
Hueston Hennigan LLP announces the addition of Varun Behl as counsel in its Los Angeles office.
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.