KASSIUS O. BENSON

PLEASE NOTE: Kassius Benson has stepped away from private practice and is currently the Chief Public Defender in the 4th Judicial District / Hennepin County, Minnesota. He is not taking new cases or clients.

Kassius Benson represented individuals and business organizations in complex criminal trials in Federal and state courts. He defends clients in cases involving allegations of White Collar Crime, fraud, embezzlement, major financial crimes, and other serious crimes including homicide and major drug conspiracy cases. Mr. Benson also represents individuals and businesses in complex cases involving asset and property seizure by the government. Mr. Benson also represents individuals in campus disciplinary proceedings, Title IX investigations as well as employment-related discipline.

During his 25-year career, Mr. Benson has established himself as an excellent and successful trial lawyer.  He has tried well over 150 jury trials to verdict on serious felony charges in Federal and state courts throughout the country.  Mr. Benson has also litigated over 100 asset forfeiture matters in Federal and state courts.   As lead trial counsel at Kassius Benson Law, P.A., in addition to his own trial schedule, Mr. Benson personally oversees, advises and monitors the preparation of each and every lawyer that tries a case for our Firm.  Mr. Benson has been recognized as one of the top attorneys in Minnesota by the Super Lawyers publication – that recognition by Super Lawyers is one that few attorneys achieve. Mr. Benson is also a Board Certified Criminal Law Specialist by the Minnesota State Bar Association.

On January 1, 2021, Kassius Benson accepted an appointment to be the Chief Public Defender for the Hennepin County Public Defender’s Office in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In this position, Mr. Benson plans to advance an Office that is already one of the best in the country by focusing on training and development of lawyers, national recruiting, and true client-centered representation.

Board Certified and Experienced

Kassius Benson stands out from other criminal defense lawyers because he is Board Certified by the Minnesota State Bar Association as a Criminal Trial Specialist. The Certified Legal Specialist designation is one way for the public to identify those attorneys who have demonstrated proficiency in their specialty area and to find an attorney whose qualifications match their legal needs. Fewer than 3% of all registered attorneys in Minnesota are certified specialists in their field.

Representative Clients and Cases

Kassius Benson’s representative clients include professional athletes, entertainers, corporations, small business owners, firefighters, law enforcement officers; individuals facing harsh mandatory-minimum drug sentences as well as everyday people facing serious criminal charges in Federal or state courts. He defends clients in cases involving Federal and state drug conspiracy trials, racketeering, white collar crime, fraud, embezzlement, major financial crimes, and other serious crimes including homicide, sexual assault and misconduct, computer crimes and assault.  Mr. Benson also represents individuals and businesses in complex cases involving asset and property seizure by the government.

Education and Legal Experience

Mr. Benson graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School.  After law school, Kassius Benson worked at the prestigious Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C., where he defended indigent clients charged with serious felony criminal offenses in the District of Columbia Superior Court.   Here, Mr. Benson developed the fearlessness, work ethic, and trial skills necessary to effectively advocate for his clients at every stage of a criminal case.

Mr. Benson eventually returned to Minnesota and, in 2002, he founded Kassius Benson Law, P.A. (formerly Law Offices of Kassius O. Benson, P.A.) with the goal of providing the best criminal defense representation to individuals charged with serious crimes in Federal and state court.

Mr. Benson also trains students and lawyers in criminal defense and trial advocacy.  He is a founding faculty member at the Minnesota Public Defender Trial School and has trained lawyers in Minnesota, Georgia and Alabama.  As an associate professor for clinics, Mr. Benson previously ran the University of Minnesota Law School’s Misdemeanor Defense and Prosecution Clinics.

Kassius Benson can be contacted at (612) 333-2755 (Minneapolis office) or (202) 744-2544 (Washington D.C. office) or (612) 267-6972 (cellular / 24HR).   Mr. Benson and his associates can also be contacted through the Firm’s Facebook Business Page.

Education

• J.D., University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, MN, Class of 1996
• Bachelor of Science in English, With Honors, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, Class of 1993

Teaching Positions

• Former Adjunct Professor, University of Minnesota Law School
• Faculty, Minnesota Public Defender Trial School, St. Paul, MN

Past Attorney Positions

• Attorney – Adult Trial Division, The Public Defender Service for District of Columbia (PDS)  

Areas of Practice

• Federal Court – Trial and Appellate Cases
• Major Federal and State Controlled Substance Crimes
• Conspiracy to Distribute & Possession with Intent to Distribute Drugs
• White Collar Crimes
• Major Economic Offenses
• Embezzlement
• Computer Fraud and Computer Crimes
• Racketeering (RICO)
• Mortgage Fraud
• Asset and Property Seizures and Forfeitures
• Homicide / Murder / Attempted Murder
• Serious Violent Crimes
• Sexual Assault and Criminal Sexual Conduct
• Serious Juvenile Court Offenses involving Felony Charges

Bar Admissions

• State of Minnesota
• District of Columbia  (Washington, D.C.)
• U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota
• U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C.
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
• U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit
• Supreme Court of the United States of America
• Pro Hac Vice Admission to federal and state courts in Arizona, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin

Publications

• Kassius O. Benson and Kaarin S. Nelson; Felony Disenfranchisement: Why 5 Million Americans Can’t Vote This November; cover article in Minnesota Bench & Bar, October 2012.

Recognition and Awards

• Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) Board Certified Criminal Law Specialist
• Recognized as a Minnesota Super Lawyer

Memberships

• Member, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL)
• Board Member, PICA-Head Start, Minnesota
• Board President, Minnesota Freedom Fund – Bail Reform Advocacy
• Federal Criminal Justice Act Panel Member, District of Minnesota