Education

Paul graduated with a degree in history from the University of Michigan and graduated cum laude from the University of San Diego School of Law. After several years of practice, he returned to school, obtaining a Master of Laws in Taxation degree from New York University, the nation's top-ranked graduate tax program.

Experience

Paul began his career as an insurance defense attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area handling a wide variety of cases, including personal injury, products liability, professional malpractice, and insurance coverage disputes. After receiving his Master of Laws in Taxation, Paul returned to the Silicon Valley. As one of two partners in an eight-attorney firm, Paul engaged in a general commercial practice providing transactional and litigation services in a wide variety of corporate, partnership, business and real estate matters.

In 1986 Paul joined, as a principal, the firm of Thoits, Love, Hershberger and McLean, one of Palo Alto's oldest firms. Paul was also a partner at Rutan & Tucker, a 150-attorney law firm.

Practice

Paul's clients include publicly-held companies, privately-held corporations and partnerships, as well as individuals.

Since 1988, Paul has limited his practice to litigation. He has extensive, hands-on trial experience in State, Federal, and Bankruptcy Courts, trying over forty-five jury and court trials to resolution, as well as numerous binding arbitrations.

Paul served for many years as a pro tem law and motion judge, settlement conference judge, arbitrator, and mediator for the Santa Clara County Superior Court.

Paul has served as an expert witness in numerous attorney malpractice actions.

Paul was elected a Trustee of the Santa Clara County Bar Association and has served as Counsel to the Bar Association.

Paul served for many years on the Santa Clara County Bar Association's Federal Courts Executive Committee.

Paul is a member of the State Bar of California, Intellectual Property Law Section, Trade Secrets Committee. He is one of three principal authors of the Model Protective Order, for use in Federal and State Courts, which is posted on the State Bar's website. You can download it by clicking here.

Paul's LinkedIn web page is available by clicking here.

Paul was listed among Northern California's Super Lawyers in 2008 and 2009.

Paul has been Martindale-Hubbell AV rated for over 30 years.

Personal

Paul is a California native. Born in San Mateo, he has been practicing law in California for over 30 years.

Highly regarded by his fellow attorneys, Paul receives approximately 85% of his new client referrals from other attorneys--ranging from solo practitioners to senior partners at major firms, in California and other states--most of whom first met him as an adversary. He is known and respected by the local judiciary.