Ben LaBranche is an experienced Baton Rouge criminal defense lawyer and is the current president of the Baton Rouge Bar of Criminal Justice. He has represented persons accused of serious felony offenses and misdemeanor crimes in Federal Court, State Court, and Baton Rouge City Court. He also speaks Spanish and is one of the few Spanish speaking attorneys in the Baton Rouge area. Ben has also given lectures at both the LSU and Southern University Law Centers in Baton Rouge on criminal defense topics such as indigent defense, search and seizure, trial skills, and DWI/DUI defense.
Ben LaBranche began his career as an attorney in private practice focusing on insurance defense and other types of civil litigation. He then decided to join the Public Defender’s Office in Baton Rouge because he always had an interest for criminal law. He remained there for 5 years where he became one of the most respected Public Defenders in South Louisiana. He reentered private practice in 2012 and has been focused on representing clients in State and Federal Courts in Louisiana. Ben LaBranche is also a member of the Federal CJA panel for the Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana and has experience trying jury trials in Federal Court.
Ben has represented clients accused of all types of crimes including homicide, DWI, armed robbery, drug distribution, crimes of violence, and white collar offenses. He is fluent in Spanish and is one of the only bilingual criminal defense attorneys in the Baton Rouge area. He has been successful in obtaining acquittals in felony and misdemeanor trials, including trials where defendants were facing life sentences. Ben LaBranche has also argued and won many pretrial motions which have caused prosecutors to dismiss or significantly reduce charges against his clients. Ben is an aggressive criminal trial lawyer who has is not afraid to handle difficult cases and will always fight for his clients to obtain justice.
Many professional associations have appointed Ben LaBranche to serve in leadership roles and recognize his dedication to criminal defense. He has always believed that being actively involved in these organizations not only helps his clients, but the entire criminal justice system. In 2009 Ben was elected by the Baton Rouge Bar of Criminal Justice to serve as its president and still holds that position today. He sits on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He is also a member of the National Criminal Defense College.
Ben LaBranche has helped educate law students and lawyers about issues related to criminal law. In October of 2012, he was an instructor at the Criminal Ethics Training program hosted by the New Orleans Innocence Project where he instructed prosecutors and defense lawyers on ethical issues involved in prosecuting and defending criminal cases. He is the chair for the largest educational seminar hosted by Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers which has attendees and speakers from all over the United States. Ben LaBranche is dedicated to protecting the rights of people accused of crimes and reforming the criminal justice system.
Education
- Juris Doctorate, Southern University Law Center, 2004
- Bachelors of Science: Business Management, Louisiana State University, 2001
- Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice State of Louisiana, 2004
- United States District Court, Middle District of Louisiana
Professional & Bar Association Memberships
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Board of Directors, Indigent Defense Committee, Fourth Amendment Committee, & Membership Committee
- Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Board of Directors, Membership Committee, CLE Committee, President’s Award Recipient 2011
- Baton Rouge Bar of Criminal Justice
- Member Since: 2006
- President since 2008
- National Criminal Defense College
- Dean Henry McMahon American Inn of Court
