| Paul
E. Rice is a California native. Born in San Mateo in 1948, he
has been practicing law in California since 1974. Paul graduated
with a degree in history
from the
University of Michigan in 1970. After graduating cum laude
from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1974, he 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.
In
1978 he returned to school, obtaining a Master of Laws in
Taxation degree from New York University, as a graduate of
the nation's top-ranked tax program. He then returned to the
Silicon Valley and, 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, where
he first served as head of the firm's business department,
while continuing to keep a hand in litigation. Since 1988
he has limited his practice to litigation. In 1998 Paul made
the difficult decision to leave the Thoits firm to pursue
other options and, eventually, to open a solo practice.
Paul
has extensive, hands-on trial experience in State, Federal,
and Bankruptcy Courts. He has participated in numerous mediations
and binding arbitrations. He has 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. He has served as an expert witness in numerous
attorney malpractice actions. He was elected a Trustee of
the Santa Clara County Bar Association and has served as Counsel
to the Bar Association. Paul currently serves on the Santa
Clara County Bar Association's Federal Courts and Civil Practice
Committees.
Paul
has tried cases throughout the state involving a wide range
of issues, including unfair competition, securities fraud,
real estate fraud, breach of distributorship agreement, and
breach of contract. He has handled cases involving issues
particularly germane to the Silicon Valley, including patent,
copyright, and trade secret disputes, as well as employment
disputes such as breach of non-competition and non-solicitation
agreements. Paul's clients include publicly-held companies,
privately-held corporations, and partnerships, as well as
individuals.
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.
He has been Martindale Hubbell AV rated for over 20 years.
Family
and Community Service are important Personal
Priorities.
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