Kassius Benson

Founder

Kassius Benson founded JuryTrialDynamics LLC in order to provide expert trial and jury consulting services to trial lawyers. Inspired by his 30-year career as a trial lawyer, Kassius decided to take his passion for teaching, training, and collaboration to the next level.

As a trial lawyer, Kassius Benson was lead counsel in well over 150 jury trials to verdict in Federal and state courts throughout the country - over 50 of those trials were Homicide trials. Kassius has picked juries in countless more cases. Using his experience and resources, Kassius has been able to bring his tireless work ethic, fearless disposition, and love of trial work to JuryTrialDynamics where Kassius and the team consult, teach, and train trial lawyers, law firms, and agencies in the best and most effective methods of preparing and executing all facets of jury trial work.

Education

Juris Doctor, 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

Trial Experience

23 Years in Private Practice as a Trial Lawyer

7 Years in Service as a Public Defender

Trial Attorney in Adult Felony Division at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS)

Trial Attorney and Former Chief Public Defender for the Hennepin County Public Defender’s Office in Minneapolis, MN

Representative Litigation

As a trial lawyer, Kassius Benson had tremendous success representing clients charged with the most serious charges including homicide as well as the highest level of appeals. Representative litigation includes:

State v. Aaron Humphreys – St. Louis County, Duluth, Minnesota

Media Coverage of Humphreys’ Acquittal – Click here

State v. Judana Catherine Williams – Rice County, Faribault, Minnesota

Media Coverage of Williams’ Acquittal – Click here

Mr. Benson has appeared before the United States Supreme Court as co-counsel in the successful criminal appeal in Greenlaw v. United States, 128 S.Ct. 2559 (2008).

Greenlaw v. United States – Writ of Certiorari –  Click here

Awards

Ira Mickenberg Award for Outstanding Contributions to Minnesota Public Defense

Multiple time Selection as a Minnesota Super Lawyer

More about
Kassius Benson

Kassius Benson is an experienced, effective, and fearless trial strategist and advocate for his clients. Prior to focusing on trial consulting and jury consulting, Kassius Benson was a trial lawyer for 30 years. During that time, Kassius represented clients in high-stakes criminal and civil trial matters. He clients include individuals in courts throughout Minnesota, Washington, DC, and the entire nation in both federal and state courts. His trials involved major financial crimes, homicide, conspiracy cases, and all major criminal charges. Kassius Benson’s representative clients include individuals in need of help, attorneys, doctors, professional athletes, entertainers, corporations, small business owners, firefighters, federal government employees, law enforcement officers, and legal agencies. He also engages in extensive pro bono work.

From January 1, 2021 through 2022, Kassius Benson stepped away from private practice and served as the Chief Public Defender in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In his two-years in the position of Chief Defender, Kassius made advancements at the Office by developing and establishing a comprehensive Attorney Training and Development Program as well as increasing diversity in the Office through national recruiting efforts. Both measures fostered true client-centered representation. In January 2023, Kassius Benson re-entered private practice.

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

Kassius Benson trains and mentors students and lawyers in criminal defense and trial advocacy. Kassius Benson has devoted a great deal of time developing training systems and programs for public defender agencies. His training programs and techniques have been utilized in multiple public defender offices throughout the nation.

He was a founding faculty member at the Minnesota Public Defender Trial School, started in 2004, and has trained lawyers in Minnesota, Georgia and Alabama. Kassius has been awarded the Ira Mickenberg Award for his Outstanding Contribution to Minnesota Public Defense. He previously taught at the University of Minnesota Law School’s Misdemeanor Defense and Prosecution Clinics as an adjunct professor.

Kassius Benson’s extensive background as an experienced lead trial lawyer who has tried virtually every type of case separates him from many trial consultants.