(October 10, 2011, San Francisco, CA) - Reed Smith LLP announced today that after serving nearly two years as a judge on the Alameda County Superior Court, Paul D. Fogel has rejoined the firm as a partner in its Appellate Group. He will be resident in the firm's San Francisco office beginning October 12. Mr. Fogel will also continue as a lecturer in appellate advocacy at the University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall) School of Law.
Mr. Fogel was appointed to the Alameda County Superior Court in September 2009. For many years before his appointment he enjoyed a prominent reputation as one of California's leading appellate specialists. He joined Crosby, Heafey, Roach & May's appellate group in 1988 and was a partner with the firm, which combined with Reed Smith in 2003, for nearly two decades.
"I am delighted to be returning to appellate practice after nearly two enormously rich years on the Court," said Mr. Fogel. "My decision to leave the bench was extremely difficult because of the high degree of camaraderie among my colleagues and the interesting work that a judge does. But I decided to step down principally because of my desire to work again in an appellate environment-one in which I have more than 30 years of experience, including more than 10 years in the public and public interest sectors. Although I'd always wanted to serve as a judge, during my judicial tenure I came to appreciate that I want to spend my remaining productive professional years working in the appellate field."
A 1976 UCLA Law School graduate, as a lawyer, Mr. Fogel handled more than 350 appellate matters that produced more than 60 published opinions from the California Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit, and the California courts of appeal. He clerked for California Supreme Court Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird from 1983 to 1987.
"Paul will again be a tremendous asset to this practice," said Raymond A. Cardozo, leader of Reed Smith's Appellate Group. "He is an exceptional professional with a deep knowledge of this specialized area of law and strong, ongoing relationships with many Reed Smith lawyers and clients firm wide."
Mr. Fogel is a Fellow in the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, a past President of the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and a past member of the California Judicial Council's Appellate Advisory Committee and the Ninth Circuit Committee on Rules and Internal Operating Practices. He was a member of the California Judicial Council's Appellate Rules Task Force, which drafted a comprehensive revision of the California appellate rules from 1998 to 2004.
David Thompson, Managing Partner of Reed Smith's San Francisco office, said, "Before joining the Superior Court, Paul was a very valuable member of our team, and many of us have maintained our relationships with him during his tenure as a judge. I am sure he will have a rapid and successful transition back to private practice and will soon be busier than ever with appellate matters."
Mr. Fogel taught American and comparative law as a Fulbright Fellow at the Université de Paris, Facultée de Droit from 1979 to 1980, has authored numerous articles and book chapters on appellate law, practice, and procedure, and served as a practitioner-advisor in appellate advocacy at Berkeley Law for 20 years before his appointment as an adjunct lecturer there.
Mr. Fogel has also served as a periodic lecturer for the U.S. State Department since 1980 in francophone Africa, the Middle East, France, and Belgium, lecturing on topics such as independence of the judiciary, federalism, judicial review, constitutional law, the legal profession, election law, and human rights.
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