Partner
Best Best & Krieger LLP

Ruben Duran is the managing partner of Best Best & Krieger LLP’s Ontario office, where he exclusively represents public agencies in the firm’s Municipal Law and Government Policy & Public Integrity practice groups. Ruben brings a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to the practice of public law. With an emphasis on open government, transparency and complex conflicts of interest issues, as well as elections law, land use and planning issues, he also provides special counsel to many of the firm’s clients.

Ruben serves as city attorney for the cities of Ontario and Fontana, and general counsel for the Oxnard Harbor District, which owns and operates the commercial Port of Hueneme in Ventura County, and the Crescent City Harbor District. He also serves as board counsel to the Southern California Association of Governments, the nation’s largest Metropolitan Planning Organization representing more than 190 jurisdictions across six counties.  In these roles, Ruben is responsible for all legal services, including advising the elected boards and staff at public meetings, and day-to-day transactional and advisory services on issues such as public bidding and contracting, environmental laws and regulations, land use and planning, labor and employment matters, as well as oversight and management of litigation.

He has experience with public-private partnerships and is instrumental in assisting his public agency clients partner with large financial institutions and nonprofit organizations to finance and construct public projects. These include the use of New Markets Tax Credits for the development of shore-side power infrastructure and an intermodal transportation facility for the Oxnard Harbor District, where he serves as general counsel (completed 2015), and a state-of-the art health and wellness facility in the City of Desert Hot Springs, where he was city attorney (completed 2013).

A frequent speaker and presenter on ethics and open government, Ruben enjoys meeting and interacting with public officials and employees from across California, sharing a common goal of efficient, effective and ethical public service. He was appointed to the California State Bar Board of Trustees in 2018 and appointed chair of the Board in 2021.

Ruben is married with two adult sons. He enjoys reading, playing horseshoes and cooking. Ruben is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Central and Northern districts of California and the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

Ruben received his juris doctor from University of California, Hastings College of the Law and his B.A. in political science from University of California, San Diego