Paul has been in practice for over 30 years, with the last 25 years being concentrated in construction defect litigation and other property losses in Oregon and western Washington. Prior to becoming an attorney, Paul had a 10 year career in construction engineering, mechanical design, and project management on commercial construction and public power projects.

Over the past 25 years, Paul has represented subcontractors, general contractors, design professionals, board members, and plaintiffs in litigation related to building envelope failures, structural failures, sub-surface soil issues, failures related to infrastructure, including bridges, roads, and public works in several hundred construction defect lawsuits. Paul has also represented design professionals in engineering and architectural malpractice claims. In addition to construction related claims, Paul has experience in surface water litigation, fire loss, and crop loss cases.

Paul is the lead attorney of Smith Freed Eberhard’s construction defect practice group of five attorneys. Paul has extensive experience in all phases of litigation and all aspects of the risk transfer mechanisms used in an insurance defense practice including complex claims. He has tried multi-week trials involving major construction claims, has handled arbitrations, has argued numerous dispositive motions, and has prosecuted appeals.

Paul enjoys working on his “project house”, walking his dog, and cheering on his daughter’s basketball team.

Paul successfully handled an appeal of a ruling granting summary judgment, which clarified the start and stop dates for Oregon’s statute of repose in an appeal that went through the Oregon State Supreme Court, Shell v. The Schollander Companies, Inc., 358 Or 552 (2016).

In another matter, Paul represented a large infrastructure company in obtaining a favorable ruling on appeal, in which the court of appeals reversed the granting of a directed verdict and rulings on several evidentiary issues. A.G. Edwards, Inc. v. Northwest Pipeline Corp., No. 14227–2–III, 1996 WL 311866, (Wash. Ct. App. Div. 3 June 6, 1996).

Paul has argued many dispositive motions related to the most commonly litigated areas of construction defect law, including the “Economic Loss Rule”, statutes of limitations and repose, release language in contracts, indemnity clauses, and other areas important to the practice area of construction litigation.

Northern Illinois University College of Law, J.D., 1991
Central Washington University, B.S., Construction Management Technology, 1987
Columbia Basin College, A.E., Engineering Technology, 1979

Member, Oregon State Bar Association
Member, Washington State Bar Association
Admitted, United States District Court, District of Oregon
Admitted, United States District Court, Western District of Washington
Black Belt Trial Advocacy Training Program
Best Lawyers in America - 2019 - 2024
Oregon Super Lawyer - 2018-2020, 2022-2024