Breaking the Ice: ‘Lone wolf’ lawyer doesn’t mind symbolic wins

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Veteran St. Paul attorney Paul Applebaum, who recently helped win a $17 million wrongful death verdict for a woman murdered by her boyfriend, says he has “always been for the underdog.”

“I don’t mind taking on cases that maybe end up being symbolic and nothing else,” Applebaum said.

The verdict, which Applebaum secured with attorney Megan Curtis, exemplified that thinking. It came on behalf of the family and trustee of Phanny Phay, who was killed in 2017 by Andre Duprey. He had been charged with second-degree murder but was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Applebaum has specialized in criminal defense and civil rights litigation for three decades, working solo like the “lone wolf” criminal defense lawyers he worshipped starting out.

“The resilience is the hardest part,” Applebaum said of solo practice. “I can’t tell you how many times you just think, ‘Why am I doing this?’”

Not guilty verdicts offer a boost. “Outside of my children being born, there is no better feeling. Especially if you feel like your case is righteous.”

Name: Paul Applebaum

Title: Owner, Applebaum Law Firm

Education: B.A., psychology, University of Minnesota; J.D. Southwestern Law School

Q: Best way to start a conversation with you?

A: Ask me my favorite book as an adult: “Confederacy of Dunces” by John Kennedy Toole.

Q: Why law school?

A: I came from a family business, Applebaum’s Grocery Store. It became Rainbow and now it’s no longer. My relatives decided to sell the business, and when it got sold, they didn’t want to commit that the rest of the family would still be employed by the business. In my first attempt at college, I worked at the Hennepin County Public Defender’s Office as an intern, and absolutely loved it. So, when the door closed with the family business, I knew exactly what I wanted to do as an alternative. My parents were pleased that I was enthusiastic about something, and they supported me. They were instrumental in keeping me focused and getting through this, because I don’t think that fortitude and focus was a strong suit of mine when I was a younger fellow.

Q: What are you reading?

A: “Lonesome Dove.” Where I fancy myself to be kind of an intellectual snob when it comes to literature, this book is incredible. I wish it could go on forever, because the characters and the way he puts things, they’re priceless.

Q: Pet peeve?

A: People that talk over each other.

Q: Best part of your work?

A: Working with my colleagues, on the other side, on my side. Lawyers get a bad rap that they’re all born with oppositional defiant disorder, and there are some. But for the most part, they’re very interesting people who have stories. They want to advocate for their clients, but don’t want to go to war like you see in the movies or on TV.

Q: Most challenging?

A: Technology. I get such incredible anxiety when people even bring up the idea that I’m going to have to do something on my computer.

Q: Favorite activity away from work?

A: Playing dominoes with my sons. Golf. Backgammon.

Q: Where would you take someone visiting your hometown?

A: First Avenue. Ground zero for music in the ’70s and ’80s.

Q: Legal figure you admire?

A: Thurgood Marshall. That movie, “Marshall,” with Chadwick Boseman, I watched it on a plane once, and had tears running down my face.

Q: Misconception about your work?

A: It’s a toss-up between we’re all rich and we all lie for a living. Nothing hacks me off more than when people say that lawyers lie for a living. The quickest way to tube your entire career or your reputation around the courthouse is to lie and get caught. Your name is mud all around and you can never fix that.

Q: Favorite book, movie or TV show about lawyers?

A: “The Verdict” with Paul Newman. I bet I’ve seen it 30 times minimum. I even have a script from the movie. There are more memorable lines in that movie. Just how he came off the canvas to win this case.