Paul Stanton Kibel (1967 – 2025)
With deep sadness, we share the news that our colleague, Paul Stanton Kibel, passed away on October 29, 2025. He died of cancer, which he had fought for years with unflagging courage and hope. He passed away in peace, surrounded by his family.
Beginning 2014, Paul was our Natural Resources Counsel, focused on land use and water law. He was Professor Emeritus at Golden Gate University Law School, having led its Center on Urban Environmental Law. He had been a partner with Fitgerald Abbot & Beardsley LLP and had worked for the California State Coastal Conservancy and Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund.
Paul was an outstanding scholar and teacher. He was deeply curious about the law. He wrote books published by Cambridge University Press and MIT Press, along with law review articles, addressing how to square water supply and the public trust in fisheries and navigation. He was active in the International Association of Water Law and, despite his cancer, was finishing his doctorate at the University of Manchester International Law Center. He lived his values of kindness, respect, and dedication to service.
Paul’s family has requested that any colleagues who wish to make a donation in his memory do so as follows:
- San Francisco Baykeeper, on whose advisory board he served,
- UCLA Health, which helped immeasurably with his cancer treatment,
- Milo Foundation, where his family adopted their dog Britannica, or
- KCSM, his favorite radio jazz station.
We deeply miss Paul. Our thoughts are with his children, Helen and Malcolm, and his extended family. A memorial will be held in early 2026.