"We are average citizens," Goldberg says of his lobbyist peers, "You want to come up here and talk to these [lawmakers], they'll see you, they'll talk to you."

The former Senate minority leader has been a registered lobbyist for more than 15 years. His wife is state Supreme Court Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg. And he will collect more than $50,500 this month from 13 clients, primarily powerful corporations such as BLB Investors (Twin River), Philip Morris, GTECH and UnitedHealthcare.

“We are average citizens,” he said of his lobbyist peers. “You want to come up here and talk to these [lawmakers], they’ll see you, they’ll talk to you. This Assembly in my experience is tremendously accessible. We don’t tell them what to decide, that’s the bottom line. We provide information — we try to provide honest information and accurate information — but we’re not calling the shots. It’s ridiculous to think we’re calling the shots.”

Goldberg, 55, is a fixture in State House hallways and committee rooms. He attends every political fundraiser he can — sometimes three or four a day. He even finds time to lobby while at his “day job” — practicing law.

“You see a legislator and he’s standing there waiting to have his case heard and so are you, why not get something done?” he said.

Goldberg acknowledges that the job consumes his life at times. He’s been known to leave work after the sun comes up. The last movie he saw in a theater was the 1990 Sean Connery submarine thriller Hunt for Red October.

“In the busy periods, as long as there are legislators here, the lobbyists should be [here],” he said. “You don’t like those things or don’t have the time, then I don’t think this is the right business for you.”

Goldberg’s favorite place to find lawmakers is in front of the State House library on the second floor.

“Peak season, just standing in front of the library, you can see just about 90 percent of the elected officials — they all come by. Men’s room is here, ladies’ rooms there. Sooner or later, you’re looking for somebody, they’ll be by. You get an awful lot done that way.”

While Goldberg said it’s not uncommon for some lobbyists to hang out in legislators’ offices, the lobbyists themselves don’t have designated offices in the State House. He does a lot of work standing along the third-floor balcony.

“Those big marble railings, there’s not a better desk in the state,” he said. “All the lobbyists use them.”

The secretary of state’s office lists Goldberg’s lobbying earnings last year at more than $354,000. But even with more than a dozen clients, he said he doesn’t have trouble juggling priorities: “Representation isn’t a matter of putting the hours in; it’s getting the job done,” he says.

And he said his personal feelings don’t get in the way of deciding which clients to represent.

“I have a broad spectrum of clients, some that are very unpopular and some that are popular. They’re all entitled to the same representation. Everybody’s entitled to get their point across, whether it’s right or wrong. That’s where the lobbyist comes in.”