Page 14 - Minnesota Vol 8 No 2
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“I can do that because I have the kind of practice where I can a ord to put together powerful teams, whether for trial or appellate work. I  nd the best legal talent I can because I don’t like to lose. And it doesn’t always mean winning outright; sometimes it means doing all that’s nec- essary to get a fair compromise.”
When I interviewed Hill, he was fresh from the heat of battle, defending a taxpayer in Anoka County from a disputed assessment in which Hill alleges tax o cials de- stroyed evidence in violation of the Data Practices Act. “I expect the matter will get the attention of the Minnesota Court of Appeals and perhaps the Minnesota Supreme Court. I have a good track record in property tax because I  nd the right lawyers to get it right. Even if I’ve had an adverse ruling, most situations are not hopeless.  e rule of law is not something you just look up, it’s the experience and perseverance you bring to the equation that ultimate- ly makes the di erence.”
MAKING A ZEALOUS ADVOCATE
During his senior year of high school, Hill moved with his family to Cambridge, Minnesota, transferring from what he terms a “precocious” Catholic school in St. Cloud to the local public school. It was there he met his future wife, Debbie Johnson-Hill. A high academic achiever, Hill was also a member of the football team. He still remem- bers vividly the Friday a ernoon when he  rst met Deb- bie.
“ e football players wore their jerseys on Fridays. Pe-
riod. So, I’m in the library that Friday, when in comes this group of sophomore cheerleaders.  ere were three as I recall, but I only truly recall the one in the middle. She was 5 foot 2, blonde, and beautiful. She stares me down and says, ‘I didn’t know football players could read.’  en she turns and prances like a peacock out of the library. I was smitten, completely in love. And I’m still in love.”  ey eventually married, and Debbie has been an integral part of Hill’s law practice for the past 12 years.
Back in Cambridge, Hill also encountered Debbie’s fa- ther, Dave Johnson, a ubiquitous lawyer and then-chair- man of the Cambridge-Isanti School Board. Hill’s father, an educator, was hired by Johnson to ensure the local schools’ academic programs received equal priority to its sports programs — particularly football.
“You couldn’t help noticing the football team had new uniforms while the French club had nothing. Deb’s dad resented that the town was all about sports and not about the things that would equip kids to function in life. It’s not the same town now, due in large part to his untimely and premature death in the mid-1990s.”
Hill aspired to attend law school as a training ground for his true ambition — a career in politics. He says he has modeled himself and his practice a er Johnson. “It was funny for me to come to a small town and hear all about this guy. I already wanted to be a lawyer, and I saw his im- pact on the town. I knew his reputation and the reverence people had for him. He literally took it over in the sense that when there were good things happening, he always seemed to have had a hand in it.”
“I think I always had the same thing in my character and attitude as Debbie’s dad. You  ght for justice, and you never stop. It doesn’t matter what the legal hurdles to jus- tice are, or what the other party says about your case. If you know you’re right, you  ght until you’re out of op- tions. I have always believed the law is the means to do right and solve problems for those who have either given up on the system or are about to do so.”
Hill encountered more noteworthy  gures on his path to the law. He entered Carleton College on a full scholar- ship, where he was mentored by Paul Wellstone, then one of Carleton’s political science professors. “I bonded with Senator Wellstone over my love of politics,” he said. Hill later worked as a volunteer for Wellstone’s  rst U.S. Senate Finance Committee — a campaign destined to shock the world in 1990 when then upstart candidate Wellstone be- came the only challenger to defeat a sitting United States Senator.
“Paul taught all of us that if Americans could summon the courage to have an honest, constructive dialogue cen- tered on answering (collectively) three basic questions —
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