Ben Suter has been an active trial attorney at Keesal, Young & Logan his entire career, focusing on complex litigation. For 20 years, Ben has been selected by his peers as being among the top five percent of all Northern California attorneys, as recognized by Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers Magazine. Ben has been recognized as one of the 500 Leading Litigators in America by Lawdragon (2023-2026 Editions) and he has also been selected by Best Lawyers in America (2023-2026 Editions) as one of the top appellate law practitioners in Northern California.
Ben’s litigation practice includes the defense of financial services firms (broker-dealers, registered investment advisors, banks, hedge funds, underwriters, insurers) and their employees in court, in arbitration and in regulatory proceedings. As part of his employment practice, Ben frequently defends employers in wage and hour class actions and is active in cases involving claims for discrimination, sexual harassment, defamation, breach of contract, unfair competition and related causes of action. Ben also defends attorneys in legal malpractice cases involving allegations of wrongdoing related to transactional work, courtroom competence, and professional responsibility. Over the past decades, Ben has developed substantial litigation and subject matter expertise defending licensed professionals, entrepreneurs, and senior executives in essentially every type of business dispute involving securities, malpractice, trusts, real estate and employment issues.
Ben has handled numerous cases involving Ponzi schemes, public offerings, broker-dealer sales practices, real estate sales, condominium developments, sales of businesses, dissolution of partnerships, false claims act claims, and the like, predicated on claims of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, bad faith conduct, elder abuse, unfair business practices, negligence, and related statutory claims under federal and state laws. Ben has defended over 60 class actions, “mass” actions, and private attorney general actions involving claims under various federal and state securities laws and consumer protection laws, including complex municipal bond cases in federal and state courts (see, e.g., Cromeans v. Morgan Keegan & Co., 859 F.3d 558 (8th Cir. 2017) and State ex rel. Edelweiss Fund, LLC v. JPMorgan Chase & Co., 90 Cal. App. 5th 1119 (2023). Ben recently obtained summary judgment and defeated class certification in two purported nationwide securities class actions that challenged the suitability of asset transfers from broker-dealer commission accounts to registered investment advisor fee-based accounts (Anderson v. Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P., 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 161783 (ED CA 2024), aff’d 9th Cir. (Nov. 21, 2025); Nguyen v. Raymond James & Assocs., 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 187653 (M.D. Fla 2022)).
Ben has also tried or arbitrated to conclusion approximately 100 cases in California, New York, Hawai‘i, Arizona, Minnesota, and Oregon. Those cases included jury trials and bench trials in federal and state courts, and arbitrations before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), the National Association of Securities Dealers (“NASD”), the Pacific Stock Exchange (“PSE”), the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”), Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (“JAMS”) and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”).
Ben represents securities clients in a variety of regulatory matters brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), by State Securities Regulators, and by FINRA’s Department of Enforcement, many of which involve cutting edge legal issues affecting the securities industry. In addition, Ben has obtained client vindication before FINRA’s National Adjudicatory Council (“NAC”). Ben has also handled cases in Alaska, Florida, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, Texas, Guam, and Saipan, and has successfully argued appellate cases at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, at the California Court of Appeal, and at the Hawai‘i Supreme Court.
As a dual citizen of the United States and Switzerland, Ben grew up in California and in Europe. After attending schools in France, Switzerland and Austria, Ben graduated from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, serving as Articles Editor for the Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly. Ben received his B.A. in Philosophy from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Ben is a member of the State Bars of California, Arizona and Hawai‘i. He is also admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, as well as the United States Courts of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Eighth Circuit, and all of the United States District Courts in California, Arizona, and Hawai‘i. Ben has held a California Real Estate Broker license for decades.
