New Jersey Personal Injury Attorney Steven Benvenisti Esq.

Steven Benvenisti is a lawyer certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney, a distinction held by less than two percent of all of New Jersey’s licensed lawyers. As a firm Partner with over thirty years of experience as a personal injury lawyer, Steven Benvenisti is responsible for handling all kinds of negligence matters, including motor vehicle collisions and injuries caused by unsafe property conditions. Steven heads the firm’s Traumatic Brain Injury Section and the Drunk Driver Accident Litigation Section that sues drunk drivers, bars that overserve customers, and social hosts whose negligence causes car accidents and injuries to others. 

As a 21-year-old college student, Steven suffered a catastrophic near-death experience, caused by a repeat drunk driver while crossing a street as a pedestrian. His injuries caused him to be hospitalized for over six monthswhile he recovered from multiple fractures, fifteen surgeries, as well as a traumatic brain injury. From that experience, Steven gained a powerful perspective. After making a full recovery from the accident, he committed both his career and personal life to helping people injured by negligence, causing traumatic brain injuries, spinal and orthopedic injuries, fractures, severe lacerations, burns, and wrongful deaths.  

Steven Benvenisti has shared his journey from accident victim to injury attorney, authoring his biography “Spring Break, A Story of Hope and Determination” © 2012 as well as lecturing internationally about his medical and legal journey. He has often said, “I understand the physical and emotional challenges my clients and their families face because I lived them firsthand, even before I was a law student. I learned how much it matters to have an attorney who truly cares in your corner and won’t back down from what you deserve.” 

When asked what he is most proud of, Benvenisti said, “Aside from my family, I am most proud of being a trial lawyer and advocate for the injured.” He currently serves as a MADD National Ambassador and as Chair of the New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania MADD chapters, and previously served as Vice-Chair of the MADD National Board of Directors. Beyond his work as a personal injury lawyer, he has become a leading voice for drunk driving victims as a survivor and as a longtime advocate with Mothers Against Drunk Driving. He has also served for the past six years as President of the Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey, which is the New Jersey Chapter of the Brain Injury Association of America.  

Steven Benvenisti’s extensive charitable work includes hundreds of speaking engagements and has earned recognition from many legal, medical, civic, and government organizations. His most prestigious honors includerepeated recognition as a “National Trial Lawyers Top 100” trial lawyer and being named as a New Jersey Super Lawyer for over 15 consecutive years by Thomson Reuters. For selection criteria, see: https://www.superlawyers.com/about/selection-process/ 

His advocacy has also been formally recognized with a New Jersey State and General Assembly commendation and a U.S. House of Representatives Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition. He has also received awards for his brain injury awareness programs and trauma-prevention work, including the Brain Injury Association’s Silvio O. Conte Award for Public Awareness and Education, and honors from Hackensack Medical Center. He has also served as a member of the Board of Helen Hayes Hospital and Kessler Institute.   

As a trial lawyer and advocate, Steven Benvenisti was awarded the New Jersey Association for Justice (NJAJ) highest honor, the Gold Medal for Distinguished Service in 2019, recognizing his leadership and significant contributions to tort law and the protection of New Jersey families. His accomplishments have also been recognized by the United States Congress, the Governor of the State of New Jersey, New Jersey State Senators, as well as by New Jersey’s Assembly representatives. 

Steven Benvenisti and his legal team have won several multimillion-dollar verdicts or settlements on behalf of clients and their families, including a recent 2025 $5.1 million settlement for a man who suffered a catastrophic accident and injuries while crossing a street in Weehawken, New Jersey. 

As an experienced NJ injury attorney, fluent in Spanish and English, his practice areas include all types of motor vehicle accidents, drunk driving crashes, truck, bus car, motorcycle, e-bike and commercial vehicle accidents, pedestrian knockdowns, construction site injuries, product liability claims from defective machines and consumer products, slip, trip and falls caused by defective premises and negligent property owners, as well as other liability and injury claims caused by negligence.  

As a keynote speaker at the National Trial Lawyers annual conferences, he has assembled a national network of lawyers in every US state who are experts in liquor liability law and suing drunk, drugged, and intoxicated drivers, as well as the restaurants, bars, and social hosts that overserved them. 

Steven Benvenisti consults with and actively refers out-of-state brain injury cases to a network of attorneys who concentrate their practice on brain injury cases. Steven also receives many traumatic brain injury (TBIs) case referrals from past and current clients, medical professionals, attorneys, and organizations across the country. 

