Biography: James S. Ballentine

Jim Ballentine’s unique and diverse career history makes him a highly devoted and successful advocate for injured people.

The son of a minister, Jim was born in Minneapolis and raised in Minnesota. After graduating from college in 1970, he attended seminary. Upon seminary graduation in 1974, he and his wife Marva moved to Connecticut, where he served as an associate pastor. He later pastored a church in Massachusetts.

In the ministry, Jim gained many important insights about helping people facing family problems, personal problems, and death. He recognized that helping parishioners and achieving church goals often required a team of professionals. For example, physicians were often involved in restoring medical well-being, while attorneys helped to determine economic solutions or the financial impact of an injury or death. With that background as inspiration, Jim enrolled at William Mitchell College of Law located in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Jim wanted to be an advocate for people, so he participated in the trial advocacy program during law school. In his third year, Jim won the regional Association of Trial Lawyers of America Trial Competition and placed sixth in the national competition. Ultimately, Jim realized he could most effectively help people through oral advocacy in the courtroom.

Jim also worked full-time during law school. During the first two years, he sharpened his writing skills as an editor at a legal publishing house. During his last year, he was a staff writer on the William Mitchell Law Review. Jim gained “hands on” experience as a law clerk for two of Minnesota’s largest and most successful plaintiffs’ personal injury firms. One of those firms was Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben.

Jim enjoys working with people – counseling them and finding legal theories to help them prevail. He is excited about his work and considers it a great honor to be an attorney who helps people in crisis.