Serving consumers and small businesses, litigation attorney Michael Papuc has practiced law in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 20 years. He advocates for a diverse clientele in the areas of insurance, employment discrimination, trade secret theft, bankruptcy, renters’ rights, and other relevant issues.

His cases of note include representing an opera singer who was rendered ill by a chemical fog used on stage and advocating on behalf of an immigrant entrapped in an unjust contract that restricted his employment and subjected him to low wages and unusually high finders’ fees. 

Michael Papuc holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Math from Brooklyn College and a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Prior to initiating his academic career, he spent five years as a diesel mechanic for the Marine Corps Reserves. At Hastings, he focused on contract law, and he earned an assistant teaching position at the college in that field.

He subsequently obtained a position as an associate attorney with Kornblum, Kelly & Herlihy in San Francisco. During this time he displayed acumen handling settlements involving insurance bad faith and other tort claims. He moved on to join Thornton, Taylor & Downs in 1989.

After five productive years at Thornton, Taylor & Downs, Papuc founded his own practice in 1994. He has since secured his reputation as an effective and thorough lawyer, taking on challenging cases involving corporate bankruptcy and employment discrimination, among others.

In a case that has drawn international attention, he represented an Indian computer programmer working in the United States on an H-1B visa in a lawsuit against the company that recruited him. Papuc won a victory for his client, which may set a future legal precedent for immigrant workers in the United States who are caught in a similar exploitive employment situation.

Related Links