Benjamin Blustein
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Miner, Barnhill & Galland, P.C.
325 N. LaSalle St. Suite 350
Chicago, IL 60654 - (312) 751-1170
Education
- Washington University School of Law, J.D. (1987)
- Brown University, B.A. (1984)
Benjamin Blustein is a civil litigator with more than 25 years of trial experience. His practice focuses on discrimination, civil rights, environmental and whistleblower/public client litigation. Ben has tried numerous cases to verdict in federal and state courts across the country.
Prior to joining Miner, Barnhill & Galland in 2007, Ben served for many years as a civil rights attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, where he brought lawsuits to enforce federal anti-discrimination laws. He also served as a voting rights attorney for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in Washington, D.C., where he worked to enforce and advance voting rights.
At MBG, Ben represents both individual clients as well as organizations like the NAACP and Sierra Club. In recent years, he has served as a Special Assistant Deputy Attorney General for several states that have sued drug manufacturers for reporting inflated drug prices that resulted in windfall profits at the expense of taxpayers.
Ben is also a trained mediator.
Discrimination, Employment and Civil Rights
For more than two decades, Ben has brought lawsuits to protect the rights of workers to be free from employment discrimination. He has represented firefighters, teachers, restaurant employees and other workers. In addition, Ben handles voting rights cases, and has represented clients such as the League of Women Voters and others seeking to enforce federal voting laws.
Environmental Litigation
Ben helps individuals and organizations enforce their rights against corporate polluters. Ben recently represented Sierra Club in a lawsuit alleging that a utility company’s coal-fired power plants violated the Clean Air Act’s standards for air pollution.
State and Local Government Representation, Consumer Protection and Whistleblower Litigation
Ben represents state and local governments who sue companies for unlawful marketing and pricing practices that violate false claims, anti-fraud and consumer protection laws. He recently served as lead counsel for several states in “Average Wholesale Price” trials against drug companies, and worked with Attorneys General’s offices to recover funds for their states. Ben also represents individual whistleblowers who expose fraud against the government.
Community Service Activities
Ben is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Since 2008, he has served on the Chicago area’s Legal Committee for Election Protection, a national coalition that provides an Election Day voter hotline and voter protection field programs. Ben is also a volunteer mediator for the Cook County Circuit Court.
Bar Admissions
Illinois Supreme Court (1988)
District of Columbia (1989)
U.S. District Court, District of Columbia (1990)
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois (2007)
U.S. Supreme Court (2006)
Pro hac vice admissions in state or federal trial courts in Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky and Wisconsin
