Previously, she served for 15 years as a magistrate in the General Division of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas in Dayton, Ohio. She has been a licensed attorney in Ohio since 1980, having served six different attorneys general in the Consumer Protection Section of the Ohio Attorney General's office. In 2009, she served as the consumer protection fellow for the National Association of Attorneys General in Washington, DC. Ballard is an annual contributor to Westlaw's Ohio Consumer Law Manual. She holds a BS in public affairs management with a concentration in consumerism from Michigan State University and a JD from the University of Dayton.