Business
Electoral politics has always been a career option for attorneys. The halls of Congress and state houses across the country are filled with elected officials who have earned their law degrees. Legal training helps legislators understand how the bills they want to pass fit into a broader legal context. Having a JD gives you credibility to run for office. But what are the options for attorneys who are considering a run for public office. How does being in public office differ from the practice of law? How does law school prepare you for being a legislator? In this episode, I speak with State Senator Becca Rausch of Massachusetts. Senator Rausch and I discuss careers in public office and what it has been like for her to leave the practice of law to become a legislator in the higher chamber of the Massachusetts State Legislature. We talk about her decision to seek public office, what was the path for winning the election, what was it like to come to the State House and what have been her legislative priorities since joining the Senate. I ask her what advice she has for attorneys who are aspiring for public office. Becca Rausch represents the Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District of the Massachusetts State Senate which covers cities and towns from Wayland in the north to Attleboro in the South. Prior to joining the Senate, Becca was an associate attorney at two mid-sized firms in Boston, taught civil procedure and health law as a visiting faculty member at Seattle University School of Law, and served as the first ever Secretariat e-discovery attorney in the history of the Massachusetts executive branch.