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Professional Profile: Ben King: A Rocker and a Rock, He Knows and Appeals to His Audience By Mirman, Alan*
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Many of you readers know Ben as an excellent litigator, typically representing receivers or lenders. He is an active member of the Board of the CRF Los Angeles/Orange County Chapter, serving as Chair of the David J. Pasternak Education Committee. Previously he served as Chair of the LACBA Remedies Committee. A partner at Loeb & Loeb since 2008, where he started practicing law in 1999 after graduating from USC Law, he has litigated a number of interesting cases, ranging from creatively using a receiver to overcome the abandonment of a company so that valuable IP rights could be preserved and sold, to representing a lender attaching frozen shrimp (fortunately the goods were sold at the inception of the ensuing 6 years of litigation), to prevailing in a 3-day bench trial in a health and safety case to get his choice of receiver appointed. As this Profile developed from initial inquiry to finished product, I learned that Ben is certainly a rock, if that means strong, persevering, and steady. Underlying those qualities reside the tools and approach which have led to success in all endeavors – profession, family, and hobbies. And they are linked by certain qualities, which inform all of Ben’s endeavors. Ben was born, raised and currently resides in the South Bay. He met Michelle (“Micki”) Morris, his wife to be, when they were law school students, and they married in 1999. Their 21 years of marriage match his tenure at Loeb & Loeb. A wanderer he is not. They have raised two sons — Trevor (16) is in high school, while Nathan (18) attends college in Indiana. Ben developed an expertise in pre-judgment remedies and commercial litigation, progressed to partner at Loeb & Loeb and coached his kids’ ice hockey teams, while also playing in a rock band and producing music. How is that for success and broad focus? Ben is a fan of pre-judgment remedies, which he describes as resolving a great many problems early in litigation. He has represented receivers and lenders in all the typical receivership contexts (equity/regulatory, rents and profits, health and safety). He says “most importantly, I have found a home in the receivership community which I find to be populated with some of the best people I have ever met: there is something about receivership practice that encourages people to be practical and reasonable – approaches that I found too scarce in my early general litigation practice.” During our COVID- restricted times, Ben is practicing remotely, as most of us are, but also finding time to expand and grow. Besides the Rush tribute band (which unfortunately is suffering cancelled gigs, as one might expect), he is following a long-held desire to learn to play drums and is self-teaching. Ben explains the interplay of his work and hobbies as follows: “They both feed my creative and meticulous nature as well as my natural attraction to solving problems. Music production and performance are all about having a ‘vision’ of the final work in your head and communicating that in a way so that the listener gets to share that same vision. In the professional world, I often start with a sense of vision about where I want to take the many ‘listeners’ out there, such as judges, clients, and colleagues. Once I have that vision, the same qualities of creativity, meticulousness, and above all persistence in solving problems help me to bring them there. Over the years, I have learned to deal with the frustration that arises in music production and performance in a business-like manner, dissecting the problem and arriving at a result. Again, this kind of ‘deep-breathed’ methodical approach helps me attack the problem calmly. I’ve learned that this mentality translates well into the legal environment. Identify and isolate the problem elements, and then figure out how to make them work in favor of your vision!” Ben is clearly an interesting guy. He described what feels like his core to me, relating that when his kids were growing up, they would accuse him of “seeing danger everywhere” and they were likely right. Not only that, he considers it as actually his best trait as a receiver’s lawyer. “The key is to look far down the road on every engagement, apply the “what might happen” test, and maneuver the path for a receiver to implement his/her plan in an efficient and effective manner, while protecting the receiver from potential challenges.” I’ve learned a lot and enjoyed writing this Profile. Get a chance to know Ben, and you certainly won’t be disappointed. *Alan Mirman provides legal counsel for many receivership matters. Mirman, Bubman& Nahmias is in Woodland Hills. |