Atty. Benjamin K. "Ben" Riley
Ben Riley is a Principal of the firm and serves on its Executive Committee. He has tried nearly 30 cases to verdict including jury trials, court trials, and complex arbitrations.
Profile Summary
About Benjamin K. "Ben" Riley at a glance
Benjamin K. "Ben" Riley is a patent, business, litigation, and adr attorney based in San Francisco, California, practicing at Bartko Pavia Llp. Admitted to practice in California, The State Bar of California 12/12/1983. Educated at University of California Berkeley (J.D., 1983) and Dartmouth College (—, 1979). Recognitions include Best Lawyers in America — Arbitration (2026), Best Lawyers in America — Commercial Litigation (2026), and Best Lawyers in America — Litigation - Patent (2026). Serands clients in San Francisco, CA and the surrounding metropolitan area.
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About
- Ben Riley is a Principal of the firm and serves on its Executive Committee
- He has tried nearly 30 cases to verdict including jury trials, court trials, and complex arbitrations
- His practice focuses on Intellectual Property Litigation, including patents, trade secrets, copyrights, trademarks and license disputes
- He also has an active practice in Business Litigation, including class action defense, defense of “consumer claims” under the Lanham Act and unfair competition statutes, accounting issues, and real property litigation
- Mr. Riley also represents companies in connection with director and officer, securities, fiduciary duty, and internal investigation issues, and obtained a defense verdict in a six-week securities class action jury trial
- Finally, Mr. Riley represents private clients and charities in Trust and Estate Litigation
- Mr. Riley is ranked by Chambers as among the top 13 California attorneys in Intellectual Property Litigation: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets
- Chambers writes: “Benjamin Riley is ‘very organized, writes beautifully and is great in front of judges,’ report sources, further noting: ‘He's very bright, quick to grasp technical and legal issues, and he's very efficient.’ He is an experienced practitioner skilled in handling a broad range of contentious IP matters
- He is particularly highlighted for his expertise in trade secret disputes.” Mr. Riley has lectured and published extensively as to Intellectual Property, Business Litigation, Trust & Estate Litigation, and trial practice skills
- He is an expert in commercial arbitration law and procedure and regularly handles important cases before the world’s leading arbitration forums
- He also has an active practice as a Mediator for the Northern District of California and for private litigants
Practice Areas Explained
Benjamin K. "Ben" Riley's Areas of Practice
Each practice area below reflects the types of cases Benjamin K. "Ben" Riley handles, with a brief overview of what that area of law covers.
Benjamin K. "Ben" Riley is one of 20,749 patent attorneys indexed nationally. Browse patent attorneys in California →
Business attorneys advise founders and growing companies on entity formation, contracts, financing, M&A, and dispute resolution.
Benjamin K. "Ben" Riley is one of 501,317 business attorneys indexed nationally. Browse business attorneys in California →
Civil litigation attorneys for breach of contract, business disputes, civil rights, and class action lawsuits.
Benjamin K. "Ben" Riley is one of 454,532 litigation attorneys indexed nationally. Browse litigation attorneys in California →
Mediators and arbitrators for civil, commercial, family, and employment dispute resolution.
Benjamin K. "Ben" Riley is one of 73,906 adr attorneys indexed nationally. Browse adr attorneys in California →
Jurisdictional Context
Why local counsel matters in California
Practicing law in California. Legal matters in California are governed by state-specific rules of civil and criminal procedure, statutes of limitations, and substantive law. Cases originating in San Francisco are typically filed in the local municipal court or the appropriate California state district court, depending on subject matter and amount in controversy. An attorney licensed in California brings working knowledge of local procedural deadlines, judicial practices in this andnue, and the substantive law that applies to cases brought here. Out-of-state attorneys generally cannot represent clients in California courts without local counsel or pro hac vice admission.
Looking for additional California attorneys? Browse all attorneys in San Francisco or all attorneys in California.
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