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Rich Paul has been a fixture among California management employment lawyers for over 30 years, with a special emphasis on representing research and institutions of higher education as well as community impact and other complex organizations in transactions and litigation. 

After graduating from Stanford Law School Rich joined the Gray Cary firm, and became a partner and Chair of that firm's Employment Law Group.  In 1998 Rich co-formed his own firm, Paul, Plevin, Sullivan & Connaughton, to continue focusing on private and public sector employment law issues for California employers and matters affecting higher education and research. 

Rich is a frequent lecturer on California and national employment law panels, having been an invited presenter in Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Scottsdale, and other venues.  He has also served for years as adjunct Professor of Employment Law at USD Law School, and has been a regular lecturer at UCSD and a visiting lecturer at other Law Schools.  He has served on a variety of boards, including the Editorial Review Board for the California Employment Law Letters, and is past President of the San Diego Blood Bank. 

Rich has been named annually by his peers since 1985 as among "The Best Lawyers in America.”  He has also been ranked among the “Best Lawyers in San Diego” (San Diego Magazine), “Best Employment Lawyers in San Diego” (San Diego Daily Transcript), “San Diego Super Lawyers” (New York Times Supplement), “Best Labor and Employment Counsel in California” (Corporate Counsel Magazine), “Southern California Super Lawyers”  (L.A. Times, 2007) and similar publications.

PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS

  • Paul, Plevin, Sullivan & Connaughton LLP - Partner
    August 1998 - Present

  • Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich (1973-1998)

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

  • San Diego Employers Association, Employment Law Annual Update (annually, 1983-present)

  • Co-author, “Employee Civil Rights in the New Workplace” (The California Labor Letter, 2000)

  • Author, “Protecting Your Intangible Assets: A Primer on Trade Secrets” (May 2000)

  • Coursebook, Healthcare Human Resources Law (UCSD, 2000-present)

  • Author, “The Art of Analysis: Critical Thinking in Human Resources Assessments” (2000)

  • Author, “Protecting Your Intangible Assets II: Non-Competition, Raiding, Non-Solicitation and Unfair Competition”  (2000)

  • Coursebook, “Managing Academic Employment Issues” (October, 2000 and passim)

  • Author, “Beautiful Minds:  A Look at Mental Disabilities”  (LEAP, 2004)

  • Coursebook, “Negotiations, Persuasion and Communication”  (UCSD Extension, 2005)

  • Author, “Atmospheres and Environments:  Reflections on The Sanitized Workplace”  (Thomas Jefferson Law Review, 2006)
  • Author, “Wait—That’s Privileged: Or is It?”  (Nat’l. Assn. of College and Univ. Attys., 2007)
  • Coauthor, “Blogs, IM and MySpace”  (Labor and Employment Advanced Practices Symposium, 2007)

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS (partial listing)

  • Speaker, Labor and Employment Advanced Practices Symposia (Chicago, Las Vegas, Atlanta, New Orleans, Phoenix, Napa, Coronado, 2000- 2007)
  • Adjunct Professor, Employment Law, USD Law School (1996-2005)
  • Speaker, San Diego Employers Association Employment Law Seminars (1983-present)
  • Lecturer, UCSD LAMP, EPSE and HELP Programs (1993-present)
  • Panelist, Managing a Work Force, California Labor Letters (San Francisco, Los Angeles and Orange County, 2000)
  • Panelist, Public Sector Employment Law (Council on Education in Management, 2000)
  • Panelist, Trade Secrets, Palomar Investigative Group/SDEA (2000)
  • Presenter, Department Chair Workshops: UCSD, UCI and Chapman University (passim)
  • Presenter, Investigating Claims of Corporate Wrongdoing: A Practical Look at Ethical and Professional Issues (SDCBA 2000)
  • Panelist, Technology and the Spread of Misinformation (Council for Advancement and Support of Education, San Diego, 2000)
  • Invited lecturer, Genetic Testing (Enright Inns of Court, 2003)
  • Lecturer, Non-Profit Management, University of San Diego Graduate School of Education (2004-2005)
  • Panelist, Women and the Law (Thomas Jefferson Law School, 2006)
  • Panelist, Conducting Internal Investigations (American Corporate Counsel Assn. 2007)
  • Guest Lecturer, First Amendment and Employment (University of San Diego School of Law 2007)
  • Guest Lecturer, Healthcare Fraud and Abuse (California Western School of Law, 2008)
  • Presenter, Employment Law, NABE, ABA Midwinter meetings, 2008
  • Presenter, Employment Law (Orange County Bar Ass’n, Corporate Counsel Section, 2008)

OTHER

  • Arbitrator and mediator, various
  • Expert witness, various

  • Trainer, Harassment Prevention; Fraud; Trade Secrets; Employment Law and Compliance; Art of Analysis; Motivating Employees; Executive Compliance; Communications, Negotiation and Dispute Resolution; other

RECENT REPRESENTATIVE LITIGATION MATTERS (from over 500 cases)

  •  Recent published appellate opinions of note:

    • Lachtman v. Regents, Cal.Ct.App. 2007 (Academic right to dismiss)

    • Tran v. Superior Court, U.S.D.C., S.D.Ca. 2007 (11th Amendment class action dismissal)

    • Hong v. Regents, U.S.D.C., C.D.Ca. 2007 (Sec. 1983 Free Speech in employment)

    • Washington v. CSU, Cal.Ct.App. 2004 (Tenure denial upheld)

  • Defense of national companies in class action litigation
  • Defense jury verdicts for national company in discrimination case; for medical school in defamation case, for university in basketball coach termination case

EDUCATION

  • Juris Doctor, Stanford Law School (1973)
  • B.A., with Honors, Valparaiso University (1970); Distinguished alumni award, 2005