Drawing upon nearly 50 years of experience in the legal sector, William R. Paul, Esq., has served as a shareholder and partner at Mechanik Nuccio Hearne & Wester, P.A., since 2009. Specializing in a myriad of areas in legal practice, he is particularly revered for his expertise in securities offerings and broker-dealer compliance, mergers and acquisitions, government contracting and dispute resolution. Additionally, Mr. Paul has been extensively recognized for his prowess in transactions involving emerging technologies, medical devices, and product distribution. Early in his career from 1973 to 1977, he served as an attorney with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance in Washington, D.C. He then went on to serve as an attorney, shareholder and partner in several other national and international firms in New York City and in Tampa, Florida.
Stimulated by an early interest in law, Mr. Paul first obtained a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1964. Subsequently, he received a Juris Doctor degree from Brooklyn Law School in 1973 and completed coursework in taxation at the Georgetown University Law Center in 1974 and 1975. Mr. Paul has been admitted to practice law in Florida since 1980 and had previously been admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and New York.
In 1984, Mr. Paul was one of the founders of the Real Estate Investment Council, Inc., in Tampa. He served as its president from 1991 to 1993, and he is the only director to serve continuously from 1984 on its board of directors. Mr. Paul has also been a member of the Association for Corporate Growth since 1998, and he was president of its Tampa Bay Chapter for two years and a director for 12 years. Since 1990, Mr. Paul has been a member of the Association of Securities and Exchange Commission Alumni, Inc. He also is a member of the American Bar Association and its Federal Regulation of Securities Committee.
Designated as a member of the Legal Elite Hall of Fame in 2022 by Florida Trend Magazine, Mr. Paul was also named to the Florida Legal Elite by Florida Trend each year from 2013 to 2022. He has long had an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.