During law school, Paul did internships with the United States Attorney's Office and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in New York. After graduating from law school in 2007, he clerked for a federal district court judge in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. Before law school, Paul worked as a grant writer for the Brooklyn Bureau of Community Service, a social service agency, and was a literacy instructor for adults with developmental disabilities. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science from the University of Georgia and received his Juris Doctor from New York University.