James Christopher Paras
May 27, 1932 - October 15, 2023
James Christopher Paras passed away peacefully at home in San Francisco, California, on Sunday, October 15, 2023. He was 91 years old. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to immigrant parents from Greece and Italy. He attended Boston Latin School (1951) where he developed lifelong friendships, a keen interest in classical history and languages, and a deep love for baseball and the Boston Red Sox.
Jim, as he was known to family and friends, is a graduate of Harvard College (1955) and married Ann Manfuso, immediately following graduation from Harvard University Law School (1958). Jim specialized in labor and employment law, and after working as associate chief of the Supreme Court branch of the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C., he moved with Ann to San Francisco in 1966. He became the 24th lawyer to join the firm of Morrison & Foerster. He spent the rest of his professional career at MoFo, where he became a Senior Partner with the firm. His professional career experienced numerous occasions worthy of highlight: Chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Labor Relations Committee, a member of the governing Council of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the American Bar Association (ABA), and a member of the International Labor Law Committee (ABA). Jim loved practicing law and he deeply valued the relationships he developed with colleagues and clients.
Jim's other love was wine. For many years, he enjoyed growing Rhône grape varietals atop Mount Veeder in the Napa Valley and producing wines for both of his Jade Mountain and Paras Vineyard labels. He enjoyed the camaraderie of affiliations with numerous wine and gastronomic clubs and organizations, including Le Cercle de l'Union, Commanderie de Bordeaux de San Francisco, the International Wine & Food Society, and the California Vintage Wine Society. He is survived by his wife, Ann; children, Suzanne (Christian) Beard, Christopher (Laralei) Paras; grandchildren James, Ella and Alexis, as well as dear friends.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a gift in Jim's memory to the Division of Cardiology at the University of California San Francisco to further efforts to advance the treatments of cardiovascular disease. To make a memorial gift, visit makeagift.ucsf.edu or send a donation payable to "UCSF Foundation" to UCSF Foundation, PO Box 45339, San Francisco, CA 94145, and please include Jim's name on the gift in an accompanying note or memo.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by San Francisco Chronicle on Oct. 26, 2023.

Memories and Condolences
for James Paras

Sponsored by McAvoy O'Hara The Evergreen Mortuary.

1 Entry

Raymond L. Wheeler

November 20, 2023

I only recently learned of Jim´s passing last month. Jim had a huge impact on my life, from our first meeting at Harvard Law School where as a second year student I had signed up for a recruiting interview with a a small San Francisco firm because it was one of the few that seemed to have a labor practice, which was my career interest. Maybe it was fate but Jim was the one who interviewed me. After a few detours, I made the decision to come to San Francisco and join the firm in order to have a chance to work with Jim. In those early years I had the great good fortune to work almost exclusively with Jim. He was generous with his time and taught me so much about the practice of employment law. I came to see Jim as the finest labor lawyer I had ever encountered. Quite literally I tried to emulate Jim in my approach to lawyering. The core group of associates Jim recruited and mentored especially in the 70´s were fiercely loyal to him as we worked to help him achieve his vision of creating a nationally prominent labor and employment practice. Jim and Ann for me were also role models in how they balanced work and a thriving social and cultural life outside of work. Wine and food appreciation, travel, and interest in the arts were all things inspired by Jim. Learning of Jim´s passing has been unsettling. These things are, of course, inevitable, but the loss of a person who had such a dramatic and profound effect on my life and career doesn´t go down easily. But it is surely an opportunity to celebrate a life well lived.

Showing 1 - 1 of 1 results