PAUL GITLIN

GITLIN, Paul Paul G. Gitlin, 78, former chair of Mass Medical Board Paul G. Gitlin, Esq., of Newton, Massachusetts, passed away on March 15th at age 78. In addition to his beloved wife, Nancy, Paul is survived by his three sons, Joshua of Asheville, NC and his husband Matt Agnew, Michael of Natick and his wife Sarah Barnacle and their son Logan, and Jacob, a medical student at UMass Medical School in Worcester. He also leaves two sisters, Elaine Wempen and her husband Ronald of Los Angeles, Lydia Okrant and her husband Bruce, Paul's childhood friend, of Chicago; and a sister-in-law, Susan Norcross of Ashland. Paul took great pride in recently becoming a grandfather for the first time, which brought immeasurable light and love into his life. Paul was an extremely humane and thoughtful person with an impish sense of humor. His modesty, warmth and whimsical wit were punctuated by his penetrating insights and disarming candor. He lived his life as a father first, devoting a great deal of his time and energy to nurturing and mentoring his three sons and new grandson. Because of his own short stature, Paul would playfully assume the persona of an elf with his sons – and together they laughed themselves silly during elaborate whimsical play-acting of their shared, imaginary "elven" existence. When Paul lost most of his hair following rounds of chemotherapy, his son Michael shaved his own head in solidarity with his dad. Paul had a near magical way of connecting with new acquaintances, immediately impressing people with his genuine sincerity and self-effacing humor. He was admired by the scores of clients, opposing attorneys, young lawyers and medical professionals he dealt with. Paul graduated Boston College Law School in 1971. Subsequently, he and two colleagues formed a boutique law firm in downtown Boston. When the firm dissolved, he joined the firm of Rubin and Rudman LLP. With his special interest in medical-legal issues, Paul was appointed to the Mass. Board of Registration in Medicine by then-Gov. Michael Dukakis in 1988. Five years later, he became the first non-doctor to be appointed as chairman. Paul served multiple terms on the board, most recently under an appointment by Gov. Charlie Baker. In his role on the Board, Paul respected the vulnerability of doctors as occasional targets of unfair accusations from bereaved family members of patients – but also held them to the strictest ethical standards of professional conduct. As a lawyer, Paul preferred, whenever possible, to settle legal conflicts by reconciliation rather than litigation. A colleague of his recalled that, in his legal dealings, Paul was unique in his compassion and empathy. When handling divorce cases, he always made a point of putting the interests of the children above those of either parent, according to a former attorney friend. Because of his preference for conciliation, Paul served a number of years as a certified mediator, working to facilitate agreements between adversaries in the areas of health care, business and family disputes. He was cited in The Best Lawyers in America©, Family Law, 2018-2021. In addition to his tenure on Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine, he also chaired the Consumer Protection Committee of the Massachusetts Bar Association. Paul was also proud to be a founding member of a low-stakes weekly poker game that has continued for more than 40 years. He became a master of the art of strategic bluffing. Despite his professional preference for minimizing conflict, Paul could be a ferocious fighter. In the last 12 years of his life he waged agonizing but courageous battles against a succession of illnesses – including several bouts of cancer, open heart surgery and his fatal meningitis infection. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate contributions to the MSPCA. For guestbook, www.gfdoherty.com

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