Robert Paolini served two, two-year terms
from 1987 to 1991 in the Vermont House of Representatives. The Democrat represented a
three-town district of Waterbury, Duxbury and Huntington in central Vermont.
"I always had an interest in the
process in Vermont, and unlike many other places, there are very few lawyers in our
legislature," Paolini says.
While still working at his firm, Martin
and Paolini in Barre, Vt., he campaigned door to door, ringing bells, shaking hands and
creating grassroots interest among 10,000 residents. His diligence paid off, and he won
his first election in 1986.
He used his legal expertise while a
member and later vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee and the Judicial Retention
Committee. Drawing from his knowledge of family and appellate law, he helped create a statewide
Family Court system in 1990, with branches in all 14 counties of Vermont. In addition, he
tapped his sailing interests to help create new boating laws that included penalties for
operating a boat while under the influence.
He also served on the Governor’s
Criminal Justice Council (now a cabinet), a policy-setting body for all state agencies
that worked with the state police, departments of corrections, social services and the
House and Senate.
"Lawyers were always suspect in the
legislature. Yet they always sought lawyers out for advice. Once we were the brunt of
jokes, but we did the work that needed to be done," Paolini says.
Since the legislative session ran from
January through May, Paolini retained his private practice. After the end of his second
term, Paolini opted not to run for office again. "The pressure of the practice made
me realize that I could no longer justify not being around five months of the year,"
Paolini says.
"The bar gave me the opportunity to
get back into the legislative process," says Paolini, who is also the bar’s
primary lobbyist.
The legislature has remained a focal
point in Paolini’s career and his life. "I have learned why laws are the way
they are. I have had an inside view of the process, which is enlightening. A lot of
lawyers don’t have that because they’re not involved in the process," he
notes. "I’m always (at the House) in some way even though I’m no longer a
member."
Laurence Buxbaum was the chief of
consumer protection at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office before returning
to private practice and entering politics. In 1972, he ran for the state House of
Representatives, won the election and represented the Sharon and Foxboro districts, south
of Boston.
"I thought I could make a
difference. I was involved locally in Sharon and with a few campaigns until someone urged
me to run for the House as a Democrat," says Buxbaum.
He ran against an incumbent who was very
popular. So the widely unknown Buxbaum introduced himself to district residents by
knocking on 5,800 doors in 56 days. But he was befuddled because the incumbent wasn’t
doing anything. Then he received a phone call.
"Midway through the race, he called
to tell me that he was offered the presidency of one of his biggest advertising clients.
He dropped out of the race," recalls Buxbaum.
Since this happened so close to the
election, the Republicans scrambled to find a replacement as a write-in candidate, but the
replacement failed to re-ignite the race, and Buxbaum won his first election.
"I was like Robert Redford in
‘The Candidate.’ I asked myself, ‘OK, now what do I do?" he laughs.
While in the legislature, he used his
Attorney General experience to work on consumer issues and bills. "I had the chance
to see how the legislature can work to benefit the consumers. I looked forward to being a
part of the process every day," he says.
Buxbaum also focused on legislation and
issues involving civil liberties, as well as grand jury and jury system reforms, civil
rights and death penalty issues while on the Judiciary Committee.
His full-time legislative work only
earned $12,000 a year, a low salary for a man supporting a family. After serving two,
two-year terms, he opted to become assistant secretary of consumer affairs for
Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. He worked with Dukakis until the governor lost his
re-election bid. Buxbaum then became corporate counsel for various supermarket chains in
the New England states for about 12 years.
"I was beginning to miss the idea of
doing something in the public area and giving back to the community. That’s when I
started looking at the non-profit field," Buxbaum says.
He responded to an ad to become executive
director of the New York Trial Lawyers Association. He led the group for seven years
before hearing about an opening for executive director of the Hennepin County Bar
Association in Minneapolis. He became the bar’s executive director in April 1999,
replacing Shelley Watson.
Buxbaum believes his legislative
experience helped him learn about civility, public policy and civil liberties issues, and
gave him a sensitivity to a variety of other issues that are important to people.
"The legislature was an invaluable
experience. It also helped me to understand about consensus building. Your ally today may
be your opponent tomorrow and then your ally again the next day. You need to build the
bridges and not burn them," Buxbaum says.
