Ca., USA - September 17, 2010 San Francisco, Ca., USA - DLA Piper announced that Paul J. Hall and Todd C. Toral have joined the firm's Litigation practice as partners in the San Francisco office.
Article continues below
They come to DLA Piper from Nixon Peabody LLP where Hall was leader of the national Financial Institutions Litigation Team and Toral was deputy practice group leader for the Commercial Litigation practice and a member of the firm's Litigation & Dispute Resolution Department.
Mr. Hall's practice focuses primarily on class actions involving financial institutions. He has significant trial experience in the areas of lender liability, corporate acquisitions, unfair competition, labor, trade secrets, real estate secured transactions, tax, inverse condemnation, construction, and administrative law.
Mr. Hall's appellate work includes several unpublished decisions affirming favorable judgments in the trial court and published decisions in Union Bank of California, N.A. v. Superior Court, 130 Cal.App.4th 378 (2005); Hirsch v. Bank of America, N.A., et al, 107 Cal.App.4th 708 (2003); International Mortgage Co. v. Butler, 177 Cal.App.3d 806 (1986); and Southern California Financial Corp. v. United States of America, 634 F.2d 521 (1980).
Mr. Hall has published and lectured extensively on labor class actions, arbitration and mediation, lender liability cases, accountants' liability cases, and directors' and officers' liability cases.
Mr. Hall previously served as a Regent of the University of California, President of the Boalt Hall Alumni Association, and President of the University of California, Santa Cruz Alumni Association.
Mr. Hall received a J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkley and an A.B., with Highest Honors, from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Mr. Toral is a commercial litigator with a particular focus on investment partnerships, finance, tax disputes, and unlawful business practices claims. His litigation experience includes serving as restructuring counsel to national and international banks and syndicators concerning investments in tax credit projects.
Mr. Toral has served as first chair in several high-profile tax shelter disputes with the California Franchise Tax Board, the Internal Revenue Service, and promoters of tax advantaged products involving complex financial derivatives and hedge transactions, European call/put options, and OID boards.
Mr. Toral has also handled tax controversy matters for national and international companies as well as banking operational controversies for financial institutions and large companies.
Mr. Toral previously served in the US Marine Corps and had successful tours as a platoon commander and rifle company executive officer where he planned and directed the deployment of infantry units throughout Hawaii, Japan, and Southwest Asia.
In 1993, Mr. Toral was selected to be the adjutant for Second Battalion Third Marines and later led a team of 20 Marines in adjudicating more than 175 matters ranging from administrative separations for violations of Marine Corps policy to felony prosecutions for serious violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. ■