Thomas Paul

THOMAS F. PAUL is an accomplished litigator who handles matters of virtually every description in the admiralty and maritime fields. He has litigated to successful conclusion hundreds of jury and non-jury cases involving ship collisions, allisions, groundings, sinkings, cargo damage, salvage, liens, fires, wrongful deaths, and personal injuries. He also represents ship owners, licensed marine officers and pilots before the U.S. Coast Guard/Administrative Law Judges and Pilotage Boards. In addition, Tom handles non-maritime matters such as products and insurance broker’s liability and plaintiff’s personal injury cases. He recently obtained a 7.5 million dollar recovery in a brain damage case. His maritime expertise and work as a negotiator and trial lawyer are recognized throughout the United States and international maritime communities.

During World War II, Tom joined the United States Navy and later became attached to the Fourth Marine Division. He served our country honorably, and is a survivor of the battle for Iwo Jima in 1945. Upon his return to civilian life, Tom obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in pyschology from Washington State University in 1951. After several years in law enforcement he obtained his J.D. degree from the University of Washington in 1958, where he was a member of Phi Alpha Delta.

Tom was selected by his peers to be included as one of The Best Lawyers in America (2005-2010 eds.), and is listed in Who’s Who in American Law, in America and in the World. He is rated AV by the Martindale-Hubble Law Directory and superb by AVVO. Seattle Metropolitan magazine named him as one of Seattle's Best Lawyers (2007) and is listed in Washington Law & Politics Who's Who in Admiralty Maritime Law (2007). Washington CEO magazine named him as one of the Top Lawyers in Washington (2008) and the Puget Sound Business Journal named him as one of the Best Lawyers in the Puget Sound Region (2009). He is a past Board Advisor for the University of San Francisco Law Journal, and a past Chairman of the American Bar Association’s Committee on Admiralty and Maritime Litigation. He is a member of the Maritime Law Association of the United States, the Federal Bar Association, the American Association for Justice and numerous other professional associations. He is also a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, membership in which is limited to trial lawyers who have achieved a trial verdict or settlement in the millions of dollars.

Tom is admitted to practice before the State Courts of Washington, Alaska and Oregon, the United States Supreme Court, the U.S. District Courts for the Western and Eastern Districts of Washington, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.