By way of background, Steven Benvenisti graduated with high honors from The College of New Jersey before attending Quinnipiac University School of Law, earning his Juris Doctorate degree. He is a former law clerk to the Honorable Eugene Austin, J.S.C., Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey Special Civil Part. He is licensed to practice law in the State of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the Federal Courts and consults about all personal injury cases, including drunk driving liability and brain injuries, throughout the United States and its territories.   

Steven Benvenisti can be reached for free consultation, second opinion or speaking engagements by contacting info@dsslaw.com; or calling Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C. at 1-800-529-2000 or by email address stevenb@dsslaw.com.   

Bar Admissions, Licenses, & Certifications

• Certified by the Supreme Court of NJ – Civil Trial Attorney (Less than 2% of NJ Attorneys are Certified as a Civil Trial Attorney)
• Attorney at Law, New Jersey (1993), Pennsylvania (1993), United States District Court (1993)
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Certified Victim Advocate

Leadership, Boards, and Trustee Service

• Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey, President of the Board (2019–2026)
• Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey, Board of Trustees (2003–2026)
• Brain Injury Association of New Jersey, Co-Chair, Conference Committee (2004–2005)
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Vice-Chair, National Board of Directors (2012–2018)
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Chair, New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania region (2020–2026)
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), National Ambassador (2026)
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) New Jersey, Assistant Chair of the Board (2026)
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) New Jersey, State Operating Council (2007–2026)
• North Jersey Police Crime Prevention Association (2006–2026)
• Helen Hayes Hospital Foundation, board service (2014–2026)
• Kessler Rehabilitation, Consumer Advisory Board

Awards and Recognitions

• EMS Excellence Award, Hackensack University Medical Center (2004)
• Commitment to Trauma Prevention Award, Hackensack Medical Center (2004) Paul St. Mauro Award, Police Traffic Association (2004)
• Community Police Borough Award, Teaneck, New Jersey (2004)
• Who’s Who Among Attorneys in the United States, Strathmore’s H.M. (2004)
• Community Police Award, Police Association (2004)
• Mimi Goldman Award for Positive Achievement, Brain Injury Association of New Jersey (2005)
• Policing Bureau Award, Teaneck, New Jersey (2005)
• Recognition Award, STOP D.W.I. (2005)
• Volunteer Excellence Award, Brain Injury Association of New Jersey (2006)
• Executive Proclamation Award Recipient by Governor Jon S. Corzine (2006)
• United States Senate Proclamation by Senator Robert Menendez (2006)
• Congratulatory Citation by United States Senator Frank Lautenberg (2006)
• U.S. House of Representatives Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition (2006)
• State of New Jersey Joint Senate General Assembly Legislative Resolution (2006)
• Humanitarian Award, The College of New Jersey (2007)
• North Jersey Police Crime Prevention Appreciation Award (2007)
• Brain Injury Association Silvio O. Conte Award for Public Awareness and Education (2007)
• New Jersey State and General Assembly Commendation (2007)
• Volunteer Center of Bergen County Award (2007)
• Citizen of the Year Award, North Jersey Police (2008)
• Brain Injury Association of New Jersey Leadership Award (2009)
• Criminal Justice Award (2009)
• National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers (2012)
• Bergen County Bar Foundation Lawyer Achievement Award (2012)
• New Jersey Super Lawyers (2010-2026)
• Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps Citizen Award (2013)
• Best Attorneys of America, Rue Ratings (2014)
• New Jersey Association for Justice (NJAJ) Gold Medal for Distinguished Service (2019)

Lectures and Speaking Engagements

Legal, Trial Lawyer, Judicial Education, and Government Programs

•  NJAJ Boardwalk Seminar – Atlantic City, NJ (2016, 2019-2020, 2024-2025)
• Advanced trial advocacy program, Alcohol and the Highway – Newport, RI (2019)
• NJM pedestrian safety program with New Jersey government (2019)
• National Trial Lawyers Sunday Lunch Speaker – Nashville, TN (2022)
• National Trial Lawyers program, Alcohol and the Law (2020)
• Testimony before Judiciary Committee – Trenton, New Jersey (2018)

