Vincent L. McKusick
Encyclopedia
Vincent Lee McKusick is an attorney
and former Chief Justice of Maine. He is currently serving in the role of Of Counsel
at the firm Pierce Atwood in Portland, Maine
.
McKusick began practicing law with Pierce Atwood in 1952. For twenty-five years-until he was appointed by Governor Longley as Maine’s Chief Justice-Vincent engaged in general practice with the firm.
Prior to joining Pierce Atwood in 1952, Vincent served successively as law clerk to Chief Judge Learned Hand
of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
and to Justice Felix Frankfurter
of the United States Supreme Court. During 1943-46, he served in the U.S. Army, in part in Los Alamos, New Mexico
-- participating in the Manhattan Project
.
(1943), his S.B. and S.M. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(1947), and his LL.B. from Harvard Law School
(1950), where he served as President of the Harvard Law Review
. He holds honorary degrees from: Colby College (LL.D., 1976); Nasson College (LL.D., 1978); University of Southern Maine (L.H.D., 1978); Bates College (LL.D., 1979); Bowdoin College (LL.D., 1979); Thomas College (L.H.D., 1981); and Suffolk University (LL.D., 1983).
, the first such appointment directly from the bar since the appointment of Chief Justice Prentiss Mellon in 1820. Chief Justice McKusick had responsibility for managing Maine’s entire court system as well as for presiding over its highest appellate court. Over the years, he had been deeply involved in modernizing the rules of procedure for the Maine courts, serving on rules committees appointed by the Supreme Judicial Court and co-authoring two editions of the classic work on Maine Civil Practice.
McKusick's fourteen and a half years as Chief Justice were marked by significant improvements in the structure and operation of all courts. Many of those improvements came about through the involvement of volunteer efforts from within the community, such as Maine’s pioneering Mediation Program and its Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program.
For his public service in the courts, McKusick received the American Judicature Society’s Herbert Harley Award in 1982 and the Neal W. Allen Award for Community Leadership of the Greater Portland Chamber of Commerce in 1988. In 1991, Cumberland County named its newly expanded courthouse for the Chief Justice. Vincent was the 1999 recipient of the National Center for State Court’s Paul C. Reardon Award given to those who have made outstanding contributions to the administration of justice nationally and to the work of the National Center.
For over thirty-five years, McKusick was involved in legal pursuits at the national and international levels. He has served on the governing boards of both the American Bar Association Journal and the American Bar Foundation, as well as in the ABA House of Delegates. He has led groups of state and federal judges on “People to People” visits to both China and the former Soviet Union.
During 1990-91, his fellow chief justices elected McKusick President of the National Conference of Chief Justices and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Center for State Courts. He has served and continues to serve on the council of the American Law Institute, and also has served on the governing boards of the American Philosophical Society, the American Arbitration Association, and the U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society.
Since his voluntary retirement from the Court on February 28, 1992, Judge McKusick has served “of counsel” to Pierce Atwood. In July 1992, he served on a pro bono basis as the neutral arbitrator for the determination of the terms under which Long Island would separate from the City of Portland.
Since his retirement Vincent McKusick has also served the United States Supreme Court as Special Master
in three original jurisdiction
cases between States: Connecticut et al. v. New Hampshire, 1992–93; Louisiana v. Mississippi, 1995; and Kansas v. Nebraska, et al., 1999-2003.
By appointment of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
, Vincent served in 1995-96 as Master in the liquidation of American Mutual Liability Insurance Co. and an affiliate. Among numerous arbitrations conducted by him since retirement from the Court, he served in 1996 as the neutral arbitrator in San Francisco in a substantial contract dispute between a major public utility and an independent power marketer. In recent years he has successfully mediated a dispute over the disposition of the proceeds from the sale of two not-for-profit hospitals in Massachusetts, as well as a legal malpractice claim of a government agency against a large international law firm. Currently he is engaged in further substantial commercial arbitrations for the American Arbitration Association
.
Late in 1992 McKusick led a small State Department
delegation to the Republic of Georgia
to advise on court reform, and by President George H. W. Bush
's appointment he served from 1993 to 2001 as one of the five members of the Committee to Administer the Oliver Wendell Holmes Devise
.
awarded him and his identical twin brother, medical geneticist Victor A. McKusick
, its inaugural Maine Prize for their “nationally recognized contributions to the quality of life.”
