When there is a battle, stakes are high, and tough challenges are complex, Paul is in his element and ready with the shield—fearlessly defending clients in catastrophic, mass casualty events and high-stakes product litigation with a skillset that exceeds his years of practice.
As part of his extensive products practice, Paul handles a diverse range of products cases from chemical exposure and contamination to heavy machinery and lithium-ion battery fires. His California-based practice includes handling individual cases as well as large, high-risk wrongful death matters arising from mass injury and death events. He also regularly and directly manages state and nationwide coordinated, related, and multidistrict litigation dockets on both coasts, with exposure claims related to chemicals like PFAS and glyphosate. In one chemical exposure bellwether case, Paul was a member of the trial team that obtained a 12-0 defense verdict.
In Los Angeles County, Paul regularly handles multi-party litigation in Los Angeles County’s Complex division. Some of these cases fall under California’s Section 36, which provides plaintiffs with various means to rapidly move complex cases to trial within four months. These cases require Paul to compress years of oral discovery, written discovery, and lengthy dispositive motions into a severely truncated timeline. Although such motions are routinely filed by plaintiffs and granted, Paul’s dogged refusal to concede has led to courts ruling in his favor, defeating Section 36 motions and resulting in favorable resolution for clients.
Paul also handles products liability matters for multi-national franchisor corporations. He understands the complex underlying contracts and business relationships of companies while also understanding the potential liability of a complicated component or end-product. He is especially enthusiastic about cases that require him to dive into new products and consult with experts in new industries. To Paul, understanding the unique journeys that shaped a client’s business is a passion, and he enjoys working with clients to convey their origin stories to a jury.
A member of the firm’s Mass Tort & Product Liability team, Paul was the first associate to join the Los Angeles office after its opening. This situation presented an unusual opportunity to support partners across various teams with a broad array of litigation. Even early in his practice, Paul cut his teeth by representing both plaintiffs and defendants in everything from breach of contract, real estate, and premises cases to complex UCC credit lending and corporate ownership disputes. He quickly learned transferable skills and a strategic overview of how best to work up and resolve or push different types of cases to trial. Paul continues to spread his practice between product liability and a variety of complex commercial litigation, and clients appreciate his ability to assist with multiple matters.
Paul handles matters in state court, federal court, and arbitration. He has spent extensive time in the courtroom from the beginning of his career, thriving on litigation strategy, trial, and oral argument. Paul possesses the aptitude for dissecting the most challenging aspects of cases and devising resourceful, efficient, and effective approaches to overcome obstacles.
Outside of the courtroom, Paul is an active member of the firm. He is a frequent mentor to associates and a member of firm committees, and he enjoys guiding new associates so they can realize their full growth potential, with his favorite phrase being, “Get comfortable being uncomfortable; pressure is a privilege.”
Paul interned as a member of the White House Counsel’s Office before joining the firm, and during his time in Washington, he studied, sat for, and passed the California Bar exam. While at the White House, he participated in the resolution of various policy issues and confronted constitutional questions on the separation of executive and congressional powers. Paul also assisted in preparing federal judicial nominees for congressional hearings at all appellate levels and assisted with executive branch ethics codes as well as legal research concerning executive orders and the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
Born and raised in mid-city Los Angeles, Paul graduated from Loyola High School, where he developed a commitment to public service and forged lasting connections throughout the city, which he actively maintains today through various organizations and clubs.