Related Practices

Education

J.D., Yale Law School, 1982
B.A., summa cum laude , Dartmouth College, 1979, Phi Beta Kappa

Bar Admissions

Arizona, 1982

George L. Paul

Partner

vCard

Phoenix

40 North Central Avenue
Suite 1900
Phoenix, Arizona 85004

Phone 602.262.5326

Fax 602.734.3857

About George Paul

Mr. Paul is an experienced business litigator and partner in the firm's Litigation Practice Group. He has long had an "AV/Preeminent Attorney" rating with Martindale-Hubbell and is listed both in Best Lawyers in America and Southwest Super Lawyers.

Mr. Paul handles cases on a wide variety of issues including business torts; probate, estate and trust litigation; disputes over the control of corporations; dissolution of partnerships; and trade secret, copyright and other intellectual property litigation. He has significant courtroom experience, with many jury trials, numerous bench trials, and several arbitration trials to his credit. He has argued appeals at the Arizona Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals. (See the list of representative cases below.)

Mr. Paul is a recognized authority on digital evidence and is a prolific writer and speaker on the topic. He recently authored the American Bar Association’s acclaimed book, Foundations of Digital Evidence (2008). Before that, he co-authored the best-selling The Discovery Revolution: E-Discovery Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (2006). Mr. Paul is also the author of numerous articles, including "The Authenticity Crisis" and the oft-cited “Information Inflation: Can the Legal System Adapt?” co-authored with Jason Baron in 2007. In August 2007, he served as a Senior Editor for The Sedona Conference® Best Practices Commentary on Search & Retrieval Methods. In addition, Mr. Paul testified at hearings in Washington on both the E-Discovery Rules of Civil Procedure, and on the proposal to enact Rule 502, Federal Rules of Evidence. He has lectured on these topics at both ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and the Phoenix School of Law.

As Co-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Electronic Discovery and Digital Evidence Committee, he is a frequent national lecturer on the topic of E-Discovery and its ethics. Recently, he presented programs in Washington, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Salt Lake City, Houston, Philadelphia, and Phoenix. Twice in 2009 he was the featured Keynote Speaker at national conferences. Mr. Paul has been frequently quoted in the ABA Journal about breaking topics and has been interviewed by National Public Radio. He was a co-author, along with Robert Schaffer, of a successful Petition to the Arizona Supreme Court to amend the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure. The new rules were adopted and became Arizona's e-discovery rules.

Representative Cases/Matters

Currently serving as co-counsel for the plaintiff in Corbello v. DeVito, et al; United States District Court, District of Nevada, Case No.: 2-08-cv-00687-RCJ-PAL. Case involves breach of contract, copyright infringement and/or duties to account to copyright co-owners.

Currently representing taxpayers against the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, in Estate of Ellen D. Foster v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Docket No. 16839-08.

Successfully represented plaintiffs in a $50,000,000 case against the Northern Trust Company, In the Matter of the Estate of Ellen Derges Foster, Shapiro, et al v. Kavanagh, et al, Maricopa County, Arizona. See CV-2007-006876. Case alleged breach of trust, conflict of interest and self -dealing.

Successfully represented Chairman and CEO of a pharmaceutical company in dispute over control of corporation. Ratcliff v. Rowpar Pharmaceuticals Inc, M CV-2007-011117. Obtained TRO and Preliminary Injunction. Case involved notice and proxy provisions of Arizona statutes.

Successfully represented Jigsaw Technologies, Inc. and others, in a copyright/trade secrets case, Modular Mining Systems, Inc. V. Jigsaw, et al. in Pima County, CV No2004636. Defeated attempt to obtain preliminary injunction, after hearing. Case involved computer software architecture and code, for interoperable systems that monitor and control heavy machinery in open pit mines, world wide.

Successfully handled three judge arbitration for one-half owner in dissolution of the largest dairy in the State of Arizona, comprising 5000 head of cattle and 1500 milk cows. Tappan v. Morrison. Case involved partnership accounting, issues of valuation including cost of dismantling dairy operation, and environmental clean up issues.

Successfully represented buyer of a $54,000,000 apartment complex in Mesa Arizona, in a case of fraud and misrepresentation of financial information. Nearon Corporation v. Torino.