McKusick practices in Maine
.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and former Chief Justice of Maine. He is currently serving in the role of Of Counsel
Of counsel
Of counsel is often the title of an attorney who is employed by a law firm or an organization, but is not an associate or a partner. Some firms use titles like "counsel," "special counsel," and "senior counsel" for the same concept...
at the firm Pierce Atwood in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
.
McKusick began practicing law with Pierce Atwood in 1952. For twenty-five years-until he was appointed by Governor Longley as Maine’s Chief Justice-Vincent engaged in general practice with the firm.
Prior to joining Pierce Atwood in 1952, Vincent served successively as law clerk to Chief Judge Learned Hand
Learned Hand
Billings Learned Hand was a United States judge and judicial philosopher. He served on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and later the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit...
of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals...
and to Justice Felix Frankfurter
Felix Frankfurter
Felix Frankfurter was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.-Early life:Frankfurter was born into a Jewish family on November 15, 1882, in Vienna, Austria, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Europe. He was the third of six children of Leopold and Emma Frankfurter...
of the United States Supreme Court. During 1943-46, he served in the U.S. Army, in part in Los Alamos, New Mexico
Los Alamos, New Mexico
Los Alamos is a townsite and census-designated place in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States, built upon four mesas of the Pajarito Plateau and the adjoining White Rock Canyon. The population of the CDP was 12,019 at the 2010 Census. The townsite or "the hill" is one part of town while...
-- participating in the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
.
Education
McKusick received his A.B. degree from Bates CollegeBates College
Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
(1943), his S.B. and S.M. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(1947), and his LL.B. from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
(1950), where he served as President of the Harvard Law Review
Harvard Law Review
The Harvard Law Review is a journal of legal scholarship published by an independent student group at Harvard Law School.-Overview:According to the 2008 Journal Citation Reports, the Review is the most cited law review and has the second-highest impact factor in the category "law" after the...
. He holds honorary degrees from: Colby College (LL.D., 1976); Nasson College (LL.D., 1978); University of Southern Maine (L.H.D., 1978); Bates College (LL.D., 1979); Bowdoin College (LL.D., 1979); Thomas College (L.H.D., 1981); and Suffolk University (LL.D., 1983).
Chief Justice
In 1977, Governor Longley appointed McKusick Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial CourtMaine Supreme Judicial Court
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in Maine's judicial system. Known as the Law Court when sitting as an appellate court, it is composed of seven justices, who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate...
, the first such appointment directly from the bar since the appointment of Chief Justice Prentiss Mellon in 1820. Chief Justice McKusick had responsibility for managing Maine’s entire court system as well as for presiding over its highest appellate court. Over the years, he had been deeply involved in modernizing the rules of procedure for the Maine courts, serving on rules committees appointed by the Supreme Judicial Court and co-authoring two editions of the classic work on Maine Civil Practice.
McKusick's fourteen and a half years as Chief Justice were marked by significant improvements in the structure and operation of all courts. Many of those improvements came about through the involvement of volunteer efforts from within the community, such as Maine’s pioneering Mediation Program and its Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program.
For his public service in the courts, McKusick received the American Judicature Society’s Herbert Harley Award in 1982 and the Neal W. Allen Award for Community Leadership of the Greater Portland Chamber of Commerce in 1988. In 1991, Cumberland County named its newly expanded courthouse for the Chief Justice. Vincent was the 1999 recipient of the National Center for State Court’s Paul C. Reardon Award given to those who have made outstanding contributions to the administration of justice nationally and to the work of the National Center.
For over thirty-five years, McKusick was involved in legal pursuits at the national and international levels. He has served on the governing boards of both the American Bar Association Journal and the American Bar Foundation, as well as in the ABA House of Delegates. He has led groups of state and federal judges on “People to People” visits to both China and the former Soviet Union.
During 1990-91, his fellow chief justices elected McKusick President of the National Conference of Chief Justices and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Center for State Courts. He has served and continues to serve on the council of the American Law Institute, and also has served on the governing boards of the American Philosophical Society, the American Arbitration Association, and the U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society.
Since his voluntary retirement from the Court on February 28, 1992, Judge McKusick has served “of counsel” to Pierce Atwood. In July 1992, he served on a pro bono basis as the neutral arbitrator for the determination of the terms under which Long Island would separate from the City of Portland.
