Paul Melodia

In a 2003 San Francisco Chronicle poll selecting the top 25 lawyers in the Bay Area, Paul was the only personal injury lawyer selected. Thrice voted one of San Francisco's top 100 "SuperLawyers" in polls of Northern California attorneys, Paul graduated with distinction from Boalt Hall School of Law and was honored with induction into the Order of the Coif.

Paul has obtained favorable jury verdicts that cross a wide spectrum of cases involving public transit vehicles, MUNI, public entities and city governments, and taxi cab and shuttle companies. He has had vast experience in representing clients with both open and closed head injuries, quadriplegia, paraplegia and incomplete paralysis, as well as motor and sensory neurological impairment. A veteran of hundreds of cases involving complex medical issues, Paul recently obtained a record verdict in the amount of $1,790,000 in Stanislaus County for the wrongful death of a homemaker.

After his graduation from law school, Paul served in the Army Judge Advocate General Corp. Since entering private practice in 1967, he has demonstrated unparalleled skill in handling personal injury claims of almost every type and theory.

In the transportation field he has negotiated major settlements against the Muni Railway and the San Francisco Fire Department. He has successfully tried railway crossing cased accidents involving taxi cabs and other common carriers. Paul has been recognized for his many successes by numerous professional organizations and honor societies. He is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, holds the rank of Diplomate in the American Board of Trial Advocates is a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and has listed in the "Best Lawyers in America" for more than ten years. He has served as the President of the Edward McFetridge American Inn of Court (Northern California's first Inn of Court), and he has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Boalt Hall Alumni Association.

Recent Noteworthy Verdicts and Settlements

Loh v. County of Alameda
(Government Liability / Quadriplegia)
$9,500,000 Settlement

Ford v. Polaris
(Defective Jet Ski / Abdominal Injuries)
$3,750,000 Jury Verdict

Cervantes v. Kaiser
(Cardiac Surgery Negligence / Brain Damage)
$3,195,000 Settlement

Baby M. v. Alta Bates
(Medical Malpractice / Cerebral Palsy)
$2,610,000 Settlement

Solomon v. Helena Chemical
(Automobile Collision / Major Trauma)
$2,400,000 Settlement

Fleischman v. HMO
(Failure to Diagnose Spinal Abscess / Paralysis)
$1,950,000 Settlement

Dismukes v. Tam
(Surgical Error / Wrongful Death)
$1,791,256 Jury Verdict