International and Cross-Border Speeches

• Amsterdam Neurology Conference – Amsterdam, Netherlands (2019)
• Global Conference in Nursing and Healthcare – Barcelona, Spain (2021)
• Traumatic Brain Injury Leading to Dementia Conference – Valencia, Spain (2016)
• Valencia International Neuro Conference – Valencia, Spain (2018)
• Valencia International Neuro Conference presentation – Valencia, Spain (2017)
• Conference presentation -Montreal, Canada (2020)
• Paris Keynote Presentation – Paris, France (2017)

Medical, Nursing, Trauma, and Rehabilitation Conferences

• Hackensack University Medical Center programs – New Jersey (2015, 2017–2019)
• Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation keynote and conference programs – New Jersey (2013, 2017-2019)
• New Jersey Emergency Nurses Association conference – Atlantic City, NJ (2023, 2025)
• American Society of Neurorehabilitation presentation (2013)
• Boston neuroscience keynote speaker – Massachusetts (2013)
• Capital Health Trauma Symposium keynote speaker – New Jersey (2024)
• Cedars-Sinai keynote speaker- Los Angeles, California (2015)
• Connecticut Occupational Medicine convention – Connecticut (2013)
• Mayo Clinic convention speaker – Minnesota (2013)
• RWJ Barnabas and Safe Kids programs – New Jersey (2015, 2024)
• St. Luke’s Bethlehem Medical Conference – Pennsylvania (2021)
• Texas Speech Pathologists Conference – Texas (2016)
• New Jersey Department of Transportation employee program – New Jersey (2020)

Brain Injury Alliance (BIANJ) and Brain Injury Education

• Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey annual seminar and professional programs (2014, 2018–2020, 2022–2025)
• Brain Injury Awareness Day programming – New Jersey (2017, 2019, 2022–2025)
• Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey gala (2016, 2018–2020, 2023–2025)
• BIANJ family conference (2014–2015, 2017–2018)
• Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey board retreat (2023–2024)
• BIANJ Champion Schools program – New Jersey (2020)
• BIANJ annual employee education meeting (2019)
• National Brain Injury Alliance Webinar on Brain Injury (2023)
• Trinitas Hospital Children’s Therapy Services (OT, PT, ST) (2017)
• Rebekah Verea Foundation events -New Jersey (2020, 2022, 2024–2025)

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Law Enforcement, Public Safety, and Recognitions

Law Enforcement Recognition Programs

• MADD Law Enforcement Recognition – New Jersey (2016–2018, 2020, 2022, 2024)
• MADD Law Enforcement Recognition Lunch – New Jersey (2014)
• MADD Law Enforcement Recognition Keynote – Mohegan Sun, Connecticut (2025)
• MADD law enforcement recognition event (2025)
• MADD Law Enforcement Recognition Keynote – North Carolina (2022)
• MADD law enforcement recognition program – Upper Saddle River, New Jersey (2015–2016)
• Law Enforcement Recognition Award – Hillsdale, New Jersey (2018)
• MADD award to Washington Township police officers (2017)
• Present Law Enforcement Recognition award – Upper Saddle River, New Jersey (2019, 2018, 2013)

Police Recruit and Academy Trainings

• Law enforcement recruit trainings and academies – New York (2018–2019, 2022–2023)
• MADD Suffolk County recruits (2018)
• MADD Suffolk County Police Recruits (2019)
• Suffolk County New York State Police Academy classes – Suffolk County, New York (2018)

National MADD Leadership and Major Events

• MADD National Board Meeting (2017–2018)
• MADD Ambassador to all MADD National Executive Directors (2025)
• MADD Mission Moment (2025)

Other MADD Speaking Engagements and Public Safety Programs

•  Walk Like MADD and related walk events (New Jersey) (2023–2024)
• River Vale Junior Police Academy – River Vale, New Jersey (2013, 2015, 2023–2025)
• MADD meeting and national programs – Dallas, Texas (2016–2018)
• MADD program – Atlanta, Georgia (2016)
• MADD Red Ribbon Event – New Jersey (2018)
• MADD volunteer open house – New Jersey (2024)
• MADD American Institute – Clifton, New Jersey (2021)
• MetLife Stadium presentation to Police Chiefs – New Jersey (2018)
• New Jersey State Police barracks presentation – Totowa, New Jersey (2018)
• MADD 45th anniversary – Washington, D.C. (2025)
• NJ Police Chiefs’ Association recorded interview (2025)

