Legal Solutions for You,
Your Family & Your Business
Paul Kranz
Kranz & Associates
2560 9th Street
Suite 213B
Berkeley, CA 94710
Phone: (510) 549-5900 | Fax: (510) 549-5901
Personal Injury & Employment Attorney in Alameda
Legal Topic
Personal Injury
Preferred New Clients
Serious injuries or serious financial losses, or cases involving injuries caused by truly egregious conduct.
Sub-Categories
Personal Injury
- Car/Auto Accidents
- Wrongful Death
- Medical Malpractice
- Construction Site Injuries
- Slip & Fall
- Invasion of Privacy
- Design Defects
- Manufacturing Defects
- Frauds, Scams, Hoaxes
- Telemarketing
- Assault & Battery
- Child abuse
- Domestic Violence
- Sexual Assault
- Airplanes
- Buildings
- Ships & Boats
- Legal Malpractice
- Chemicals & Cosmetics
- Dangerous Drugs & Products
- Hazardous Waste
- Medical Products & Devices
- Pesticides
- Toxic Mold
Bar Admissions
CA, Dec 1984
Bar Number: 114999
Specialty Certifications
None
Other Court Admissions
California, United States District Courts
Association Memberships
Alameda County Bar Association, San Francisco Bar Association, Santa Clara County Bar Association
Continuing Education
I attend continuing education seminars in personal injury, employment, consumer and class action laws. I always exceed the amount of required continuing education hours.
Papers and Publications
I have published about the legal issues in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa.
Example Cases
**unsafe, illegal working conditions in a munitions factory case, resulting largest punitive damage jury verdict ($10 million) in Solano County
**multi-million verdict against a corporation on behalf of a group of mentally disabled young people abused by a convicted sex felon hired the corporation hired as a manager
** multi-million settlement against an apartment complex on behalf of a client raped because of inadequate security measures
**multi-million settlement for employee fired after complaining about his employer's failure to follow safety procedures.
Education
Degree:
Masters of Science Degree (M.S.) from Health & Medical Sciences Graduate Program
School:
University of California at Berkeley
City:
Berkeley
State:
CA
Year:
1982
Focus and Accomplishments:
Master's Thesis: Interface Between Legal and Medical Standards for Cancer-Causing Chemicals
Degree:
J.D.
School:
University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall
City:
Berkeley
State:
CA
Year:
1984
Focus and Accomplishments:
Master's Thesis: Inadequacies of Current Carcinogen Monitoring Methologies
Degree:
B.A.
School:
Brandeis University
City:
Waltham
State:
MA
Year:
1969
Focus and Accomplishments:
Political Sociology
Number of Attorneys
1
State Licensed In
California
Firm Focus and History
Serious physical or emotional injury cases; employment discrimination cases.
Established in 1985. Most of our cases are referrals from other attorneys or former clients.
Previous Employment Summary
I was the Executive Director of a Non-Profit Health Foundation. I also was a special education teacher for disabled children.
Activities and Awards
I do Pro Bono work for the Alameda County Bar Association; I have served as a judicially-appointed arbitrator and mediator.
What is your opinion regarding clients educating themselves on legal issues?
I welcome clients educating themselves. It enables them to make more informed decisions about their cases. Also, the more non-lawyers understand about our legal system allows them to understand the importance of protecting that system.
Are you willing to review documents prepared by clients?
We do this frequently.
Are you willing to coach clients who want to represent themselves?
I will do that occasionally. However, in some circumstances, clients representing themselves may put them at a significant disadvantage, especially when a company, corporation or insurance company has access to attorneys. Also, we sometimes will do cases on a pro bono basis, depending on the case and the issues it involves.
Why did you decide to be a lawyer?
Our legal system has shown that it can "level the playing field" between those less powerful who have been injured or damaged, and those more powerful, such as insurance companies and corporations. Our legal system's finest moments is when it achieves this.
What work experience and education helps you be a better lawyer?
I have had significant education and training in science. I have a master's degree in health and medical sciences. I also founded and was the Executive Director of a Non-Profit Health Foundation. This helps me be very thorough and detailed-oriented. It also enables me to more easily understand scientific and medical issues.
Why did you decide on your primary area of practice?
It allows me to utilize my skills to advance values I believe in. Also, for cases involving physical injuries or medical issues I can draw on my medical training. Also, I can make a profound difference in the quality of a client's, life. Since we often take referrals from other firms, we can affect changes that would otherwise not have occurred.
What do you like best about your career?
The service aspect of our work, that is, providing a service that may dramatically improve someone's life. Also, the tenacious prosecution of cases on behalf of persons injured or damaged can help to prevent others from being hurt or damaged.
Tell us about your law firm:
I have personal contact with all clients. We remain accessible to clients throughout the course of their lawsuit and we assist them with whatever problems or issues arise for them during their lawsuit.
What are your strengths and style?
Informal, very detail-oriented, very thorough, and very tenacious.
Personal Interests:
Issues of social justice and my family.
Office Manager/Assistant
Gloria Reynolds
Fax
(510) 549-5901
Office Hours
Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Emergency After Hours
Yes
Foreign Languages
Spanish, Mandarin
Fixed-Price Services and Fees
No.
Hourly Rates
We have never charged an hourly fee in a personal injury, employment or consumer case, or in any case in which our client is an individual.
Free Initial Consultation?
We do not charge for initial consultations. We take as long as the client requires to tell us about their case and for us to evaluate it. As a result, initial consultations may often require more than one consultation. Since a decision to take a case represents a serious commitment that will often involve at least hundreds of hours, the time a consultation requires is a small investment of time in order to make an initial evaluation of a case.
Typical Retainer
We never require retainers.
Nolo's Licensing Check
Attorneys have passed a licensing check. Nolo has confirmed that every member attorney has a valid license and is in good standing with the applicable bar associations upon joining the directory.
Directory lawyers are required to notify Nolo immediately if they become the subject of any disciplinary action by any bar association.
