Helen Sterling Coburn

Helen Sterling Coburn is a shareholder at Bernstein Shur in Portland, Maine, where she practices corporate and securities law. She advises entrepreneurs, startups, investors, and established businesses on early- and later-stage financing, securities compliance, entity formation, governance, and exit planning. Coburn also serves as outside general counsel to growing companies, helping clients structure transactions, understand legal requirements, and move business objectives forward with practical guidance.

Coburn earned her J.D. from Boston College Law School and a B.A. cum laude from Dartmouth College. Her academic background supports a practice that combines legal analysis with business-oriented problem solving. She helps clients understand complex corporate and securities issues in clear terms, evaluate financing and governance decisions, and address legal considerations that arise as companies form, raise capital, expand operations, and prepare for significant transactions.

Coburn’s experience includes structuring capital-raising transactions, preparing disclosure materials, advising on angel and venture capital investments, and conducting investor due diligence. She also represents investors and high-net-worth individuals in reviewing offering documents and negotiating transaction terms. Her corporate work includes entity selection, formation, and governance matters for traditional businesses, B corporations, benefit corporations, and other alternative business entities, as well as ongoing counsel for mature companies.

Helen Sterling Coburn has been recognized by New England Super Lawyers Rising Stars for Business and Corporate Law. She serves on the Maine Venture Fund Board of Directors, the Indus Fund Investment Committee, and the Maine Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Summit Steering Committee. Coburn is also active in the Maine and Massachusetts bar associations and has spoken on startup financing, term sheets, benefit corporations, crowdfunding, and other business-law topics.

Law Office Affiliations

• Shareholder, Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson, P. A .
• Member, Maine State Bar Association

Licensed State

• Maine

Education

• Boston College Law School
  Juris Doctor (jD)
• Dartmouth College
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)