Cases handled by Ben include the following: Kelly Toys Holdings, LLC v. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1122045 (CD CA 2025); Anderson v. Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P., 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 161783 (ED CA 2024), aff’d 9th Cir. (Nov. 21, 2025); Agay v. UBS Fin. Servs., 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 192918 (CD CA 2024); State ex rel. Edelweiss Fund, LLC v. JPMorgan Chase & Co., 90 Cal. App. 5th 1119 (2023); Valenzuela v. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc., 2023 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 167481 (CD CA 2023); Nguyen v. Raymond James & Assocs., 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 227930 (MD FL 2022); Nguyen v. Raymond James & Assocs., 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 187653 (MD FL 2022); Anderson v. Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P., 990 F.3d 692 (9th Cir. 2021); Whitesides v. E*TRADE Secs., LLC, 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 118418 (ND CA 2021); Nguyen v. Raymond James & Assocs., 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 60737 (MD FL 2021); State ex rel. Edelweiss Fund, LLC v. JP Morgan Chase & Co., 58 Cal. App. 5th 1113 (2020); Mackintosh v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 137576 (ND CA 2018); Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Lacuesta, 139 Haw. 559 (Haw. Ct. App. 2017); March v. Mortg. Elec. Registration Sys., 659 F. App’x 383 (9th Cir. 2016); Lord Abbett Mun. Income Fund, Inc. v. Asami, 653 F. App’x 553 (9th Cir. 2016); Cromeans v. Morgan Keegan & Co., 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 92885 (W.D. Mo. 2016); McClellan v. Chase Home Fin. LLC, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 118005 (C.D. Cal. 2015); Mortg. Elec. Registration Sys. v. Wise, 135 Haw. 218 (Haw. Ct. App. 2015); Cromeans v. Morgan Keegan & Co., 303 F.R.D. 543 (W.D. Mo. 2014); Hagan v. U.S. Nat’l Bank, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 154001 (D. Haw. 2014); Cromeans v. Morgan Keegan & Co., 69 F. Supp. 3d 934 (W.D. Mo. 2014); Cromeans v. Morgan Keegan & Co., 1 F. Supp. 3d (W.D. Mo. 2014); Wegesend v. Envision Lending Grp., Inc., 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 60219 (D. Haw. 2014); Rikuo Kotsu Co. v. Ball, 2013 Cal. App. LEXIS 6757 (Cal. App. 2013); Stone & Youngberg, LLC v. Kay Family Revocable Trust, 500 F. App’x 669 (9th Cir. 2012); Kimble v. Rhodes College, Inc., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 59628 (N.D. Cal. 2011); Hillside Drilling Inc. v. Goldman Sachs Grp., 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64595 (N.D. Cal. 2009); Vivendi S.A. v. T-Mobile USA, Inc., 586 F.3d 689 (9th Cir. 2009), aff’d, 2008 WL 2345283 (W.D. Wash. 2008); IATSE Local 33 Section 401(k) Plan Bd. of Trs. v. Bullock, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 96939 (C.D. Cal. 2008); In re Quintus Sec. Litig., 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 99466 (N.D. Cal. 2006); Citigroup Global Mkts. v. Williamson, 2006 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 2476 (Cal. App. 2006); In re McKesson HBOC, Inc. Sec. Litig., 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7098 (N.D. Cal. 2005); Lippitt v. Raymond James Fin. Services, Inc., 340 F.3d 1033 (9th Cir. 2003); Herman v. Salomon Smith Barney, Inc., 266 F. Supp. 2d 1208 (S.D. Cal. 2003); Jordan v. Cal. Dep’t of Motor Vehicles, 100 Cal. App. 4th 431 (2002); Bear, Stearns & Co. v. Buehler, 23 F. App’x 773 (9th Cir. 2001); Myers v. Merrill Lynch & Co., 249 F.3d 1087 (9th Cir. 2001); In re McKesson HBOC, Inc. Sec. Litig., 126 F. Supp. 2d 1248 (N.D. Cal. 2000); Lagatree v. Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps, 74 Cal. App. 4th 1105 (1999); Shearson Lehman Bros., Inc. v. Greenberg, 1993 WL 144856, 1995 Fed. Sec. L. Rep. (CCH) 97,409 (C.D. Cal. 1993), aff’d, 60 F.3d 834 (9th Cir. 1995); Glavor v. Shearson Lehman Hutton, Inc., 879 F. Supp. 1028 (N.D. Cal. 1994), aff’d, 89 F.3d 845 (9th Cir. 1996); Franklin v. Kaypro Corp., 884 F.2d 1222 (9th Cir. 1989); Levine v. Diamanthuset, Inc., 722 F. Supp. 579 (N.D. Cal. 1989); Hamilton v. Shearson-Lehman Am. Express, Inc., 813 F.2d 1532 (9th Cir. 1987); Takiguchi v. Podorean, 1987 WL 256442, 1987 Fed. Sec. L. Rep. (CCH) 93,319 (Haw. 1987); Unioil, Inc. v. E.F. Hutton & Co., 809 F.2d 548 (9th Cir. 1986); Shearson Loeb Rhoades, Inc. v. Quinard, (751 F.2d 1102 (9th Cir. 1985); Wager Bay, N.V. v. Shearson/American Express, Inc., 751 F.2d 1102, 40 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 1426 (9th Cir. 1985); Flexivan Leasing, Inc. v. M/V C.C. San Francisco, 628 F. Supp. 1077 (C.D. Cal. 1985); Geller & Nasser, 1985 Fed. Sec. L. Rep. (CCH) 92,227 (C.D. Cal. 1985).
