C. Dana Waterman III graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover MA and Dartmouth College, Hanover NH with an A.B. in history, and from the University of Iowa College of Law. He joined Lane & Waterman in 1971 and served as its Managing Partner from 2001 to 2016, the fourth generation of the Waterman family to lead the firm. In 2017, he transitioned to an Of Counsel role, where he continues to advise business organizations and individuals on matters related to business organization, operations, governance, financing, transactions, and risk and compliance issues, as well as personal wealth planning. Dana also served as Secretary and General Counsel of Lee Enterprises, Incorporated (NASDAQ: LEE) for more than 34 years until his retirement from that position in December 2023. He continues to be active in community service organizations, serving as board chair of Genesis Health System; the Quad Cities Contributors Council (of which he is immediate past president); as a co-trustee of The Hubbell-Waterman Foundation; and as a founding co-trustor of the Quad Cities Cultural Trust. He previously served as board chair of the Quad Cities Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Iowa Law School Foundation, the Putnam Museum and Science Center and the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce (and several of its affiliate and/or predecessor organizations), and as a member of the Augustana College board of trustees. He also serves on the boards of directors of several privately-held companies. In 2015 he was inducted into the Quad-Cities Business Hall of Fame by Junior Achievement of the Heartland; in December 2016, he was appointed Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for Iowa (East); and in 2020 he was selected as the Quad Cities Chamber Volunteer of the Year.
Phillips Academy and Dartmouth College (A.B. 1968)
University of Iowa (J.D. 1971); Phi Delta Phi
Iowa – 1971
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa – 1971
U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois – 1973
Member, Society for Corporate Governance
Member, American Bar Association
Member, Iowa State Bar Association
Member, Scott County Bar Association
• Martindale-Hubbell AV Rating
• Listed in The Best Lawyers in America for more than 20 years (Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law)
• Listed in Chambers and Partners (Corporate/Mergers and Acquisitions/Securities Law)
• Listed in Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (Corporate Law and Mergers & Acquisitions) (Since 2016)
• Listed in Super Lawyers (business and corporate law)
Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, B. J. and Mabel Palmer Memorial
Board of Directors, Quad Cities Chamber Foundation (past president)
Board of Directors, Genesis Health System (chair)
Trustee, The Hubbell-Waterman Foundation
Trustor, Quad Cities Cultural Trust
Board of Directors, Iowa Law School Foundation (past president)
Assistant Secretary, Lee Endowment Foundation
Trustee, John F. Murray Endowment Foundation
Co-author, Organizing Corporations, Chapter 56 in M. Volz, Jr., 3 Iowa Methods of Practice (2014).
Co-author, “The Iowa Business Corporation Act: Corporate Governance Through the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws,” 40 Drake L. Rev. 805 (1991).
Lane & Waterman is excited to announce the following attorneys were selected for inclusion in the Great Plains Super Lawyers directory for 2024. The Great Plains Super Lawyers and Rising Stars listings include the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska.
Lane & Waterman has once again been recognized as one of Iowa’s premier law firms in 2024. The firm has received accolades from Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, for its excellence in several practice areas
Lane & Waterman attorney Theodore F. Olt III has been elected by the board of directors of Lee Enterprises, Inc. to succeed C. Dana Waterman III.