Schools, Universities, and Youth Keynote Speaker Presentations

• North Bergen High School – North Bergen, New Jersey (2013–2019, 2022–2025)
• Torah Academy – Bergen County, New Jersey (2013–2014, 2016–2022)
• Ma’ayanot School- Teaneck, New Jersey (2014, 2017–2018, 2020–2022, 2024–2025)
• St. Thomas Aquinas College programs – New York (2013–2014, 2016–2020, 2022–2023)
• Tenafly High School – Tenafly, New Jersey (2015–2016, 2020, 2022, 2025)
• Cedar Grove High School – Cedar Grove, New Jersey (2017, 2019, 2023, 2025)
• Livingston High School – Livingston, New Jersey (2016, 2018–2019, 2023–2025)
• Girls Yeshiva programs – Teaneck, New Jersey (2013, 2015, 2022)
• Buriah High School – New Jersey (2020–2022)
• New Milford High School – New Milford, New Jersey (2023, 2025)
• Bergen County Technical High School – Teterboro, New Jersey (2014–2015)
• Emerson High School – Emerson, New Jersey (2021)
• Dwight Morrow High School – Englewood, New Jersey (2022)
• Don Bosco High School program – New Jersey (2019–2020)
• Glen Rock High School – Glen Rock, New Jersey (2024)
• Park Ridge school program – Park Ridge, New Jersey (2025)

Sports Organizations and Major Seminar Presentations

• New York Jets and Giants presentations – East Rutherford, New Jersey (2016–2019)
• MetLife Stadium Breast Cancer Walk (2025)

Publications and Media Features

• Spring Break: A True Story of Hope and Determination © 2012 
• RVNTV Skype interview (2018) 
• Sandy Levine podcast appearance (2024) 
• WBNG television interview, remote (2025)  

Other Professional Memberships and Affiliations

• American Association for Justice member 
• Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OceMed) 
• North Jersey Claims Association 
• Pennsylvania Association of Rehabilitation Professionals 
• Delaware Trial Lawyer Association 
• New Jersey chapter of the Case Manager Association of America 
• Brain Injury Association of Rhode Island 
• Brain Injury Association of New Jersey 
• Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania 
• Brain Injury Association of Florida 
• Brain Injury Association of Missouri 
• American Association of Nurse Life Care Planners 
• Tennessee Life Care Planners Conference 

Representative Settlements or Verdicts

$5.1 Million Settlement – Pedestrian Accident 

A pedestrian was seriously injured after a vehicle struck him while crossing the street in Weehawken, NJ. The crash caused catastrophic injuries, including a spinal fracture, brain bleed, and a mild traumatic brain injury, along with serious knee ligament damage that required surgery. The case focused on driver negligence and the long-term impact of a violent pedestrian collision. 

$2.1 Million Settlement – Motorcycle Accident 

A motorcyclist traveling through a green light when a tractor-trailer accelerated through the intersection and crashed into him. The rider took evasive action but collided with the side rear of the trailer, suffering serious injuries. 

$1.415 Million Settlement – Slip and Fall Accident 

A mother tripped and fell on a Bergenfield, NJ, sidewalk defect while placing her three-year-old into the car after daycare, suffering injuries to her neck, back, spine, and shoulders.  

$1.1 Million Settlement – Pedestrian Accident  

A pedestrian in Tenafly, NJ, was lawfully crossing within a crosswalk when he was struck hard by a northbound driver. The injuries included a traumatic brain injury and a collapsed lung.  

$1.05 Million Settlement – Pedestrian Accident  

Pedestrian walking in the parking lot with her young daughter in front of TGI Friday’s, when the defendant, who admitted to not seeing well, made a left turn and struck both the client and her daughter.  

$1.025 Million Settlement – Motor Vehicle Accident 

Pedestrian was injured while walking in a parking lot with her daughter near a restaurant entrance when an inattentive driver making a left turn struck both of them.  

$1.01 Million Settlement – Pedestrian Accident 

Settlement was obtained for a pedestrian struck by a vehicle while crossing in a marked crosswalk, causing serious injuries. 

$1 Million Settlement – Motor Vehicle Accident 

Client was seriously injured while stopped at a red light in East Hanover, NJ, when a careless, negligent driver swerved through lanes, causing him to seriously rear-end the client’s vehicle totaling both cars and causing severe injuries.