Paul Klimos

Paul Klimos is special counsel in the Corporate Practice Group in the firm's Silicon Valley office. 

Areas of Practice

Paul guides entrepreneurs through every stage of their ventures—from ideation to exit—and advises investors on structuring and managing investments across industries, growth phases, and jurisdictions. He counsels private and public companies on corporate structuring, governance, venture capital financings, and domestic and cross-border M&A. His practice also spans a broad range of strategic transactions, including joint ventures, acquihires, international flips, spin-outs, spin-offs, and carve-outs. Additionally, he advises venture capital funds, sovereign wealth funds, corporate venture arms, and family offices on fund formation, investments, and liquidity events.

Before joining Sheppard Mullin, Paul served as general counsel at a venture-backed technology company specializing in zero-knowledge proofs for privacy and security applications. Previously, he practiced at leading global law firms in Silicon Valley. Earlier in his career, he held legal and compliance roles at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Central Bank of Lebanon, where he co-founded and led a legal research and intelligence unit focused on technology governance and regulatory frameworks.

Paul has authored numerous publications at the intersection of law, technology, and policy and is a frequent speaker on the legal and regulatory challenges surrounding entrepreneurship and emerging technologies—including AI, blockchain, and FinTech. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council, Expert Network, and Global Shapers Community. Additionally, he is an alumnus of the U.S. State Department’s IVLP and the European Union’s EUVP, both prestigious invite-only leadership programs. Paul is a “40 Under 40” awardee and a BMW Foundation “Responsible Leader.”

Honors

40 Under 40, Arab America Foundation

Global Shaper, World Economic Forum

Responsible Leader, BMW Foundation

Knight of Magistral Grace, Sovereign Military Order of Malta

Knight, Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem

Knight of Merit, Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George

Best Recruiter Award, Lions Clubs International

International Membership Key, Lions Clubs International 

Centennial Award, Lions Clubs International

"Opération 7e Jour" Award”, in recognition of efforts in co-founding Lebanon's first student-led legal clinic, Université Saint-Joseph

Articles

• "AI for Efficiency, Sustainability and Inclusivity in TradeTech," World Economic Forum, January 2025
• "Technology Policy: Responsible Design for a Flourishing World," World Economic Forum, October 2024
• "The G20 Digital Agenda: Cross-Presidency Priorities," World Economic Forum, November 2023
• "How RegTech Tools Can Help Alleviate The Cost Of Regulatory Uncertainty," World Economic Forum, December 2022
• "Regulatory Technology for the 21st Century," World Economic Forum, March 2022
• "The Distributed Ledger Technology: A Potential Revamp for Financial Markets?," Capital Markets Law Journal (Oxford University Press), Volume 13, Issue 2, April 2018, p. 194–222
• "A Nation of False Perceptions," Beryte – L’Echo des Cèdres, April 2010, p. 10
• "The New Mission of the United Nations," Beryte – L’Echo des Cèdres, May 2009, p. 22
• "The Career Orientation of Youth," Beryte – L’Echo des Cèdres, May 2009, p. 24
• "Our Future President," Beryte – L’Echo des Cèdres, December 2008, p. 34 [in French]

Speaking Engagements

• "From Ideation to Execution: Empowering Entrepreneurs," TakMinds Conference / MIT, April 2022
• "Thrive Locally, Scale Globally: Start-ups in 2023," American University of Beirut, October 2023
• "Scaling Through the US; Market Entry & Fundraising," Dansk Erhverv, September 2022
• "The Nuts and Bolts of Early-Stage Investments," TechBBQ Conference, September 2022
• "Cross-Border Collaboration for Agile Regulation," World Economic Forum C4IR, June 2022
• "US Venture Capital & Market Trends," Innovation Centre Denmark, April 2022
• "Denmark and the US Venture Ecosystem," Innovation Centre Denmark, April 2022
• "Entrepreneurship: Challenges & Opportunities," Presentation to Politecnico di Milano, July 2022
• "Cross-Border Venture Capital," Presentation to x-HEC, April 2022
• "The Legal Challenges of the MENA Start-up Ecosystem," Silicon Valley Bank, October 2021
• "Shaping Public Policy in the 4th Industrial Revolution," World Economic Forum, August 2018
• "UN75: Redefining Peace," Lions Clubs International, October 2020

Memberships

World Economic Forum, Global Future Council

World Economic Forum, Expert Network

World Economic Forum, Global Shapers Community

American University of Beirut, iPark, Advisory Board

Endeavor Global

Atlantic Council, WIn Fellowship

Lions Clubs International

BMW Foundation Responsible Leaders Network

Mentor Foundation

Social and Economic Action for Lebanon (SEAL)

International Bar Association