Susan Herman

Bio

Susan Herman has over forty years of trial and appellate experience in both the public and private sector. After law school, she joined the Maine Office of the Attorney General where she advised state agencies and represented the State of Maine in state and federal court on a variety of civil matters, including unemployment claims, wage and hour law claims, severance pay claims, tort claims and workers’ compensation matters. Susan then joined a small Maine firm where her practice included corporate matters, domestic relations, civil litigation and employment matters.
In 2000, after fifteen years in private practice, Susan returned to the Office of the Attorney General, joining the litigation division, focusing on employment and discrimination matters. She appeared in federal court, state court and before administrative agencies such as the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Maine Human Rights Commission and the federal Office of Civil Rights. Susan regularly made presentations on the topics of workplace harassment, the Americans with Disabilities Act, personnel investigations, and state and federal laws related to employment and discrimination issues.

In 2015, Susan was named as Division Chief for the Civil Litigation Division of the Maine Attorney General’s Office, which handles constitutional challenges to state laws and rules, civil rights cases, tort claims, civil appeals, amicus and multi-state litigation. While Division Chief, Susan handled complex civil litigation and was responsible for overseeing the work of the 23-member Litigation Division.

In 2019, the Attorney General named Susan as Chief Deputy for the Office, where she managed the day-to-day operations of the over 200-person Office of the Attorney General. As Chief Deputy, Susan worked closely with the Attorney General on high priority and sensitive matters relating to client state agencies, the Governor’s Office, the Legislature, and members of the public. She also handled and oversaw requests for the issuance of official opinions of the Attorney General. As Chief Deputy, she was the primary attorney responsible for multi -state impact litigation and comment letters in matters involving immigration, reproductive rights, health care, and election issues, including high profile cases related to DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), the ACA (Affordable Care Act), the census, and reproductive rights.

In February of 2023, Maine’s Governor, Janet T. Mills, nominated Susan to serve as a member of Maine’s Civil Service Appeals Board. This Board considers grievances of Maine state employees who are not covered by collective bargaining, holds hearings, and issues final decisions. Susan’s nomination was confirmed by the Maine Senate, and the Governor appointed her as Chair of the Board. In 2024, Susan was reappointed and confirmed for an additional four-year term.

Bar Admissions

• Massachusetts
• Maine
• United States Supreme Court
• First Circuit Court of Appeals
• District of Columbia Court of Appeals
• Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
• United States District Court for the District of Maine
• United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts

Education

• University of California, Berkeley, A.B., with distinction
• University of Maine School of Law, J.D.