Professional Overview
After graduating law school in Boston and interning for U.S. Circuit Judge Bruce M. Selya, Paul joined his Boston friends in moving to the Bay Area. In 1998, he started working at well-regarded firms in San Francisco. Since 2003, he has concentrated on real estate law. Prior to starting his firm in 2015, he worked as a principal at a real estate law firm in San Francisco. Now running his own firm, he continues to concentrate on real estate matters.
Paul values professionalism. The California State Bar requires nothing less:
Attorneys have an obligation to be professional with clients, other parties and counsel, the courts and the public. This obligation includes civility, professional integrity, personal dignity, candor, diligence, respect, courtesy, and cooperation, all of which are essential to the fair administration of justice and conflict resolution. (See Civility Toolbox at calbar.ca.gov.)
He thinks litigating against adversaries and civility towards adversaries are not mutually exclusive. Bay Area Judges expect professionalism. (See e.g., Guidelines of Professional Conduct at sfsuperiorcourt.org [“the strategy of not agreeing to reasonable requests … simply to appear ‘tough’ is inappropriate.”]; San Mateo Superior Court Judge Danny Chou’s Case Management Order # 1 [attorneys expected to adhere to Civility Toolbox].)
Experience
Paul has successfully represented real estate clients in court actions, jury and bench trials, and arbitration hearings. For instance, from 2012 to 2015, he represented clients in four trials:
- Defending a real estate broker against a condo buyer’s non-disclosure claims in a jury trial where court granted broker’s motion for nonsuit after buyer closed its case in chief.
- Proving homebuyers’ negligent misrepresentation claim against sellers in residential sale.
- Defending sellers against most of buyers’ construction defect claims in a multi-unit sale.
- Proving HOA members’ entitlement to relief under CC&Rs in a two-unit condo dispute.
Paul also thinks of practical and creative ways to settle cases. Sometimes cases call for direct talks between parties, attorney-to-attorney talks, or matching the right mediation service and mediator to the case, e.g., Judicate West, JAMS, ADR Services, BASF, or Community Boards. His more recent examples of problem solving through mediation or settlement talks include:
- Confidential Settlement representing displaced tenant bringing claims under San Francisco Rent Ordinance alleging unsafe and uninhabitable rental unit.
- Bringing in surveyor and construction expert to settle lawsuit by creating construction plan for cost efficiencies to protect and maintain both properties on shared boundary line.
- Using tree and wildlife experts to create a maintenance plan to protect tree and wildlife.
- Hiring tree expert to assist in creating plan to restore views and protect health of trees.
Education
Doctor of Jurisprudence (Cum Laude) | Boston University School of Law, 1996
First-year Student – (ranked first in class) | New England School of Law, 1993-1994
Bachelor of Science – Marketing & Management | Northeastern University, 1989
Bar Memberships
- State Bars of California and Massachusetts
- Federal District Courts in California and Massachusetts
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Associations & Community Involvement
- Member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum®, The Top Trial Lawyers in America®
- Bar Association of San Francisco, Real Estate Panel, 2014 to present.
- BASF Commercial Leasing Program, a public service to assist San Francisco commercial landlords and tenants during or with problems arising from the Covid pandemic, 2021.
- California Association of REALTORS® Legal Affairs Forum, 2015 to present
- American Red Cross, Certification for Lifeguarding, 2021 to present.
- Mock Judge, ABA Student Law Division, National Appellate Advocacy Competition
- Italian American Bar Association of Northern California, 2011 to present.
- Legal Services for Children, Pro Bono Panel, 2003 to 2010.
- Child’s Advocacy Award, Legal Services for Children, 2010.
- South End Rowing Club, 2008 to present. Listen to Paul’s interview on KQED’s My Spot: Braving the Icy Waters of San Francisco Bay by Greta Mart.
Photo Greta Mart/KQED.
Teaching, Speaking & Publications
Teaching
Adjunct Faculty Instructor, San Francisco State University, 2018 to present
- Investigation, Discovery, and Trial, 2019, 2021 & 2022
- Legal Ethics & Communication Skills, 2019, 2020 & 2021
- Real Estate Law, 2018 & 2020
- Pleadings & Motions, 2018 & 2019
- Legal Research & Writing, 2018
Speaking
- Civil Rights Lectures at SFSU—Justice Ginsburg in 2021, and Fair Housing Act in 2020
- Real Estate 101, BASF, Legal Professionals, August 2021
- Ethics in Everyday Practice, BASF, Paralegal Conference, August 2020
- The U.S. Legal System, The Center for Global Engagement at SFSU (presented
to group of visiting Judges from Nanjing, China), February 2019 - Real Estate Law, San Francisco Legal Professionals Association, February 2019
- Ethics in Everyday Practice, San Francisco Paralegal Association, October 2018
Publications
Real Estate Practice Areas
Neighbor Disputes
- Trees, Views, Landscaping, and Fences
- Easements, Encroachments, Access, and Boundary Lines
- Construction Projects, Nuisances, and HOA Problems
Landlord-Tenant Matters
- San Francisco Rent Ordinance
- Statewide Rent Cap and Just Cause Evictions
- Commercial Leases
Purchase and Sales & Historic Property Investigations
- Nondisclosure and Misrepresentation Claims
- Mediation Demands and Pre-litigation Mediation
- Historic Property Investigations