Andersen, Watson and Gelinas Join Growing Legal Department at Banknorth Group

Banknorth Group, Inc., has recently added three lawyers to its Legal Department in response to ongoing growth of the Portland, Maine-based bank holding company.

With the addition of Einar G. Andersen, Paula R. Watson and Lynn B. Gelinas, the department now boasts six lawyers, and seven paralegals and support staff.

Einar G. Andersen is a vice president and senior counsel. He is responsible for legal matters pertaining to deposit operations, commercial lending, and regulatory issues.
A lawyer for 15 years, Andersen previously served for four years as vice president and general counsel with another Maine bank. He is a member of the Maine State Bar Association, and the Cumberland County Bar Association.
A resident of Falmouth, Andersen serves as secretary on the board of directors at Community Counseling of Maine. He is a 1977 graduate of Hobart College in Geneva, N.Y., and received his law degree in 1985 from the New York Law School.

Lynn B. Gelinas is a staff attorney who will provide advice and counsel to the corporation on a wide variety of legal issues, and will act as liaison with outside counsel.
Gelinas has most recently served as a Deputy Director in the Appellate Division of the Maine Revenue Services. She is a licensed attorney in Maine and Massachusetts.
A resident of Poland, Gelinas is a 1988 graduate of the University of Southern Maine, and in 1994 received her law degree from the University of Maine School of Law.

Paula R. Watson is a senior attorney responsible for litigation, litigation management, and security issues for the bank holding company and its related banks.
Watson has more than 10 years of experience serving as outside counsel in banking and commercial litigation. She was formerly a partner at Thompson, Bull, Furey, Bass & MacColl in Portland. Watson is a member of the American Bar Association, the Maine Bar Association, the Vermont Bar Association and the Cumberland County Bar Association.
A resident of Falmouth, Watson serves as Staff Judge Advocate for the 52nd Troop Command of the Maine Army National Guard in Bangor. She is a 1986 graduate of the Vermont Law School in South Royalton, Vt., and received her undergraduate degree in 1983 from Knox College in Galesburg, Ill.

Banknorth Group, Inc., formerly known as Peoples Heritage Financial Group, is an $18.5 billion bank holding company that is the parent company of Peoples Heritage Bank in Maine; Bank of New Hampshire; First Massachusetts Bank; GBT in Connecticut; Evergreen Bank in upstate New York; and Franklin Lamoille Bank, Howard Bank, First Vermont Bank and The Stratevest Group, all of Vermont.

# # #