Page 13 - Minnesota Vol 8 No 2

Referred to by both admirers and detractors as the Gerry Spence of property tax law, Hill clari es that for him, the practice of law is not a popu- larity contest. “I practice because I be- lieve we are the people responsible for defeating authoritarian rule by fur- thering the rule of law,” he said. “If we attorneys don’t stand up for the little guy and take on corruption, nobody will. It’s why the founders instituted the rule of law — to prevent our dark- er angels from prohibiting our better
angels from accomplishing equal jus- tice under law.”
Hill has long opted to work as a solo practitioner, to remain his own man, beholden to no one. However, Hill has a gi for assembling legal dream teams for di cult cases, and he counts among his trusted colleagues many of the most esteemed lawyers in the upper Midwest. He explained, “I don’t play like the other kids. When I am in a legal knife- ght I always bring a howitzer to the proceedings. My cli-
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ents usually love me for that.”
“I’ve always fought for the under- dog, and I am obligated to use all the instruments at my disposal. My prac- tice is lean and mean in the sense that when I look at a legal problem, I’m trying to envision a strategic solution, so that I can bring to bear all the skill- sets necessary to solve the problem. I’m like a chef going to the pantry to pick the right spices. Only my spices typically are some of the nest appel-
late and trial lawyers in the nation.”
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