PaulA.
Werner

PartnerMember, Executive Committee
LINKEDIN
Paul Werner

Overview

Paul Werner is a seasoned first-chair trial and appellate litigator with a national practice helping clients navigate high-stakes crises, investigations and disputes. He is a senior member of the Litigation practice and serves on the firm’s Executive Committee.

Paul’s clients include world leaders, Fortune 100 and 500 companies, luxury vehicle manufacturers, leading technology firms, private equity houses, healthcare systems and professional athletes. Known for his ability to deliver results, he defends clients in “bet-the-company” disputes, complex class actions and wide-ranging federal and state investigations.

Paul has a proven track record of success in high-profile cases. He has defended major automobile manufacturers in class actions consolidated in federal MDLs, including one involving alleged design defects, and successfully represented a named defendant in opioid-related MDL litigation seeking billions in damages. He also helped a communications provider association defeat class certification in a landmark case involving utility easements. Currently, Paul is representing a leading online marketplace in a highly publicized MDL stemming from a data breach affecting hundreds of millions of customers.

Beyond litigation, Paul represents clients in domestic and international arbitrations, including a high-stakes dispute between satellite providers. He also guides companies through complex government investigations, recently resolving a far-reaching DOJ, FDA and DEA investigation for a national healthcare company in just 18 months with no action taken.

Paul advises clients on communications and technology law, representing them in regulatory matters before the FCC, state commissions and international tribunals. He also teaches technology and communications law at Vanderbilt University Law School.

Clients value Paul’s ability to craft winning strategies, whether in the courtroom, at the negotiating table or navigating complex regulatory landscapes. His work is often featured in the media, including Law360, and he is known for his relentless focus on achieving exceptional outcomes.

Dedicated to pro bono service, Paul has achieved significant victories in environmental litigation, including securing a permanent federal ban on commercial mining in Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed. He also represents advocacy organizations in litigation to protect endangered species and America’s coldwater fisheries.

Experience

Representative Matters

  • Closed federal criminal billing-fraud investigation of healthcare provider in 18 months with no action.
  • Obtained numerous favorable verdicts, decisions, and negotiated outcomes for healthcare providers in complex billing lawsuits and arbitrations.
  • Obtained sovereign immunity dismissal on behalf of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its Central Bank, which was affirmed on appeal. CapitalKeys, LLC v Democratic Republic of Congo, 2021 WL 2255362 (D.D.C. June 3, 2021), aff’d 2022 WL 2902083 (D.C. Cir. July 22, 2022).
  • Successfully defeated nine-figure class action involving complex healthcare billing issues. Randy Denning v. AIS, Case No. 2:21-CV-774 (D. La. 2021) & 21-30534 (5th Cir. 2022).
  • Obtained a landmark appellate victory for Trout Unlimited at Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for not-for-profit organization on issue of first impression under the Clean Water Act and Administrative Procedure Act. Trout Unlimited et al. v. Pirzadeh et. al., No. 20-35504, 2021 WL 2460989 (9th Cir. June 17, 2021).
  • Successfully represented intervenor global satellite operator on appeal before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ensuring access to tens of billions of dollars from spectrum auctions and transition operations. PSSI Global Services, LLC v. FCC, Case No. 20-1142 (Dec. 2020).
  • Successfully represented national cable operator before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and Southern District of Indiana in case affirming that Section 621 of the federal Cable Act authorizes cable operators’ compatible use of easements dedicated to utility purposes. See West v. Louisville Gas & Elec. Co. et al, No. 4:16-cv-00145RLYTAB, 2018 WL 321686 (S.D. Ind. Jan. 8, 2018), appeal dismissed, 920 F.3d 499 (7th Cir. 2019), and aff'd sub nom. 19-2442, 2020 WL 995774 (7th Cir. Mar. 2, 2020).
  • Obtained unanimous victory on issue of first impression with broad implication for cable industry in case briefed and argued before Texas Supreme Court. Time Warner Cable Texas LLC v. CPS Energy, No. 17-0840, --- S.W.3d ---, 2019 WL 2147257 (Tex. May 17, 2019).
  • Successfully resolved complex litigation against foreign entities involving claims arising from CFIUS reporting obligations and requirements. Ness Technologies SARL v. HNA Group (International) Company Limited, Index No. 657241/2017 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2017).
  • Won a preliminary injunction in favor of nearly a dozen communications providers that led to favorable resolution of federal court litigation against the City of Baltimore involving Section 253 of the federal Communications Act.
  • Successfully represented the California Cable and Telecommunications Association in defeating certification of a class of statewide landowners seeking injunctive relief and damages for alleged wrongful "telecommunications” use of easements they granted to an electric utility.
  • Won summary judgment in favor of a cable operator in long-running federal court litigation brought by a local franchising authority claiming millions of dollars in damages for an alleged breach of the franchise agreement. Mecklenburg County v. Time Warner Entertainment-Advance/Newhouse P’ship, 2010 WL 391279 (W.D.N.C. 2010).
  • Won summary judgment in favor of a cable operator in federal court litigation brought by local franchising authorities alleging violation of Public, Educational and Governmental obligations.
  • Defended cable operator through a weeks-long trial of a state court action brought by an investor-owned electric utility claiming the operator owed millions of dollars in back pole attachment fees for allegedly providing "telecommunications services."
  • Defended an international automobile manufacturer in coordinated putative class actions involving products liability and state consumer protection statutes based on allegations of defective alignment systems and consequent tire wear. In Re LR3 Litigation (MDL 2008).
Credentials
Clerkships

Law Clerk to The Honorable Karen LeCraft Henderson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

Education

J.D., Vanderbilt University Law School, Editor in Chief, Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment Law & Practice, 2002, Order of the Coif

B.A., University of California, Los Angeles, 1999, summa cum laude

Admissions

District of Columbia

New York

Virginia

U.S. Supreme Court

U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

Honors

Litigation Star, Benchmark Litigation, 2025

Gardner Gillespie Environmental Pro Bono Award, 2024

Who's Who Legal: Telecoms, Media & Entertainment, 2024

Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers, 2024-2026

"Highly Recommended" for Telecoms and Broadcast: Regulatory, Legal 500 US, 2012-2024
‘From a litigation perspective, Paul Werner has the ability to filter through issues and determine the approach most likely to lead to a positive outcome which he has achieved many times. He has a measured, thoughtful approach and comes exceptionally well-prepared for trial.’ (Legal 500 US)

Leading U.S. Litigator, Lawdragon, 2023-2026

Washington D.C. Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers, 2014-2016

Legal 500 Recommended Lawyer 2024
Memberships

Member, Federal Communications Bar Association

Member, The Historical Society of the District of Columbia Circuit

Thought Leadership

"CMS’ Medicare Advantage Overpayment Rule Takes a Permanent Vacation: What’s Next for Payors and Providers Alike," Sheppard Mullin Healthcare Webinar, October 16, 2018