Bio
Paul Zarefsky has been a Deputy City Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco since 2000. He is a member of the Government Team in the City Attorney’s Office. Over the years he has advised many City commissions and offices, including, among others, the Civil Service Commission, Entertainment Commission, Police Commission, Taxi Commission, and Office of Labor Standards Enforcement. He heads the Legislative Analysis Unit for the City Attorney’s Office and in that capacity reviews most legislation drafted by other attorneys prior to introduction at the Board of Supervisors. He is an expert in public records law and the laws governing meetings of public bodies. He has been active in and serves as liaison to several municipal law organizations, such as the League of California Cities.
Before assuming his present position, Paul served for many years as a law professor, mainly at Santa Clara University, the University of San Francisco, and the University of Akron, with shorter stints at Golden Gate University, Stanford University, and UC-Berkeley. He has taught many courses, including Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Civil Procedure, Evidence, Torts, Labor Law, and Employment Discrimination Law.
Early in his career, Paul served as an attorney-adviser in two federal agencies, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Small Business Administration, in Washington, D.C. Before then, he served as an associate in a plaintiffs’ employment discrimination law firm in Houston, Texas.
Paul received his A.B., with Highest Honors, from Oberlin College. He received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and his LL.M. from Georgetown University, and he has pursued graduate legal study at Stanford University.
Education
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Oberlin College
A.B. with Highest Honors -
University of Pennsylvania
J.D. -
Georgetown University
LL.M.