Upon graduating from Amherst College in 1982, Tolman went to Boston College Law School, graduating cum laude in 1986. In his third year at BC Law, Tolman ran for the Massachusetts State Senate and finished a close second in a six-person race.
Tolman worked at the law firm of Burns and Levinson from 1987-99, and successfully ran for the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1990 and the State Senate in 1994, serving two terms in each branch. In 1998, he was the Democratic Nominee for Lieutenant Governor in the closest governor's race in the country with Scott Harshbarger, and in 2002 ran as a candidate for Governor, where he was the only candidate to qualify for public financing under the state's new public financing law.
Tolman is currently "of counsel" to the national law firm of Holland & Knight, and is a business strategist and consultant to several startup companies and businesses. Tolman has also taught at BC Law and Northeastern University School of Law. In addition, Tolman is a frequent commentator on Boston area TV and Radio, appearing weekly on Fox 25 as part of the "Tolman & Gray" segment, as well as appearances on other TV and radio stations.
