Overview

After practicing as a civil litigator with The Mitchell Law Firm in Eureka, California, for over 40 years, and, later, as a mediator, Paul Brisso joined our firm in an “of counsel” status. Over his career, he handled hundreds of civil litigation cases in the state courts of various Northern California counties and in the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Eastern Districts of California, including over 100 jury trials.

His practice focused on defending personal injury and wrongful death cases, dangerous condition of property matters, civil rights, harassment, and discrimination claims, real estate disputes, contracts, employment disputes, and some medical malpractice cases.

Background & Recognition

Mr. Brisso graduated from Humboldt State University in 1973 magna cum laude with a B.A. in journalism and worked as a reporter for the Times-Standard in Eureka from 1973 to 1975. In 1978, he graduated from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, “with great distinction” (highest honors), ranked No. 4 in a day division class of over 200 students and inducted as a lifetime member of the school’s Traynor Legal Honor Society.

After law school, Mr. Brisso served as a judicial staff attorney to Justice George N. Zenovich of the California Fifth District Court of Appeal in Fresno from 1978 to 1979. In 1979, he joined Mitchell, Dedekam & Angell as an associate and earned partner status at the firm, which changed names twice before becoming The Mitchell Law Firm, where he practiced primarily in civil litigation and general public entity representation from 1979 to 2018.

For over 25 years, Mr. Brisso has been rated by Martindale-Hubbell as “AV” and “Preeminent” and has been named by San Francisco magazine as one of Northern California’s “Super Lawyers” each year from 2005 through 2020. He was elected as a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers — one of only four in Humboldt County history so honored — and is a former longtime member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).