Roy W. Tilsley Jr.

Roy W. Tilsley Jr. is a shareholder at Bernstein Shur in Manchester and a real estate and land use attorney with more than thirty years of experience. He represents property owners, developers, entrepreneurs, and other clients in land use, real estate litigation, and probate disputes. His work includes zoning and permitting, boundary and easement disputes, development approvals, construction-related claims, property tax and valuation issues, and contested matters involving trusts, estates, beneficiaries, and fiduciaries. He handles disputes in trial and appellate forums across New Hampshire.

Tilsley earned a B.A., cum laude, from Tufts University and a J.D., cum laude, from Cornell Law School. His education supports a practice requiring detailed analysis of deeds, plans, municipal regulations, contracts, trust instruments, development records, and litigation evidence. Real estate and probate disputes often turn on technical documents and long histories of property ownership or fiduciary decision-making. His legal training and decades of practice help him connect those records to the governing law and present complex issues clearly in negotiations, hearings, trials, and appeals.

Tilsley has handled matters involving zoning approvals, property boundaries, rights of way, construction claims, trusts, and fiduciary disputes. Representative work includes obtaining approvals for a 76-unit downtown Manchester development, securing a multimillion-dollar judgment in litigation, handling a substantial construction arbitration, and defending property owners in a boundary and right-of-way trial. His probate litigation experience includes disputes involving trust administration, alleged breaches of fiduciary duty, wills, and trust management before New Hampshire probate and appellate courts.

Roy W. Tilsley Jr. has received professional recognition for real estate, zoning, land use, and litigation work, including recognition from Chambers USA and Best Lawyers. His practice combines transactional understanding with substantial dispute experience, allowing him to advise clients before problems arise and represent them when disagreements reach court. He helps clients evaluate property rights, municipal requirements, development risks, and fiduciary obligations while developing practical strategies for approvals, negotiated resolutions, trials, arbitrations, or appellate review when necessary.

Law Office Affiliations

• Shareholder, Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson, P.A.
• Member, New Hampshire Bar Association
• Chair, Board of Directors, See Science Center
• Former Chair, Board of Directors, Families in Transition
• Former Board Member, State of New Hampshire Transportation Appeals
• Former Member, State of New Hampshire Board of Auctioneers

Licensed State

• New Hampshire

Education

• Cornell Law School
  Juris Doctor (JD) (Cum Laude)
• Tufts University
  Bachelor of Arts (BA) (Cum Laude)

Awards & Badges