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Experience
Dan began practicing law in 1965 as a member of the law firm of Wathen & Wathen in Augusta, Maine, where his practice was heavily concentrated in both the trial and transactional areas. In 1977, he was appointed as a Justice of the Maine Superior Court, where he served four years, followed by ten years as a Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, and ten years as Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Following his retirement from the bench in 2001, he joined Pierce Atwood and now spends a substantial portion of his time serving as a mediator, arbitrator and neutral in cases in Maine and other states, as well as Puerto Rico.
Dan is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for ADR.
Recent arbitration assignments have included claims involving medical imaging franchises, professional fees arising from a corporate merger, securities litigation arising out of a merger in the tele-medicine industry, public and private construction projects, sales of professional practices, executive non-competition agreements, venture capital shareholders' fiduciary liability, business and real estate valuations.
Mediation assignments have included claims involving employment relationships, estates, professional partnerships, professional malpractice, insurance, class action, personal injuries, real estate, public construction, pipeline construction, franchises, and medical products liability.
In addition, he currently serves as Court Master by appointment of the Maine Superior Court in class action litigation involving the operation of a state psychiatric hospital and the community mental health system throughout Maine. Dan received mediation training in 2002 at the Center for Dispute Settlement in Washington, D.C., and is listed on The National Panel of Distinguished Neutrals maintained by The CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution as well as on panels of neutrals maintained by the American Arbitration Association, American Health Lawyers Association, the Maine Court System and the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.
Education
A 1962 graduate of Ricker College, Chief Justice Wathen holds an LL.M. from the University of Virginia School of Law (1988) and an LL.B. with high honors from the University of Maine School of Law (1965), where he served as editor-in-chief of the Maine Law Review.
Professional Activities
Dan is a former member and chair of the board of directors of the National Judicial College; former member of the Advisory Committee on Criminal Rules of the Judicial Conference of the United States; former member of the board of directors of the Conference of Chief Justices and the National Center for State Courts; former member of the Leadership Institute for Judicial Education; member of the Lawyers Committee of the National Center for State Courts; and a member of the Maine State Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the American Law Institute. He currently serves on the board of the Maine Community College System and other charitable and civic organizations, including The Holocaust Human Rights Center of Maine and Kids Legal Aid. Dan is a part-time member of the faculty of the University of Maine at Augusta, teaching an undergraduate course in constitutional law and serves on the board of visitors for University of Maine School of Law.
Honors and Distinctions
Among the awards he has received in recent years are a Special Service Award from the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Howard Dana Award from the Maine Bar Foundation, Professional of the Year Award from Maine Child Abuse Action Network, leadership award from the Commission on Safety and Health in the Maine Workplace, Distinguished Achievement Award from the University of Southern Maine, and a Distinguished Service Award from Maine Seniors. In addition, he has received honorary degrees from Thomas College, the University of New England and the University of Maine at Augusta. He has published in law reviews and professional periodicals and has made many presentations to professional and community organizations. He has published a series of ADR articles in Maine Lawyers' Review since 2003.
Bar Admissions
Chief Justice Wathen is admitted to practice in Maine and before the U.S. District Court, District of Maine.
Practice Areas
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Litigation
Related Practice Areas
Appellate Litigation
Representative Matters
Paul Bates, et al v. Maine Department of Behavioral and Developmental Services | 