Paul retired from the partnership in September 2019. He is the former Chair of the Orange County office Environment, Land & Resources Department. Paul is a nationally recognized water, products, and oil and gas lawyer and litigator. He has received numerous mentions as a Top 100 lawyer in the State of California by the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals, and is repeatedly mentioned in “Best Lawyers in America.” He is an MIT-educated engineer and hydrologist and former National Science Foundation scholar in chemistry.
Paul parlayed his science background into a multi-disciplinary legal practice, the hallmark of which were complex, high-profile matters where technical issues such as natural resources, water, and contamination were key to administrative agency action and litigation outcomes. He was a lead member of the Latham team that prevailed in the landmark case of Florida v. Georgia — an interstate water rights case decided by the US Supreme Court in June 2018.
His west coast practice before CalRecycle, the California Water Boards, the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), the California Coastal Commission, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), US EPA, and US Army Corps has been widely recognized, and consisted of an array of clients including product manufacturers, utilities, water districts, developers, oil and gas, and municipal.