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8 Hartford Business Journal • November 19, 2018 • www.HartfordBusiness.com A fter almost 30 years in the political arena and close to wrapping the last of his two terms as Con- necticut's 24th attorney general, George Jepsen is searching for his next act before eventual retirement. Uncertain as yet precisely what the lawyer and ex-Democratic Senate majority leader will be doing with his free time, Jepsen, who turns 64 in late November, sat down with the Hartford Business Journal weeks ahead of the state's Nov. 6 mid-term election to talk about his past, present and future. Jepsen, who was recently named to Gov.-elect Ned Lamont's transition team, will spend his last day in office in January, when he will be replaced by fellow Democrat William Tong, a state senator who defeated Republican chal- lenger Sue Hatfield. An avowed "issues junky,'' Jepsen says he is proudest that on his watch Connecticut remained a standard-bear- er enforcing civil statutes for protect- ing its sovereignty, and the well-being of its residents and businesses. Major cases during his tenure ranged from holding companies accountable for data breaches and mispricing on e-books and other consumables, to healthcare- related fraud and overcharges, to being among the state AGs who helped negoti- ate a $25 billion federal-state settlement in 2012 — the larg- est in U.S. history — with five big banks over mort- gage foreclosure abuses. Jepsen is widely hailed among his AG peers as someone who shunned par- tisanship to lead members of a 200-law- yer team in lucrative multi-state civil settlements like the $10 billion one with Volkswagen over its diesel-emissions cheating scandal. Connecticut reaped tens of millions of dollars from the settlement. One of his landmark settlements involved RBS Securities Inc. agree- ing in 2016 to pay Connecticut $120 million to resolve an investigation of its underwriting of toxic mortgage- backed securities. But Jepsen says an even bigger multi-state fraud probe — with the potential for a multibillion-dollar settlement — involving generic-drug overpricing looms, one that Connecti- cut launched and that is now in the hands of the U.S. Justice Department. "General Jepsen is one of the stron- gest leaders we've ever had and one of the finest AGs I've ever worked with,'' said Chris Toth, executive director of the National Associa- tion of Attorneys General, of which Jepsen is past president. Meantime, Jepsen is seen by the Connecticut Business & Indus- try Association and others in the state's business community as a fair-minded coun- ter to his prede- cessor and fellow Democrat, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, whom critics claim cherished the media spotlight when pressing civil claims. During his tenure, Jepsen also worked to close hundreds of inactive cases. Why was it important to you to serve as Connecticut's AG? Ever since I was young and in grade school, I was always interested in a career in public service. I've always been a real issues junky. Sixteen years in the Connecticut General Assembly, including six as majority leader of the Senate — and I loved every minute of that. But even when you're a leader in the legislature, your job is herd- ing cats. … Being attorney general is different in that you're much more of a quarterback, a unilateral actor. The variety and complexity of the issues that stream through the office touches every nook and cranny of public life in the state. So the opportunity on a daily basis to deal with issues of real import to the public and be able to act alone, it's incredibly rewarding. George Jepsen Age: 63 Born: Hattiesburg, Miss. Education: Graduated 1976 from Dartmouth College with a bachelor's degree in government; a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, where he concurrently earned a master's degree in public policy in 1982. Career: Practicing lawyer; served 16 years in the Connecticut General Assembly as a state representative and state senator — was Senate majority leader from 1997 to 2003; served as Democratic State Party chairman from 2003 to 2005. Personal: Married, two sons Budget enhancer The AG's office under Jepsen, which has a $30 million operating budget, has been a revenue producer for the state, generating $636.3 million — largely from settlements — in fiscal 2017 alone. Case Closed An 'issues junky,' AG George Jepsen reflects on his tenure as he ponders his next act As his 30-year public career heads to an apparent close, George Jepsen is proud of the last eight years as Connecticut's 24th attorney general. A Democrat, Jepsen is credited in and outside Connecticut for running a tight legal ship that generated integrity and results. HBJ PHOTO | GREGORY SEAY