As CBF’s vice president for litigation and general counsel, Paul Smail manages the Litigation Department, provides in-house counsel and enterprise risk management, and is a member of the Executive Management Team.

Paul’s responsibilities include providing strategic direction and developing and litigating a variety of cases against polluters and agencies that fail to comply with federal and state environmental laws and regulations. Paul previously worked in private practice and represented individuals and organizations in numerous matters involving both transactions and litigation. He also served for several years as associate general counsel where he provided advice regarding corporate compliance and regulatory matters while managing litigation with outside counsel.

Before he went into law, Paul worked for state and federal environmental agencies and was a faculty research assistant for Dr. Walter Boynton at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomons, Maryland. There, he studied ecosystem ecology, which included the interactions between water quality, nutrient transport, sediment biogeochemistry, and seagrasses in estuarine systems.

Paul is a graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law and Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland.
He is admitted to the Maryland and Pennsylvania Bars and serves on the Maryland State Bar Association’s Lawyer Assistance Program Committee. Paul lives in Baltimore and explores the forests and mountains of Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia whenever he can.