Since his retirement Vincent McKusick has also served the United States Supreme Court as Special Master
Special master
In law, a special master is an authority appointed by a judge to make sure that judicial orders are actually followed.In England, at common law, there were "Masters in Chancery," who acted in aid of the Equity Courts. There were also "Masters in Lunacy," who conducted inquiries of the same nature...
in three original jurisdiction
Original jurisdiction
The original jurisdiction of a court is the power to hear a case for the first time, as opposed to appellate jurisdiction, when a court has the power to review a lower court's decision.-France:...
cases between States: Connecticut et al. v. New Hampshire, 1992–93; Louisiana v. Mississippi, 1995; and Kansas v. Nebraska, et al., 1999-2003.
By appointment of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The SJC has the distinction of being the oldest continuously functioning appellate court in the Western Hemisphere.-History:...
, Vincent served in 1995-96 as Master in the liquidation of American Mutual Liability Insurance Co. and an affiliate. Among numerous arbitrations conducted by him since retirement from the Court, he served in 1996 as the neutral arbitrator in San Francisco in a substantial contract dispute between a major public utility and an independent power marketer. In recent years he has successfully mediated a dispute over the disposition of the proceeds from the sale of two not-for-profit hospitals in Massachusetts, as well as a legal malpractice claim of a government agency against a large international law firm. Currently he is engaged in further substantial commercial arbitrations for the American Arbitration Association
American Arbitration Association
The American Arbitration Association is a private enterprise in the business of arbitration, and one of several arbitration organizations that administers arbitration proceedings. The AAA also administers mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. It is headquartered in New York...
.
Late in 1992 McKusick led a small State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
delegation to the Republic of Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
to advise on court reform, and by President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
's appointment he served from 1993 to 2001 as one of the five members of the Committee to Administer the Oliver Wendell Holmes Devise
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1902 to 1932...
.
Professional activities
- Maine Commissioner on Uniform State Laws (1968–76); Secretary, National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (1975–77)
- Chairman, Drafting Committee on Uniform Jury Selection and Service Act (1969–70)
- Member (1971–80) and Chairman (1976–77), Board of Editors, American Bar Association Journal
- Chairman, Review Committee on Uniform Rules of Criminal Procedure (1973–74)
- Member, Council of American Law Institute (1968 to present)
- Life Fellow, American Bar Foundation; member, Board of Directors (1977–87)
- Member, American Bar Association delegation on China Study Visit (1978)
- Member, U.S. State Department Advisory Committee on Private International Law (1981–85, 1992–93)
- Member, Federal-State Relations Subcommittee of the Judicial Conference of the United States (1982–87)
- Chairman, National Awards Jury, Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge (1982)
- Leader, People to People Judges Visit to People’s Republic of China (1983) and to Soviet Union (1988)
- Delegate to American Bar Association House of Delegates representing Conference of Chief Justices (1983–87)
- Member, Advisory Committee on Federal Appellate Rules (1984–87)
- Member, Federal-State Jurisdiction Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States (1987–89)
- Conference of Chief Justices (1977 to 1992); Board of Directors (1980–82, 1987–88); President-Elect (1989–90); President (1990–91); Standing Committee of Past Presidents (1992 to present)
- National Center for State Courts, Board of Directors (1988–91); Chairman-Elect (1989–90); Chairman (1990–91)
- Leader, U.S. State Department “Rule of Law” Delegation to the Republic of Georgia (1992)
- Director, American Judicature Society (1992–98)
- State Membership Chairman (1992–94) and Trustee (1993–2006), Supreme Court Historical Society
- Council, American Bar Association's Senior Lawyers Division (1997 to 2001)
- American Arbitration Association, Board of Directors (1994–2006)
Honors
In 1993, the University of MaineUniversity of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
awarded him and his identical twin brother, medical geneticist Victor A. McKusick
Victor A. McKusick
Victor Almon McKusick , internist and medical geneticist, was University Professor of Medical Genetics and Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA...
, its inaugural Maine Prize for their “nationally recognized contributions to the quality of life.”
McKusick practices in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
.
Cases in which he served as Special Master
- Connecticut et al. v. New Hampshire
- Kansas v. Nebraska and Colorado
- Louisiana v. Mississippi