People: Paul J. Leaf, Associate

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Paul J. Leaf

Associate

Los Angeles - Downtown
Direct: (213) 270-9724
0

Biography

Paul J. Leaf is an associate in the Labor & Employment and Commercial Litigation Departments of Seyfarth Shaw LLP.

Mr. Leaf has litigated before federal and state courts as well as arbitration tribunals. He has experience in all phases of litigation, including initiating complaints and answering them, drafting and responding to discovery, briefing and arguing motions, managing electronic discovery and legal research teams, working with expert witnesses, deposition practice, preparing witnesses for trial, and drafting direct and cross trial examinations. He has represented clients from various industries, such as aerospace, automotive, education, entertainment, and residential mortgage lending and securitization, on a variety of matters, including wrongful termination, alter ego, anti-SLAPP, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, business tort, corporate governance, judgment collection, choice of law, wage and hour, and breach of contract.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Leaf practiced commercial litigation with another international law firm.

In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Leaf is a regular commentator on U.S. foreign policy, having published op-eds in several national newspapers and magazines (including Forbes, Bloomberg, The American Interest, RealClearPolitics, The National Interest, New York Post, and National Review) and been interviewed and quoted by the media. Moreover, he is a board member of a charter high school serving under-privileged students from the Compton area. Mr. Leaf has worked on a pro bono case aimed at reforming how the Department of Veterans Affairs processes veterans’ disability claims.

Paul J. Leaf is an associate in the Labor & Employment and Commercial Litigation Departments of Seyfarth Shaw LLP.

Mr. Leaf has litigated before federal and state courts as well as arbitration tribunals. He has experience in all phases of litigation, including initiating complaints and answering them, drafting and responding to discovery, briefing and arguing motions, managing electronic discovery and legal research teams, working with expert witnesses, deposition practice, preparing witnesses for trial, and drafting direct and cross trial examinations. He has represented clients from various industries, such as aerospace, automotive, education, entertainment, and residential mortgage lending and securitization, on a variety of matters, including wrongful termination, alter ego, anti-SLAPP, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, business tort, corporate governance, judgment collection, choice of law, wage and hour, and breach of contract.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Leaf practiced commercial litigation with another international law firm.

In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Leaf is a regular commentator on U.S. foreign policy, having published op-eds in several national newspapers and magazines (including Forbes, Bloomberg, The American Interest, RealClearPolitics, The National Interest, New York Post, and National Review) and been interviewed and quoted by the media. Moreover, he is a board member of a charter high school serving under-privileged students from the Compton area. Mr. Leaf has worked on a pro bono case aimed at reforming how the Department of Veterans Affairs processes veterans’ disability claims.

Education

  • J.D., Stanford Law School (2008)
    Editor, Stanford Law Review

  • B.A., Pomona College, with distinction (2004)

Admissions

  • California

Affiliations

  • Member of the Board of Directors of New Millennium Secondary School (a charter high school)

Representative Engagements

  • Represents employers in actions alleging wrongful termination, interference with leave rights, and wage and hour violations.
  • Represents a financial company regarding its claims that a former high-level executive violated non-compete and non-solicitation clauses.
  • Represented affiliates of the Royal Bank of Scotland in multiple actions brought by purchasers of billions of dollars of residential mortgage-backed securities.
  • Represented a group of employees of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in an arbitration seeking to repair the VA’s system for processing veterans’ disability benefits claims.
  • Represented the founder and former CEO of a major California subprime mortgage lending company in arbitration against claims of fraudulent conveyance and breach of fiduciary duties.
  • Represented California’s largest importer of Chinese-manufactured tires in a business torts dispute.
  • Represented Don Johnson’s production company in litigation resulting in a substantial jury verdict in the client’s favor and established ownership rights in a successful television series
     

Publications

  • “Taiwan And The South China Sea Must Be Taken Off The Back Burner,” The National Interest (June 18, 2018)
  • “America And Japan Must Respond Collectively to China's Bullying,” The National Interest (November 29, 2017)
  • "Asia's Game of Thrones: Taiwan Voted -- The U.S. Should Listen," The American Interest (January 16, 2016)
  • "The U.S. Must Call Out China For Its Aggression," Daily Caller (October 13, 2015)
  • "Why The United States And Vietnam Urgently Need To Deepen Ties," The National Interest (September 11, 2015)
  • "The US And Japan Should Help Taiwan Acquire Modern Submarines," The Diplomat (December 19, 2014)
  • "China’s Charm Offensive: A Temporary, Tactical Change," The Diplomat (December 17, 2014)
  • "Washington and Tokyo Are Messing Up a Vital Trade Pact," RealClearWorld (October 28, 2014)
  • "Time to End Ban on Weapons Sales to Vietnam," The Diplomat (September 18, 2014)
  • "With China on the Rise, America Must Woo India," The National Interest (September 15, 2014)
  • "Japan’s Military Normalization: Promise and Potential Peril," The Diplomat (September 4, 2014)
  • "Learning From China’s Oil Rig Standoff With Vietnam,"The Diplomat (August 30, 2014)
  • "Fix the VA Before More Veterans Die," The Hill (June 26, 2014)
  • "South China Sea Standoff: The U.S. Must Get Off The Sidelines," Daily Caller (June 3, 2014)
  • Co-Author, "Time to Finalize the TPP," Daily Caller (May 13, 2014)
  • Co-Author, "The U.S., TPP, and Taiwan," The National Interest (April 24, 2014)
  • "Five Things the U.S. Should Do to Capitalize on Chinese Aggression," Daily Caller (December 31, 2013)
  • "Yes We Can Care for Disabled Veterans, 365 Days a Year," Forbes (November 12, 2012)
  • Co-Author, "The Internal Affairs Doctrine Versus a Conflicting Contractual Choice of Law Provision,” 10 Bloomberg BNA: Corporate Accountability Report 1138 (Nov. 2, 2012)
  • Co-Author, "To Balance China, U.S. Should Open Up To Vietnam," Real Clear Markets (Oct. 12, 2012)
  • "Déjà Nukes: The U.S. Must Not Be Fooled Again By North Korea," Forbes (Mar. 26, 2012)
  • "Absent Teachers, Untrained Substitutes," National Review Online (June 20, 2011)
  • "Court Control of VA is Imperfect Fix," San Diego Union-Tribune (June 17, 2011)
  • Co-Author, "Combating Terrorism and WMD-Proliferation: Not at the U.N. Security Council," Legal Workshop (September 24, 2010)
  • Co-Author, "Torpedoing North Korean Aggression," National Review Online (May 26, 2010)
  • Co-Author, "Modern Threats and the United Nations Security Council: No Time for Complacency," 62 Stanford Law Review 1395 (2010)
  • Co-Author, "The Atomic Ayatollahs’ Angels: Why Russia and China Won’t Stop Iran," New York Post (Apr. 10, 2010)
  • "Fix the VA’s Claims Process," San Diego Union-Tribune (January 7, 2010)
  • Co-Author, "North Korea: Dangerous Model for Iran," New York Post (October 23, 2009)
  • Co-Author, "'Smart Power' Diplomacy?," National Review Online (October 8, 2009)
  • Co-Author, "Last Chance to Stop North Korea," National Review Online (June 16, 2009)
  • "A Call to Duty: Fixing the VA’s Disability Benefits System," Plain Dealer (Ohio) (April 28, 2009)
  • Co-author, "Playing Diplomatic Hardball With the FARC," American Thinker (June 21, 2008)
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