Bill Ballaine has been representing private and governmental clients in civil disputes in trial and appellate courts, federal and state, in both New York and jurisdictions throughout the United States for well over 35 years.  His diverse practice covers the gamut of civil disputes, including, for example, mass and toxic torts, commercial disputes, insurance coverage, employment discrimination, civil rights claims, construction defect and construction injury litigation, condominium and cooperative apartment disputes, professional liability disputes and environmental litigation.

Bill has successfully handled appeals in seven U.S. Courts of Appeals and the highest courts in New York, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia and Florida.  Within the past three years alone, his appellate successes have included (among others):

• Deweese v. Nat'l R. R. Pass. Corp., 590 F.3d 239 (3d Cir. 2009)
• R&G Mortgage Corp. v. Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 584 F.3d 1 (1st Cir. 2009)
• O&G Indus., Inc. v. Nat'l R. R. Pass. Corp., 537 F.3d 153 (2d Cir. 2008)
• Kerusa Co., LLC v. W10Z/515 Real Estate Ltd., 12 N.Y.3d 236 (2009)
• Rivera v. Anilesh, 8 N.Y.3d 627 (2007)
• Nostrom v. A.W. Chesterton, 59 A.D.3d 159 (1st Dep't 2009)
• Southern Cal. Reg. Rail Auth. v. Superior Ct., 163 Cal. App.4th 712 (Cal. 2d Dist. 2008)
• Ravetto v. Triton, 285 Conn. 716 (2008)
• Pacific Ins. Co. v. Liberty Mutual, 956 A.2d 1246 (Del. 2008)

Earlier in his career, Bill served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.  There he tried both civil and criminal cases, defended the CIA against Bivens claims stemming from its mail intercept program, and served as Chief of the Office's Tax Unit.  He later served as Consulting Attorney for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's special investigation into the Three Mile Island disaster, questioning the Commissioners under oath about the details of their emergency response to the disaster.  Bill then served as Counsel to the Hart-Simpson U.S. Senate Sub-Committee that issued a comprehensive investigative report on TMI to the full United States Senate.