Paul R. Griffin, Partner

Paul Griffin, a partner in the firm’s San Francisco office, is a nationally recognized antitrust lawyer and has served as Co-Chair of the firm's global antitrust practice. Prior to joining Winston & Strawn in 2008, he was Chair and Vice Chair of the antitrust practices at two other AmLaw 100 law firms. He has also served as head of a litigation group, head of the consumer law group, and head of the intellectual property group.

Mr. Griffin, a "San Francisco Tier I antitrust lawyer," according to U.S. News & World Report, represents clients in litigation related to cartel and price fixing, grand jury investigations, merger analyses and challenges, monopolization, price discrimination, and unfair competition. He has served as defendants’ Liaison Counsel in major antitrust class action litigation and has been involved in a number of the largest and most significant antitrust cases filed in the past 30 years. He has handled cases involving supplier-distributor disputes, terminated agent cases, joint ventures and partnership disputes, computer technology and licensing litigation, international arbitration, oil royalty litigation, smoking and health product liability actions, trade secret cases, and copyright and trademark infringement.

Mr. Griffin is a leading authority on California’s stringent gift card laws. Mr. Griffin has led the defense of numerous class actions against various retailers over their gift card policies. In that regard, he has been interviewed or featured more than two dozen times in television, radio, and newspaper stories.

Prior to becoming a private-practice attorney, Mr. Griffin was a staff attorney from 1976 through 1978 in the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition, where he prosecuted merger, antitrust, and unfair competition cases.

Honors and Awards

Mr. Griffin has been selected as one of “The Best Lawyers in America” each year from 2008-2013, a Northern California “Super Lawyer” each year from 2004-2012, a San Francisco Tier 1 antitrust Lawyer by U.S. News, one of “San Francisco’s Best Lawyers,” a “San Francisco Top Lawyer,” and a “Top Lawyer” by Corporate Counsel magazine.

In addition, he is listed in the Guide to the World's Leading Competition & Antitrust Lawyers, and is part of Winston's San Francisco antitrust group that is "highly recommended" by Global Competition Review.

Activities

Mr. Griffin has served as a member of the Executive Committee of the State Bar of California’s Antitrust and Unfair Competition Section, Vice Chair of the State Bar of California’s Antitrust and Unfair Competition Section Publication, a member of the American Bar Association’s Antitrust Section, and an honorary member of the Commercial Bar Association of London. He is a co-author of the treatise California Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law.

Mr. Griffin has served a record four times as Master of Ceremonies for the State Bar of California’s annual Antitrust Lawyer of the Year dinner and award ceremony. At a prior firm, he served as Chair and Master of Ceremonies at six partner retreats and the firm’s 125th anniversary gala event. By way of civic involvement, Mr. Griffin served as President for 10 years and a Director for 20 years of the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, the nation’s leading contemporary music chamber ensemble.

Media Appearances

Mr. Griffin has been featured in several articles published on the front page of the Los Angeles Daily Journal and San Francisco Recorder. He has been interviewed and appeared on KTVU Oakland Channel 2, KRON San Francisco Channel 4, KICU San Jose Channel 36, KRXI Reno Channel 11, KRXI Reno Mornings on Fox, KCBS San Francisco Radio 740 and CNET Radio. He has been interviewed and quoted in articles published by the Associated Press, Sacramento Bee, Sacramento Business Journal, Orange County Register, Stockton News, Vallejo Times Herald, and other newspapers and publications.

Education