a specialty in commercial real estate
  • Business transactions

Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson PA

40 Best Lawyers awards

Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson PA logo

Overview

  • Tufts University, BA
  • Cornell University, JD, graduated 1992
  • Tufts University, BA
  • Cornell University, JD, graduated 1992

Client Testimonials

Awards & Focus

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2026 - Land Use and Zoning Law
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
  • Land Use and Zoning Law, Manchester (2026)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Environmental Law
  • Land Use and Zoning Law
  • Litigation - Land Use and Zoning
  • Litigation - Real Estate
Additional Areas of Practice:
  • Real Estate Law

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