Bio

Paul has a full-service land-use and entitlement practice that includes representing clients in connection with land acquisitions (including environmental due diligence), permit/entitlement strategies, project processing and advocacy before public agencies, and litigation. Relatedly, Paul has significant experience with environmental-compliance matters, including defending businesses against citizen-initiated lawsuits under federal environmental laws, as well as under California’s Proposition 65. In addition, he has a significant appellate practice, having handled appeals in California and in federal appellate courts across the country, including in the United States Supreme Court. Paul’s substantive areas of expertise include the National Environmental Policy Act; the Administrative Procedure Act; the federal Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, and Clean Water Act; the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); the California Coastal Act; and regulatory takings laws. He represents a range of clients, from refineries and steel manufacturers, to residential and commercial developers. Before joining FisherBroyles, Paul was a Partner with the international law firm of Alston & Bird, LLP, where he led the Firm’s Environmental Appellate Litigation group. From 2003 to 2014, Paul was a Principal Attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), the nation’s premier public-interest organization committed to litigating precedent-setting cases that seek to limit the reach and burdens of environmental regulations. For years, he led PLF’s Coastal Land Rights Project, overseeing litigation against the California Coastal Commission and local agencies. Paul has been named to The Best Lawyers in America© for 2018 – 2020 in the areas of Land Use and Zoning Law and Environmental Law.