User:Useaynr/sandbox

Stephen Benedetto (also known as Steve Benedetto) is an American civil rights lawyer and the CEO of The People's Law Firm.

Early life
Benedetto was born on November 25, 1977 in southern New Jersey. The son of two high school English teachers, he grew up in the borough of Medford Lakes. Spending his childhood and adolescence in Medford Lakes -- overwhelmingly upper middle class and white -- was formative to Benedetto's worldview. He was largely unexposed to racial, social, or economic injustice until he was a young adult, but took notice of the racial segregation of the communities around him.

Education
Benedetto attended Villanova University, majoring in political science and English. During the summer of 1999, he served as a congressional intern for Jim Saxton (3rd District NJ). He briefly considered a career in politics before deciding to attend law school.

In August 2000, Benedetto moved to Tempe, Arizona to attend law school at Arizona State University. He was honored as a Willard H. Pedrick Scholar, a member of the Arizona State Law Journal, and in 2003 was inducted into the Order of the Coif honor society. He graduated cum laude in May 2003.

Institute for Justice
In the fall of 2001, Benedetto served as an inaugural research clerk for the newly formed Arizona chapter of the Institute for Justice. Although he did not share the organization’s libertarian political orientation, the experience provided him with the opportunity to work for current Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick.

Arizona Supreme Court
In April 2003, Benedetto accepted a judicial clerkship with the Honorable Rebecca White Berch of the Arizona Supreme Court. While at the Court, he authored the draft opinion in State v. Moody (a 51-page opinion affirming the death sentence of convicted murderer Robert Joe Moody).

Corporate Defense
After the conclusion of his one-year clerkship, Benedetto accepted a position in the litigation defense group at Shughart Thomson & Kilroy (currently known as Polsinelli). While at STK, Benedetto primarily represented doctors accused of medical negligence. In September 2004, Benedetto left his position at STK to volunteer with the relief effort in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

When Benedetto returned in Phoenix, he accepted a position with the commercial torts defense group at Fennemore Craig. He worked at Fennemore Craig from 2007 through 2009, when he left to accept a lateral position at Quarles & Brady.

Benedetto worked in the white collar crime group at Quarles & Brady until 2009, when he left to found Benedetto Law.

Benedetto Torgenson
In 2010, Benedetto added a partner. A fellow Fennemore Craig alumnus, John Torgenson joined the firm, in July 2010, forming Benedetto Torgenson.

From 2010 through 2014, Benedetto Torgenson was one of the fastest growing personal injury and criminal defense firms in the southwest -- adding four additional lawyers, obtaining a string of seven-figure verdicts for its clients, and serving as lead counsel on numerous high profile criminal matters.

The Trial Lawyer’s College and The People’s Law Firm
In 2014, Benedetto was deeply affected by the protests in Ferguson following the killing of Michael Brown. Following a 23-day retreat at the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyer's College in Dubois, Wyoming, Benedetto decided to leave Benedetto Torgenson to start a law firm dedicated exclusively to the defense of constitutional rights.

In November 2014, Benedetto founded The People's Law Firm to represent people in civil rights cases against the government and in criminal cases where their constitutional rights had been violated.

Associations

 * Arizona Bar Association
 * California Bar Association
 * Colorado Bar Association
 * American Bar Association
 * Maricopa County Bar Association
 * National Lawyers Guild

Awards

 * In 2011, Benedetto was named to the Arizona Republic's list of 35 Entrepreneurs under 35 for his founding and development of Benedetto Torgenson.
 * Benedetto has been named a "Rising Star" by Superlawyers every year he has been eligible: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.  He is currently identified by Superlawyers as a "top rated civil rights lawyer."
 * In 2015, Benedetto was named a "Top 40 under 40 Trial Lawyer" by The National Trial Lawyers.