Successfully represented Liquidating Trustee of William Herbert Hunt Trust, in a case against Bruce McNall, former owner Los Angeles Kings, involving ancient Roman bronze statue. Recovered cost of antiquity. Case involved fraudulent transfer and authenticity of ancient bronze, and illegal international trade in antiquities, particularly from Turkey. Thomas Hoving, former Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, testified as expert witness on illegal international trade in antiquities.

Memberships and Affiliations

Co-Chair, American Bar Association’s Electronic Discovery and Digital Evidence Committee, Section of Science and Technology Law
Vice-chair, International and Domestic Policy Advisory Committee, State Bar of Arizona
Member, Editorial Board, American Bar Association
Member Advisory Board, Arizona State University, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Center for Study of Law, Science and Technology (2006 - present)
American Bar Association Section of Science and Technology, Member and Former Council Member
American Bar Association Litigation Section
Sedona Conference®, Member
Jurimetrics: The Journal of Law, Science and Technology, Editorial Board Member (published jointly by the ASU College of Law and the American Bar Association)
Co-Founder and Past Chair, Arizona State Bar’s Section of Internet, E-Commerce & Technology Law

Publications

Author, "Transformation," The SciTech Lawyer, Volume 9, Number 3, Winter/Spring 2013
Co-Author, “Benchmarking: Metrics and Methodologies,” Successful Partnering Between Inside and Outside Counsel, Chapter 30, Association of Corporate Counsel and West Group, April 2011 (with G. Sonny Cave, On Semiconductor Corporation, Senior Vice-President and General Counsel, and with David D. Weinzweig, of Lewis and Roca)
Author, "Foundations of Digital Evidence," ABA Publishing, 2008. To order a copy of Mr. Paul’s book contact the American Bar Association at http://www.abanet.org/.
Co-Author, "Seek and Ye Shall Find?" American Lawyer (E-Discovery Supplement), December 2008
Author, “Information Inflation: Can The Legal System Adapt?” Richmond Journal of Law & Technology, Volume XIII, Issue 3, 2007
“E-Discovery Podcast Audio Interview with the American Bar Association”
Co-Author, “‘Clawbacks,’ ‘Sneak-Peeks,’ and the ‘Retrieval Procedure’ under the New Federal Rules – The Risks of the New Inadvertent Disclosure Procedure," Corporate Counsel and The American Lawyer, Special Supplement, December 2006
Co-Author, "The Discovery Revolution: E-Discovery Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure," ABA Publishing, 2006. To order a copy of Mr. Paul’s book contact the American Bar Association at http://www.abanet.org/.
Author, “No: You Can’t Call Them Documents Anymore,” Business Law Today, Spring 2005
Author, “The “E-Discovery” Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure,” The American Lawyer, December 2005
Author, “The ‘Authenticity Crisis’ in Real Evidence,” reprinted in The Practical Litigator, November 2004, available online at www.ali-aba.org.
Author, “The Authenticity Crisis,” appearing in both The American Lawyer and Corporate Counsel, October 2004, available online at Discovery Resources
Author, “The E-Business Legal Arsenal: Practitioner Agreements and Checklists,” Leadership Contributor, 2004, published by the American Bar Association
Author, “John Frank and the Law Professors’ Brief,” Arizona State Law Journal, Vol. 35, No. 2, 2003
Author, “The ‘Authenticity Crisis’ in Real Evidence,” Scientific Evidence Review Monograph No. 5, Fall 2001
Author, “What is Truth in the Digital Age?” The Canadian Lawyers’ Weekly, May 26, 2000
Author, “Fabrication of Evidence: A Click Away,” The National Law Journal, February 21, 2000
Author, “PKI Assessment Guidelines: Guidelines to Help Assess and Facilitate Interoperable Trustworthy Public Key Infrastructures,” Information Security Committee, Electronic Commerce Division, Section of Science and Technology Law, American Bar Association, 2000

Other Distinctions

Mr. Paul is listed in the 2009 edition of Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel in the category of Business Litigation, and in the 2008-2013 editions of Southwest Super Lawyers in the category of Business Litigation. He is also included in the 2010 and 2012 edition of AZ Business Magazine's Top Lawyers, in the categories of Commercial Litigation & Information Technology Law, and Estate & Trust Litigation.

Mr. Paul has an "AV/Preeminent Attorney" rating with Martindale-Hubbell. He is listed in the 2009-2013 editions of The Best Lawyers in America®, by Woodward/White, Aiken, S.C. in the categories of Information Technology Law and Technology Law.