Bernstein Shur launches Conflict Evaluation and Resolution Team

Sign Up For Our FREE Daily eNews!


MANCHESTER,  NH – Bernstein Shur announced recently the launch of its Conflict Evaluation and Resolution Team (CERT) made up of eight professional neutrals, four based in the firm’s Manchester office, and four based in its Portland and Augusta, Maine offices.

The team, led by Bernstein Shur shareholders George Burns and Roy Tilsley along with of-counsel attorney and former Federal Bankruptcy Judge Louis Kornreich, also includes shareholders Asha Echeverria, Kelly Gagliuso, Richard Gagliuso, Paul McDonald, and Talesha Saint-Marc.

“Every CERT member has one or more specialties, and yet every single individual could effectively serve in almost any kind of case,” said Burns, whose four decades-long career spans litigation, arbitration, and mediation for business and construction disputes.

“With court proceedings slowing significantly due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the need to find alternative and creative ways to resolve disputes will be greater than ever,” said Tilsley, a seasoned litigator whose practice focuses on mediating business and real estate disputes as well as handling all manner of corporate and real estate litigation and transactions.

The CERT team offers traditional mediation and arbitration services but will also offer new approaches and products— like single-party case evaluation and a la carte issue-specific neutral involvement within a case — that have been missing over the decades of their experience, and enhance both advocacy and objectivity.

“We have tried to create something new and special in forming a group that will instill best practices and state-of-the-art techniques. In New England at least, this kind of group collaboration is rare. It means we can offer more skills and quality,” said Kornreich, whose mediation work covers bankruptcy matters and all aspects of civil litigation. “From a practical standpoint, with eight versatile members, it also means greater availability in scheduling and more flexibility on billing.”

In New Hampshire, in addition to Tilsley, members include Kelly Gagliuso, a thought leader on the drafting and enforcement of construction and commercial contracts; Richard Gagliuso, a highly regarded construction litigator and neutral with an additional concentration on First Amendment and media law; and Saint-Marc, a leading trial lawyer and counselor with a concentration on labor and employment law.

In Maine, in addition to Burns and Kornreich, the team’s practitioners include McDonald, a highly accomplished trial lawyer and general counsel to the firm, and Echeverria, a leader in the construction law bar and professional and LEED certified engineer.


About Bernstein Shur

Founded in 1915, Bernstein Shur is a New England-based law firm advising clients across the U.S. and around the world. The firm’s 125+ award-winning attorneys and professionals provide practical and innovative counsel, and practice in more than 20 key areas across a variety of industries. Bernstein Shur is known for simplifying complex issues and winning through steadfast persistence.

Find out more at www.bernsteinshur.com.

About this Author