🔒Portland law firm Bernstein Shur expands with new immigration practice
Attorneys Michael Murray and Olivia Shaw have joined Bernstein Shur to launch the Portland law firm's immigration law practice. PHOTOS / COURTESY OF BERNSTEIN SHUR
Michael Murray, founder of a boutique law firm in Portland, will lead the new practice at one of Maine’s largest law firms, joined by associate Olivia Shaw and three paralegals.
Bernstein Shur, one of Maine’s largest law firms, has launched a health care-focused national immigration practice with the addition of two attorneys and three paralegals.
The new group will be led by Michael Murray, who joins the Portland-based firm as a shareholder from FordMurrayLaw, a boutique firm he founded more than a decade ago with Russell Ford. (Ford recently joined Fisher Phillips, an international labor and employment law firm with an office in Portland.)
Olivia Shaw, a new associate at Bernstein Shur, is a recent graduate of the University of Maine School of Law who worked with Murray at FordMurray for the past five years. The new paralegal hires, all formerly with FordMurray, are Adriana Varea, Ananya Rao and Abbey Scammon.
For Bernstein Shur, the expansion comes amid mounting pressure on hospitals and health care providers from aging populations, workforce shortages and heightened regulatory oversight. The firm said the new practice aims to help employers nationwide respond proactively, with compliant strategies that support workforce stability, long-term growth and peace of mind for professionals on staff.
Kaveri Subbarao Nauhaus FILE PHOTO / JIM NEUGER
“We pay close attention to heavily regulated industries, like health care, where the challenges are most complex and the pressure on our clients is greatest,” Kaveri Subbarao Nauhaus, CEO of Bernstein Shur, told Mainebiz.
“Staffing issues are critical to health care [and] effectively and efficiently navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of immigration law is vital to our clients’ ability to recruit and retain the doctors, nurses and other medical professionals that they need to serve our communities,” she explained.
“Adding Mike and his team to our firm amplifies the positive impact we make for clients as they advance their goals and objectives.”
Nauhaus, who succeeded Joan Fortin as CEO in February 2025, mentioned a goal of geographic expansion in an “On the Record” interview with Mainebiz published in November.
“We already bring world-class talent to solving regional and national challenges for our clients,” she said at the time. “Our goal is to broaden that impact and respond to our clients’ needs in areas beyond northern New England where they are eager to continue working with our team.”
About the new practice
The firm’s new immigration practice team will work closely with business leaders and human resources professionals, including health care leadership and HR teams, to deliver immigration solutions for doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.
Planned services include support for J-1 Visa Waiver applications, temporary work authorizations, green card petitions and immigration compliance training for HR teams.
With the new hires, Bernstein Shur employs a total of 104 attorneys, mainly across Maine and New Hampshire as well as one based in Washington, D.C.
Bernstein Shur is ranked third among Maine’s largest law firms in the 2026 Mainebiz Book of Lists, based on the number of attorneys based in the Pine Tree State. Verrill and Drummond Woodsum are No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.
