Author: Kristy Werness

Mr. Behl joins the firm from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. A veteran of over 10 trials, his practice will be focused on complex litigation and white collar defense. Mr. Behl previously worked as counsel and an associate with Hueston Hennigan.

“We are very pleased to welcome Varun back to the firm,” said Moez Kaba, managing partner of Hueston Hennigan. “He exceled in trying highly complex cases in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and his experience will be an outstanding fit with our nationally renowned white collar and complex litigation practices.”

Mr. Behl spent the last four years as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Criminal Division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where he conducted numerous criminal jury trials, ranging from wire fraud, to murder and assault under Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering charges (VICAR), to firearms and drug trafficking. His trials included securing across-the-board convictions in a four-defendant wire fraud case involving the theft of more than $1.1 million in unemployment benefits.

“Varun has a well-earned reputation for his laser-like exams and his unflappable demeanor at trial,” said co-founding partner John Hueston. “His experience trying and winning heavy-hitting cases in both the civil and criminal arenas will be a great addition to our teams representing clients in the country’s highest stakes litigation.”

While at Hueston Hennigan from 2016-2020, Mr. Behl represented clients in a wide range of complex litigation matters. During that time, he represented the State Bar of California on the trial team in a high-profile legal battle brought by its former executive director Joseph Dunn, winning a complete judgment on Dunn’s claims for whistleblower retaliation, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. And, as a key member of the California Institute of Technology trial team, Mr. Behl secured a full defense verdict in a wrongful termination suit in which a former researcher claimed the school retaliated against him for allegedly exposing the misuse of government funds.

“I’m excited to return to Hueston Hennigan, the leading trial boutique in the country,” Mr. Behl said. “I’m eager to continue working hard as part of a team that is focused on bringing justice to our clients and to our community.”

Mr. Behl previously worked as a litigation associate with Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. He clerked for the Hon. Jerry E. Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Mr. Behl earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was Order of the Coif, obtained a Certificate of Merit in Criminal Justice, and served as articles editor for the Michigan Law Review. He earned a B.A. in Economics, with honors, from the University of Chicago.

Based in the firm’s Los Angeles and New York offices, all six attorneys are experienced in handling significant commercial litigation matters and have played key roles in many of Hueston Hennigan’s highest-profile trial and other victories.

“Each of these attorneys has an admirable work ethic and has contributed greatly to our firm’s success,” said Moez Kaba, managing partner of Hueston Hennigan. “Most importantly, our newly promoted counsel demonstrate the firm’s steadfast commitment to developing and nurturing trial talent at every level.”

Based in Los Angeles, Mr. Aronsohn represents clients in high-stakes cases involving complex commercial disputes, government investigations, and white-collar criminal prosecutions. He is on the team representing Amazon.com in a historic Federal Trade Commission lawsuit targeting the Prime subscription program. Mr. Aronsohn was also part of the trial team that represented Medtronic in a nine-figure patent infringement lawsuit, and he helped obtain a defense verdict for ClearOne Inc. following a jury trial against Shure Incorporated. He completed a clerkship for the Hon. Rebecca R. Pallmeyer, then chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He earned his J.D. at Stanford Law School and his B.A. in Political Science, with honors, from University of Chicago. Mr. Aronsohn has been named to the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch list since 2023.

Based in Los Angeles, Ms. Ding practices complex commercial litigation, including antitrust, false advertising, trade secrets, breach of contract, class action, False Claims Act, and other disputes. She recently helped secure a defense verdict after trial for The Boeing Company in a trade secret, breach of contract, and tortious interference case. Ms. Ding was also on the team that won a landmark opioid trial for Endo Pharmaceuticals in a closely watched $50 billion California case alleging public nuisance, unfair competition, and false advertising. She clerked for the Hon. Edward J. Davila of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and the Hon. Beth L. Freeman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Ms. Ding earned her J.D. from Stanford Law School and her B.A. in Economics, magna cum laude, from Harvard University. She has been named to the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch and Southern California Rising Stars lists.

Based in New York, Mr. Minchew focuses his practice on high-stakes business disputes and complex litigation, from pre-filing investigation to appeals. He represents companies and individuals in complex litigation matters across an array of industries, including information analytics, social media, video game publishing, asset management, e-commerce services, and technology hardware and equipment. Mr. Minchew is part of the team representing Joe Kiani, founder and CEO of Masimo Corp., a global technology company, in litigation surrounding Kiani’s departure from the company. He completed clerkships for the Hon. Denny Chin of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second District and the Hon. Loretta A. Preska of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Minchew earned his J.D., summa cum laude, from Fordham University School of Law, where he was elected Order of the Coif. He obtained his B.A. in Government and History, cum laude, from Hamilton College.

Based in Los Angeles, Mr. Murray practices complex commercial litigation. He was on the team that won an arbitration trial victory on all claims and counterclaims for a prominent Napa winery and its majority owner against the winery’s founder, former CEO, and minority owner in a case alleging fraud and other claims. Mr. Murray also helped obtain a dismissal with prejudice of all claims for Deloitte Consulting in a trade secret misappropriation case, and he is currently representing Fortune 500 insurer Genworth Financial Inc. in a putative class action. He served as a law clerk for the Hon. Orlando L. Garcia of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. Mr. Murray earned his J.D., cum laude, from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, where he was Order of the Coif, and obtained his B.A. in English from Fordham University.

Based in New York, Ms. Rivera focuses on high-stakes business disputes, complex litigation, and white collar investigations. She is part of the team representing the major record labels in high-profile, high-stakes copyright litigation against two leading generative AI music companies, Suno and Udio. Ms. Rivera is also representing AbbVie in the complex Allergan textured breast implant litigation, and she previously helped obtain a favorable settlement for CoreLogic Credco in a consumer class action alleging violations of federal and state reporting laws. She completed a clerkship for the Hon. Nelson S. Román of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Ms. Rivera earned her J.D. from Cornell Law School and her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Maryland.

Based in Los Angeles, Ms. Xiao focuses on complex commercial litigation and white-collar defense cases. She is representing a Western utility in litigation relating to the Labor Day 2020 fires in California and Oregon, which has included a seven-week jury trial and two damages trials. She was part of the team that represented the State of Hawaii and advised the governor and attorney general in obtaining a $4-billion-plus global settlement resolving all 2023 Maui wildfire claims, and she also helped secure a favorable plea agreement for former USC School of Social Work Dean Marilyn Flynn on federal corruption charges. She clerked for the Hon. Kenneth K. Lee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Hon. Edmond E. Chang of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Ms. Xiao earned her J.D. from University of Chicago Law School and her B.A. from the University of Chicago.