SAN MATEO, Calif., November 2025 — Ballout Law APC, a leading immigration law boutique based in San Mateo and San Francisco, has been named one of California’s Top Boutique Law Firms of 2025 by the Daily Journal. This annual recognition honors exceptional legal talent and visionary leadership among small and midsized firms shaping the state’s legal landscape. See the article below.
Haitham S. Ballout’s solo immigration boutique, Ballout Law APC, opened its doors in 1992 to kick off a 30-year career of helping thousands of clients meet their immigration challenges.
Himself an immigrant, Ballout arrived in the U.S. at age 14 on a student visa after his parents sent him abroad to escape civil war in his native Lebanon. “I had no money and no English,” he said.
He studied civil engineering at San Jose State University and got his J.D. at Golden Gate University School of Law, with a semester abroad studying comparative law at the University of Cambridge in the UK.
After law school, I sent out 150 resumes and got one interview and no job,” he said. “It was the best thing that could have happened — I had to start my own firm.”
He mastered the field, both in handling immigration cases and in dealing with green card matters. “I’ve heard it said that immigration law is as complicated as tax law,” Ballout said. “It turns out you spend a lot of time dealing with ineffective assistance of counsel claims, when you look at a case and see what the previous lawyer should have done.”
In February, Ballout persuaded a unanimous 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal panel to reverse an immigration judge and the Board of Immigration Appeals and reopen the case of a Honduran family fleeing death threats. As is often the case, Ballout argued that the family’s previous lawyer mishandled the matter, though the panel declined on technical grounds to issue an IAC finding.
The panel concluded that the lower courts erroneously assumed that past threats alone were insufficient to determine the reasonable ness of future fear. The judges also observed that the BIA neglected to thoroughly assess the country’s conditions, failing to provide any citations or analyses in its conclusion that the Honduran government could safeguard the family. Garcia-Avila v. Bondi, 23-3678 (9th Cir., op. filed Feb. 21, 2025).
We’ll stand by the family as they return to the immigration courts for a fresh review,” Ballout said, adding that over the years, he has achieved a win record of 70% to 80% at the 9th Circuit.
“Immigration judges are under a lot of pressure to deny asylum claims these days,” Ballout said. “The 9th Circuit is where we win cases. That court is a blessing.”
In immigration law circles, Ballout is known for having prevailed in a rare 9th Circuit en banc immigration proceeding for a Mexican man seeking asylum after having been tortured by police in his home country.
The court voted 7-4 to overturn four prece dential opinions the majority said conflicted with regulations governing internal relocation under the Convention Against Torture. Although the government contended that petitioner Roberto Curinsita Maldonado failed to show he could not have moved to another part of Mexico to escape abuse, the circuit majority ruled that the burden of proof is not solely on the person seeking asylum.
“The [immigration judge] must consider all relevant evidence, no one factor is deter minative,” wrote Circuit Judge Richard A. Paez for the majority. The opinion made it easier for future asylum seekers to justify their right under the law to remain in the U.S. Maldonado v. Holder, 09-71491 (9th Cir., op. filed March 27, 2015).
Ballout loves his work. “It’s a blessing to wake up,” he said. “I feel gratitude for having a job where I can change people’s lives.”
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Top Boutiques 2025 – Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal
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