Overview
Paul has a wide-ranging trial practice, representing both individuals and businesses in contract and investment disputes, government investigations, and environmental matters. Paul serves on Tonkon Torp’s Managing Board and recently completed a term as co-chair of the firm’s Litigation Department.
Before joining Tonkon Torp, Paul was a judicial clerk for the Honorable Susan P. Graber at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Honorable R. William Riggs at the Oregon Supreme Court and Oregon Court of Appeals.
Featured Representative Matters
Non-Competition & Confidentiality Restrictions
Agricultural Products
Illegal Homeless Camping
City of Lake Oswego
Electric Utility
Investment Fund
Billion Dollar Development Fees
Investment Company
Distribution Agreement
agreement.
Nutritional Supplements
Enron Corporation
Featured Work
Tonkon Torp Wins Appellate Victory in Auto Insurer Case
Tonkon Torp recently achieved a complete appellate win on behalf of its client, Leif Hansen, in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2018, Tonkon Torp attorneys Steve Olson, Paul Conable, and Meg Houlihan represented Hansen individually and in a proposed class action against his auto insurer, GEICO, for refusing to pay for digital scans of his truck as part of the truck’s repair following a collision. Hansen sued for breach of contract under his insurance policy and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. The federal district court dismissed the complaint for failure to state a claim. That dismissal prompted an appeal to the Ninth Circuit, which was led by Bob Koch and Meg Houlihan.
Tonkon Torp Wins Appellate Victory in Lake Oswego Access Dispute
Tonkon Torp litigators won a remarkable victory at the Oregon Court of Appeals in the ongoing high-profile dispute regarding public access to Oswego Lake. Here are the details.
Tonkon Torp Harvests Victory for Oregon Radish Seed Farmers
Tonkon Torp represented 45 Northwest farmers in a dispute with an East Coast commercial bank over who should receive the proceeds from the sale of the farmers’ radish seed crop. Find details and more featured cases here.
Tonkon Torp Litigators Win Judgment on Lake Oswego Access Question
A prolonged, high-profile dispute about public access to Oswego Lake was resolved recently when Clackamas County Circuit Court Judge Henry Breithaupt issued an opinion upholding the City of Lake Oswego’s right to control access to the lake from the City’s public park.
Balancing Free Speech and Presidential Security - Wilker Argues at the U.S. Supreme Court on First Amendment Issue
On March 26, 2014, Tonkon Torp litigator Steven Wilker argued at the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the ACLU of Oregon in Wood v. Moss, a political viewpoint discrimination case. Find details and more featured cases here.
Community Involvement & Activities
Pioneer Courthouse Historical Society
Former Member, Board of Directors
Classroom Law Project
Former Member, Board of Directors
Oregon State Bar
Volunteer Attorney, Military Assistance Panel
Legal Aid Domestic Violence Project
Volunteer Attorney
Professional Memberships
Multnomah Bar Association
Oregon Association of Defense Counsel
Past Chair, Commercial section
U.S. District Court
2009–2012, Judicial Selection Committee
Oregon State Bar
Past Chair, Business Litigation Section
Awards & Recognition
Recent News
Best Lawyers in America® Includes 49 Tonkon Torp Attorneys on 2021 List
26 Tonkon Torp Attorneys Honored on 2020 Super Lawyers Lists
Chambers USA Names 20 Tonkon Torp Attorneys in 2020 Ranking
2020 List for Best Lawyers in America® Includes 48 Tonkon Torp Attorneys
31 Tonkon Torp Attorneys Honored on 2019 Super Lawyers Lists
Chambers USA Names 23 Tonkon Torp Attorneys in 2019 Ranking
The Dramatic Expansion of Oregon's Absolute Litigation Privilege
Best Lawyers in America® Names 51 Tonkon Torp Attorneys to 2019 List
31 Tonkon Torp Attorneys Honored on 2018 Super Lawyers Lists
Chambers USA Names 20 Tonkon Torp Attorneys as Leaders in Their Field
Recent Alerts
Oregon Senate Passes Brownfields Land Bank Bill
Publications & Presentations
"The Dramatic Expansion of Oregon's Absolute Litigation Privilege," OSB Litigation Journal, Spring 2018
“Effective Strategies for Expert Depositions,” Multnomah Bar Association, April 2016
"Real Life Ethics Issues in Business Deals and Litigation," OSB Business Litigation Section, November 2013
"Registered Investment Advisors Update," 33rd Annual Northwest Securities Institute, Portland, OR, May 2013
"California Cap and Trade Program Likely to Face Legal Challenges," Daily Journal of Commerce, January 2012
"Surviving Winter: The Ninth Circuit Reaffirms the 'Serious Questions' Test for Injunctive Relief," Litigation Journal 2011
"Federal Civil Litigation in Oregon," Injunctions and Other Forms of Relief, Oregon State Bar 2009