Overview
Ben Schwartzman is the managing partner of Bailey Glasser's Idaho office and is part of its Commercial and Environmental Litigation Practice Group where he works on high-impact environmental, agribusiness, and commercial litigation matters for clients in Idaho and across the country.
Impactive wins constitute the hallmark of Ben Schwartzman’s nearly 30 year career in commercial litigation. As part of a co-lead consortium on a class action of national import, he helped recover hundreds of millions of dollars for merchants forced to accept debit cards in violation of federal antitrust laws. In another high-profile case, he successfully defended timber companies from more than $230 million in breach of fiduciary duty claims alleged by several large corporate plaintiffs, including the deep-pocketed investment bank Credit Suisse.
A Boise native, Ben returned to his home state after working for eight years in Seattle at a nationwide class action law firm. Notably, it was during such prior tenure that he attained his designation to the “class action dream team” of a prominent national legal advocacy group for earning high stakes wins on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. Since then, Ben’s career highlights have included numerous successful trial verdicts, settlement awards and procedural dismissals for international businesses, particularly within the sector of agribusiness disputes. Ben has also worked extensively in cases involving consumer fraud, securities fraud, antitrust and civil rights. His significant pro bono work includes the representation of refugee and immigrant families to vindicate their rights against abuses by various predatory consumer practices.
Ben is an experienced business professional as well as an attorney. That perspective gives Ben critical insight into how the best-case scenario can play out for clients. And sometimes litigating is the best course of action. But other times, securing a favorable settlement, sometimes after threatening further legal action, is more prudent and cost-effective.
Ben has received recognition for his work including being Chambers-ranked, and he is proud to lead the Idaho office that has also received Chambers recognition in its Litigation: General Commercial category.
Ben lives in Boise and enjoys mountain biking, fencing, and taking fishing expeditions with friends when he’s not spending time with his family.
Awards & Accolades
Chambers USA, Idaho; Litigation: General Commercial (2021- 2026)
Best Lawyers in America®, Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Action - Defendants, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs, and Qui Tam Law (2015 - 2026)
Benchmark Litigation, Litigation Star (2025 and 2026)
Super Lawyers, Idaho, Business Litigation, Class Action/Mass Torts, General Litigation, Securities Litigation (2016 - 2025)
Practice Areas
Education
J.D., Berkeley Law, University of California, 1996
B.A., Duke University, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 1992
Admissions
- Idaho
- Oregon
- Washington
- U.S. District Court, District of Idaho
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
- U.S. District Court, District of Oregon
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Experience
Representative Matters
- Obtained administrative dismissals of multiple violation citations issued against major agricultural product retailer for supposedly adulterated product sales in the state of Arizona.
- Obtained seven figure financial recovery for agricultural wholesaler and product refiner from various construction entities responsible for deficiencies and cost overruns on new facility erection project.
- Obtained directed verdict trial dismissal of employment discrimination claims pursued by former employee against agricultural wholesaler and product refiner.
- Obtained advantageous settlement of liability and indemnity claims brought by Union Pacific Railroad against agricultural fertilizer extraction and refinement facility.
- Obtained numerous summary judgment dismissals of crop loss suits by various types of farming operations against worldwide agricultural input and service retailer.
- Obtained large financial settlement for farming operation to recover losses caused by agricultural consultancy service negligence.
- Obtained negotiated dismissals of regulatory violation charges against major agricultural product retailer for supposed environmental contamination in the state of California.
- Obtained negotiated dismissals of personal injury claims brought by farm field laborers against agricultural product manufacturer and retailer.
