In the twenty-five years with Pierce Atwood prior to becoming Maine's Chief Justice in 1977, Vincent had a practice of wide business and personal law focus with particular emphasis on public utility law. After serving for 14-1/2 years as Chief Justice, Vincent has returned to Pierce Atwood and devoted himself to ADR and Court appointments as Special Master. His total of fifty-nine years in private practice and appellate court judging and leadership was preceded by World War II service on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos and by presidency of the Harvard Law Review, followed by clerkships for both Chief Judge Learned Hand and Justice Felix Frankfurter.
In 1952, Vincent came directly from law school and two years of clerking to Pierce Atwood as only its eighth lawyer. In the next 25 years before going on the Court, he practiced of necessity in nearly every area of the law, seeing the firm grow to 27 lawyers. He does not purport to have a particular specialty in his ADR and Special Master work, anymore than a member of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court practices a specialty. Rather, he brings a broad and varied experience in the law to the matters before him.
Recent Experience
- Arbitrator in substantial accounting malpractice case heard by three-person panel in New York City (2004-2009)
- Mediation of disposition of proceeds from sale of two Massachusetts not-for-profit hospitals (1997-1998)
- Mediation of legal malpractice claim by a federal agency against large New York law firm (1995-1996)
- Neutral arbitrator in San Francisco in a substantial contract dispute between a major public utility and an independent power marketer (1996)
Honors & Distinctions
Law Clerk, Chief Judge Learned Hand (1950-1951)
Law Clerk, Justice Felix Frankfurter (1951-1952)
Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court (1977-1992)
U.S. Supreme Court appointments as Special Master in three Original Jurisdiction cases between States:
- Connecticut, et al. v. New Hampshire (1992-1993)
- Louisiana v. Mississippi (1995)
- Kansas v. Nebraska, et al. (1999-2003)
Appointment by Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court as Master in the liquidation of American Mutual Liability Insurance Co. and affiliate (1995-1996)
The Maine Prize awarded only once to date by University of Maine to Vincent and his identical twin Victor McKusick (internationally noted medical geneticist) (1993)
Professional Activities
Maine Commissioner on Uniform State Laws (1968-1976), Secretary of National Conference (1975-1977)
Member, Board of Editors, American Bar Association Journal (1971-1980), Chairman (1976-1977)
Member, Council of American Law Institute (1968-2007) and Member Emeritus (2008-present)
Member, American Bar Association House of Delegates (1983-1987)
Director (1988-1991), Chairman-Elect and Chairman (1989-1991), National Center for State Courts
Director, American Arbitration Association (1994-2006)
Publications
"A Firm Foundation for Life After the Bench," The Journal of Appellate Practice and Process (Fall 2006)
Maine Civil Practice, 1st Edition (with Richard H. Field) (1959)
Maine Civil Practice, 2nd Edition (with Richard H. Field and L. Kinvin Wroth)(1970)
Civic Activities
Member (1971-1980), Chairman (1976-1977), ABA Journal Board
Trustee, Bates College (1952-present)
Leader of People-to-People Groups of Judges Visiting Peoples Republic of China (1983) and the Soviet Union (1988)
Leader of U.S. State Department Delegation to the Republic of Georgia (1992)
Member, U.S. State Department Advisory Committee on Private International Law (1981-1985, 1992-1993)
Member (1986-present), Council Member (1990-2002), Vice President (2002-2005), American Philosophical Society
By Presidential appointment, one of five members of Committee to Administer the Oliver Wendell Holmes Devise (1993-2001)