Based in San Diego, appellate attorney Ben Siminou has served as lead counsel in numerous appeals in the California Supreme Court, the California Court of Appeal, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Most recently, Ben was co-lead counsel for the winning side in a landmark tort decision — T.H. v. Novartis Pharmaceutical Corp., 4 Cal.5th 145 (2017) — in which the California Supreme Court held that California citizens injured by generic drugs can sue brand-name manufacturers for inadequate warnings on drug labels. In doing so, the California Supreme Court rejected over 90 state and federal decisions in other jurisdictions.
Although Ben is best known for his excellence in legal writing and research, he is also the rare appellate attorney who has actually walked in a trial lawyer’s shoes. Before starting Siminou Appeals, Inc., Ben spent nearly a decade as a trial lawyer with Thorsnes Bartolotta McGuire LLP, a prominent San Diego-based plaintiffs’ firm. In that role, Ben handled all aspects of civil litigation, including over 100 depositions, dozens of motions in state and federal trial courts, and serving as lead counsel in a civil jury trial. His work as a litigator played a key role in the recovery of over $50 million for his clients. Ben is thus intimately familiar with the unique challenges that trial lawyers face. This not only makes him a better appellate advocate, but it gives him key insight into how to best serve trial lawyers’ needs as their appellate attorney or litigation-support counsel.
Ben graduated with High Distinction from the University of Nebraska College of Law. During law school, Ben was the Editor-in-Chief of the Nebraska Law Review and earned numerous honors and awards, particularly for his legal research and writing. Before entering private practice, Ben was a law clerk to Chief Justice Michael G. Heavican of the Nebraska Supreme Court.
Ben has been recognized by Super Lawyers as one of San Diego's "Rising Stars" every year from 2015 to 2018. In 2018, Ben was awarded the prestigious "Appellate Advocacy Award" by the Pound Civil Justice Institute, which recognizes "excellence in appellate advocacy in America and those who achieve it."
Read about some of Ben's case results.