Paul Rudman was proud to follow in his father’s footsteps, first as a lawyer and then as a justice on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
Rudman, 88, died Jan. 4. He spent decades as a lawyer in the Bangor area with his father, Abraham, and older brother, Gerald, at a law firm now known as Rudman Winchell, and 13 years as a Maine supreme court justice.
“People would describe him as having very high standards,” said Tim Pease, managing partner of Rudman Winchell. “His clients were very devoted to him.”
Rudman spent 30 years as a private practice lawyer before he was appointed to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court in 1992, where he served until 2005. His father served as a judge on Maine’s Superior Court and Supreme Judicial Court.
Rudman had not previously served as a judge and had worked as a campaign treasurer for a Republican U.S. Representative, but that didn’t deter a unanimous endorsement from the legislative panel. During his 13 years on the bench, he wrote more than 400 opinions, including 23 dissents.
“Doing this has been a lot of fun for the past 13 years,” Rudman said when he resigned. “It’s the best job in the state of Maine, but it’s time to let somebody else do that same job.”
After resigning from the bench, Rudman returned to the firm where he worked in mediation and mentored younger lawyers, Pease said. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when Rudman retired, but it was a few years ago.
“When you are a firm leader and you’ve been practicing as long as he had … his work ethic and devotion to clients really got instilled in new lawyers,” Pease said. “I really appreciate the care that he showed.”
Family was Rudman’s first obsession but he fully believed law was a profession, not just a job, Pease said. He wanted everything to be done right and on time because that’s what clients deserved.
“When you think of being a lawyer at Rudman Winchell you think of the style of Paul and his brother (Gerald),” Pease said.
A Bangor native, Rudman was an avid gardener, golfer and fisherman. He would also ride bicycles on the carriage roads at Acadia National Park with his wife, Inez Rudman, according to previous Bangor Daily News articles. He loved playing tennis until an arm injury forced him to give up the sport, but he did claim partial credit for bringing indoor tennis to the area.
Rudman had enormous respect for the law, now-retired supreme court justice Leigh Saufley said when Rudman retired from the bench. His work was crucial for keeping justices focused on the law and role of the judicial branch.
“He has been thoughtful, thorough and absolutely steadfast in his commitment to the implementation of a consistent jurisprudence,” Saufley said when Rudman resigned.
Rudman is survived by his son, Andrew Rudman; daughter, Carole Rudman; and grandsons Nicholas and Nathan Rudman. His wife, Inez Rudman, died in 2013.
His funeral is at 10 a.m., Jan. 7, at the Jewish Funeral Chapel, 118 Center St.
