Hueston Hennigan announces the addition of Ben Balding as of counsel in its Los Angeles office.
Mr. Balding was most recently a supervisory assistant U.S. attorney in the Criminal Division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, where he served as lead or co-lead counsel in more than 10 trials. With nearly 20 years of experience as a trial lawyer and litigator, he will focus on high-stakes complex commercial litigation and white collar defense.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ben to the firm,” said Moez Kaba, managing partner of Hueston Hennigan. “He has excelled in trying the kinds of complex, high-stakes cases our clients rely on us to handle, and that experience makes him an outstanding fit for Hueston Hennigan.”
During almost a decade at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Balding served as lead or co-lead counsel in 11 jury trials and argued four appeals before the Ninth Circuit. He was chosen for multiple leadership roles at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including chief of the Complaints Unit and deputy chief of the Transnational Organized Crime Section.
Mr. Balding’s notable matters range from securities fraud to national security. He served as co-lead counsel in a 15-day complex securities jury trial that secured a conviction for an activist short seller involved with a multiyear market manipulation scheme, and he obtained guilty verdicts against a CEO and touring company for sanctions evasion in violation of an Office of Foreign Assets Control designation. Mr. Balding directed a multi-agency task force targeting transnational criminal organizations, and served as lead prosecutor in complex bank fraud and international money laundering cases involving Chinese and Mexican criminal organizations.
“Ben is a battle-tested trial lawyer who has secured victories across the toughest categories of federal prosecution—from securities fraud to RICO to sanctions evasion,” said John Hueston, one of the firm’s founding partners. “Coupled with his extensive complex civil litigation experience, Ben will be a tremendous asset to our clients in the country’s highest-stakes litigation and most sensitive white collar matters.”
Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Balding was a partner at Meylan Davitt Jain Arevian & Kim, where his practice encompassed a range of civil litigation, including trade secrets and intellectual property. He was also previously an associate at Irell & Manella, where he handled high-stakes securities and commercial litigation.
“I couldn’t be more excited to join Hueston Hennigan, the preeminent trial boutique in the country,” said Mr. Balding. “The firm tries the most challenging cases with teams that are experienced and relentless, and it’s the ideal platform to build my practice and deliver the results clients expect from the firm.”
Mr. Balding earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his B.S., summa cum laude, in Mathematics-Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.