One of Paul’s first struggles was when he was diagnosed at a young age with a learning disability.  There was some doubt he would be able to learn to read.  Through hard work Paul was able to overcome this.  He not only succeeded in school but eventually obtained a Masters Degree from a highly competitive program in writing and a Law Degree from the University of Washington School of Law, the highest ranked school in the Northwest.  These struggles impressed upon him that obstacles can be overcome to achieve important goals.

Because of his upbringing, Paul began working as a young adult to change policies through organizing and demonstration.  He worked on several political campaigns.  He was active in protest.  He was even arrested for civil disobedience.  As he acquired skills in media production, he began applying these to more effectively trying to make a better world.

Paul Richmond spent much of his adult life working in local media, producing local television and writing for several newspapers.  He focused on giving his community a voice.  Combining this with community organizing he was able to achieve some remarkable outcomes.  This includes helping to end a pilot program that had the National Guard accompanying police on drug raids, helping to stop clear-cutting in Portland's main watershed, and helping to defeat a $1.3 billion pork barrel project at the ballot.  His method consisted of getting the facts, and then getting them out in a way that others could verify them.   He earned respect for his honest, straight forward, understandable presentation. 

It was also during this time that Paul developed the ability to successfully work with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and views, including people from all ends of the political spectrum.  For example, though Pro-Choice, he found himself working with the head of Advocates for Life Ministry critiquing the response of police to demonstrators.  Though a frequent critique of police misconduct, he also allied with officers from the Police Union to critique programs that were actually encouraging criminal activity and making law enforcement officers’ jobs more difficult.  As a critique of big business he allied with some very conservative groups to critique what was being done to the education system.  He also allied with some of the most conservative legislators in the state to defeat a proposed mass transit project that reduced the amount of available transit.

Throughout this time, Paul worked a variety of jobs to support the work he felt needed to be done.  That work includes working in restaurants, warehouses, picking crops at farms and packing fish.

Wanting to find other ways to work for change, Paul enrolled in law school.  He ended up changing the institution as he went through it.  After learning that law school is set up to develop lawyers for large corporate firms, but that only a few lawyers go that route, Paul was able to get a class established in running a small practice.  That class continues to this day.  He was also able to help prevent the University of Washington Police from acquiring M-16 military rifles. 

Paul also spent much of his time in law school organizing against the WTO, an institution that has been critiqued from many different perspectives.  He helped create the Independent Media Center, whose website drew more hits during the WTO demonstrations than that of any news station.   In the aftermath, he wrote one of the definitive accounts of the Seattle WTO Demonstrations that served as a basis for a documentary film.  His reportage on this event appeared in numerous publications, left, right and center.

Being a lawyer has been an enormous learning experience for Paul.  He’s seen first hand the way cases can be drug on and minor matters exploded in a way that drains the resources of the people in litigation, with little benefit to any of the parties.  He’s developed an ability to help all sides get to what it is they want and often resolve matters with a few phone calls that might otherwise have resulted in draining litigation.

Paul’s legal practice focuses on the underserved.  He has helped many people with limited resources through his practice, and he has earned recognition each year from the State Bar for his pro-bono work. 

In addition to his legal practice he has also served on numerous boards, and lectured or taught at numerous colleges.  He continues to be active in media production.

Paul Richmond has lived in the Northwest for twenty years.  He’s lived in Jefferson County, the Columbia Gorge, Everett, Vashon, Portland and Seattle.  He’s lived in communities with a few dozen people, and in the region’s largest cities.  

Most of Paul’s work has been focused around preserving the rights and liberties we all cherish, something he’s done with a great degree of success.  He has the drive and determination to take on difficult challenges.  He also knows what it is to work for a living.  In a time where politics is overwhelmed by insiders and networks, Paul is a true outsider, who’s not afraid to tell the truth.  As we’re moving into an era where our rights and liberties are threatened, we need people like Paul Richmond to keep them.

Your valuable contribution helps keep this campaign alive and active.  Contributions to Paul Richmond's Campaign may be made through the website www.actblue.com/page/paulrichmond.

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