Attorneys

Paul R. Townsend

Partner

212-566-7766

212-374-1506 (fax)

ptownsend@robertcgottlieblaw.com

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Paul Townsend

Paul R. Townsend

Partner

ptownsend@robertcgottlieblaw.com

Download Vcard

Paul Townsend is a partner at Robert C. Gottlieb & Associates.  He joined the firm in May 2019 and represents clients in a wide variety of white-collar and traditional criminal defense matters in federal and state courts both in New York and throughout the country.  Mr. Townsend has obtained countless favorable results for his clients through non-prosecution agreements, motion practice, plea negotiations, hearings and trial.  Since joining the firm, he has tried both federal and state cases in New York, Vermont and California.  Additionally, he has been published several times in the New York Law Journal, the New York Daily News, and the New York Post.

 

Prior to coming to the firm, Mr. Townsend worked as an associate for a boutique criminal defense practice and handled complex high-profile criminal litigation.  He has successfully tried cases in both the state and federal courts around the country.  Notably, Mr. Townsend was one of the attorneys on the trial team representing Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman-Loera during his narcotics trafficking trial as leader of the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel in the Eastern District of New York.

 

Mr. Townsend began his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney with the Kings County District Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, New York.  While at the District Attorney’s Office, Mr. Townsend prosecuted hundreds of felony cases in the Major Narcotics and Firearms Bureau, and specialized in utilizing wiretaps, pen registers, trap and trace devices and other methods of electronic surveillance against criminal organizations.  Mr. Townsend presented hundreds of cases to grand juries, including the possession and sale of largescale narcotics and firearms, attempted murder, robbery, assault, robbery, burglary, and white-collar fraud.

 

Mr. Townsend earned his juris doctorate from Brooklyn Law School and a double major bachelor of arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania.  He is admitted to practice in all New York State Courts as well as the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York and the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.

 

Mr. Townsend is also the creator and host of the popular legal podcast, In Summation: The Final Word. In it, Mr. Townsend examines some of the most famous, infamous – and often misunderstood – court cases to make headlines across America.  In doing so, he provides listeners with an unbiased understanding of the underlying facts as the judge or jury would have heard them at the time. He then explains the role of each party, breaks down the legal arguments presented, and gives “the final word” on who ultimately prevailed, and why.

 

In Summation: The Final Word can be found wherever you get your podcasts including Apple Podcasts, Listen Notes, and Spotify. “

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-summation-the-final-word/id154150649

https://open.spotify.com/show/7uxSq2qXYHZxkf6Gh13HTo

Professional Affiliations

The National Trial Lawyers Association Top 40 under 40

 

 

Bio

Paul Townsend is a partner at Robert C. Gottlieb & Associates.  He joined the firm in May 2019 and represents clients in a wide variety of white-collar and traditional criminal defense matters in federal and state courts both in New York and throughout the country.  Mr. Townsend has obtained countless favorable results for his clients through non-prosecution agreements, motion practice, plea negotiations, hearings and trial.  Since joining the firm, he has tried both federal and state cases in New York, Vermont and California.  Additionally, he has been published several times in the New York Law Journal, the New York Daily News, and the New York Post.

 

Prior to coming to the firm, Mr. Townsend worked as an associate for a boutique criminal defense practice and handled complex high-profile criminal litigation.  He has successfully tried cases in both the state and federal courts around the country.  Notably, Mr. Townsend was one of the attorneys on the trial team representing Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman-Loera during his narcotics trafficking trial as leader of the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel in the Eastern District of New York.

 

Mr. Townsend began his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney with the Kings County District Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, New York.  While at the District Attorney’s Office, Mr. Townsend prosecuted hundreds of felony cases in the Major Narcotics and Firearms Bureau, and specialized in utilizing wiretaps, pen registers, trap and trace devices and other methods of electronic surveillance against criminal organizations.  Mr. Townsend presented hundreds of cases to grand juries, including the possession and sale of largescale narcotics and firearms, attempted murder, robbery, assault, robbery, burglary, and white-collar fraud.

 

Mr. Townsend earned his juris doctorate from Brooklyn Law School and a double major bachelor of arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania.  He is admitted to practice in all New York State Courts as well as the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York and the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.

 

Mr. Townsend is also the creator and host of the popular legal podcast, In Summation: The Final Word. In it, Mr. Townsend examines some of the most famous, infamous – and often misunderstood – court cases to make headlines across America.  In doing so, he provides listeners with an unbiased understanding of the underlying facts as the judge or jury would have heard them at the time. He then explains the role of each party, breaks down the legal arguments presented, and gives “the final word” on who ultimately prevailed, and why.

 

In Summation: The Final Word can be found wherever you get your podcasts including Apple Podcasts, Listen Notes, and Spotify. “

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-summation-the-final-word/id154150649

https://open.spotify.com/show/7uxSq2qXYHZxkf6Gh13HTo

Education
  • Brooklyn Law School (J.D., 2011)
  • University of Pennsylvania (B.S. in Philosophy, 2006)
Bar Admissions
  • New York, 2012
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, 2016
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 2016
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, 2019
Professional Affiliations

The National Trial Lawyers Association Top 40 under 40