Saro Balian is an associate in the Litigation Department of Morrison & Foerster’s Los Angeles office. He specializes in complex civil and criminal business litigation. Mr. Balian has a broad-based litigation practice, with a focus on private securities litigation, regulatory enforcement, and white-collar defense. His practice has included issues relating to fiduciary duties and obligations, securities and commodities, banking regulations, and general business litigation. Mr. Balian has experience at both the trial and appellate levels in both state and federal courts.
Mr. Balian attended and graduated from the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Trial Advocacy Program. As part of the program, he served as a volunteer Deputy City Attorney, preparing for and independently conducting several criminal jury trials. Mr. Balian received his J.D. in 2006 from the UCLA School of Law, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif. He was also awarded a full tuition merit scholarship. He received his B.A. in 2003, summa cum laude, from UCLA. Mr. Balian is admitted to practice in California.
Representative Matters
- Represented the former chief executive officer of a semiconductor company in a civil action by the Securities and Exchange Commission and a criminal action by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York;
- Represented former directors and officers of several bank holding companies in private securities class actions, formal investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and parallel shareholder derivative actions;
- Represented directors and officers of an international precious stones company in a private securities class action and parallel shareholder derivative actions;
- Represented directors and officers of a major energy drink manufacturer in private securities class actions, formal investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and parallel shareholder derivative actions; and
- Represented a preeminent public relations firm in a private ERISA action and a formal investigation by the United States Department of Labor.