Sergio Humberto Benavides
About Sergio
Biography
Sergio H. Benavides, a native of the East Bay Area, and Costa-Rican American, I am fully fluent in Spanish. I am a former Spanish bilinual elementary school teacher, and I strongly believe my teaching experiences have led to my many Not Guilty and Hung Jury verdicts. It's where I learned to tell a story, organized data, and speak to people in an interesting and entertaining way. You won't be falling asleep if you sit on my jury!
I spent over six years in Fresno as a Public Defender attorney, handling extremel heavy caseloads, helping thousands of poor clients. My experience includes assisting teens in the Juvenile Courts, with crimes as small as Petty Theft, to as serious as Assault With a Deadly Weapon, with Great Bodily Injury enhancements. I've done 11 Juvenile Trials, and love working with teens. Although many had had rough childhoods, and poor educations, I liked to think that these young people were moldable, and could always straighten out their lives and become productive citizens.
My vast Criminal Law experience includes a stint in the Misdemeanor courts, where I helped hundreds of clients cut deals with the most common charges, such as Driving Under the Influence, Domestic Violence, and Petty Theft. Afterward, I handled a very heavy Felony court department, doing both calendar assignments, and motions/trials. It was extremely valuable experience. My proudest victory was beating an Armed Robbery with a Gun charge. The client's family sent me a bouquet of roses!
I loved helping people from all walks of life: Mexican farmworkers, African Americans, Asian immigrants, and the urban poor. Everyone had a story tell, and many had the courage to fight for their rights and dignity at trial.
In my office, we now have had years of experience helping people obtain green cards, citizenship, applying for U visa, Feidy Deportation in Immigration court, and more.
I enjoy world travel, having visited Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, England, Ireland, France, and Morocco. I love sampling other people's foods, cultures, languages, and ways of life. Diversity is beautiful, and it is the best that the San Francisco Bay Area has to offer.
Our attorneys speak Spanish, English, Urdu/Hindi, and Farsi. Our office assistant speaks fluent Korean.
Practice Areas
3
Practice Areas
Fees and Rates
Cost
Always
Payment Methods
- Cash
- Check
- Credit Card
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Chat withLicenses
Licensed in California for 20 years
State: California
Acquired: 2005
No misconduct found
Location
Law Office of Sergio H. Benavides
433 Callan Ave, Suite 209, San Leandro, CA, 94577
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Sergio Humberto Benavides's Reviews
Showing 1 - 5 of 7 client reviews from Avvo
Posted by Zoya | June 14, 2022 | Hired Attorney
My son's case was moved to Diversion Program
I hired Sergio for my son felony case and it was a huge difference from Public Defender Attorney. Now, my son is free from felony charges, moreover, he overgrew his immaturity and I do not need to worry anymore about his life. Sergio was efficient and pleasant to deal with; he was always on tim...
Posted by Jermar | April 16, 2021 | Hired Attorney
Exceeded Expectations
Trying to get a felony expunction in California (2 different counties and cases) while living in a different state, during a pandemic, was overwhelming. But Sergio made the process very clear and concise. I always knew what needed to happen next, what we were waiting on, and how I could reach him. He...
Posted by Juan | November 4, 2020 | Consulted Attorney
Great Attorney
Sergio stands out for the level of expertise on the fields he specializes and this comes as perhaps as one of his greatest assets when dealing with complex cases, as it was my case. Effectiveness and assertiveness included in the package. There might be cases that are more straight forward than oth...
Posted by Geronimo | August 16, 2019 | Hired Attorney
The best lawyer !
4 years ago I went into Sergio’s office looking for help , crying about facing a removal process through inmigration he took the time and the labor to work on my case and always made me feel safe and assured me that he’ll do everything possible to get to cancel the process of removal today 4 years la...
Posted by Benjamin | December 20, 2016 | Consulted Attorney
Great Attorney
I recommand Sergio H.Benavides because he showed himself very flexible and helpful for my DUI. His knowledge about the law issues and trick were priceless. Moreover, he answered very quickly to my request. Thanks a lot
Sergio Humberto Benavides's Lawyer Endorsements
"Sergio is a great lawyer. I know him to be incredibly smart, sharp-witted, and committed to fighting for his clients aggressively. He is a good, generous, & humane person too, and anyone who does a consultation with him will like him immediately."
"I endorse this lawyer."
"I endorse this lawyer."
"I strongly endorse Mr. Benavides for criminal defense and immigration law. He is a highly-rated criminal law specialist with extensive experience and superb skills in his fields. You can count on him to fight for you and stand by you, no matter what. He is a person of integrity, who believes in the ideals of both criminal defense and immigration law, and who has dedicated himself to lifting up and defending the individual, and to creating opportunity. Mr. Benavides has devoted hundreds of volunteer hours to giving back to the community, to helping those in need, and to inspiring our youth. I am a fellow criminal defense attorney, Mr. Benavides is my "go to" referral for a criminal defense or immigration attorney for my friends and clients seeking the best possible representation in the Bay area."
"I endorse this lawyer."
"I endorse this lawyer. I had the pleasure of working with Mr. Benavides at the beginning of my career and quickly realized that Mr. Benavides is an intelligent and compassionate attorney."
"I wholeheartedly endorse this lawyer. A brilliant, trustworthy and highly respected attorney in the legal community."
"I endorse attorney Sergio Benavides. Demonstrates the highest levels of professionalism, zealousness and knowledge which he utilizes to obtain outstanding results for his clients."
"I endorse attorney Sergio Benavides. Demonstrates an impressive knowledge of the law based on his accurate legal answers on Avvo. He is an asset to the legal field and respected by colleagues."
"I endorse this lawyer!!!!"
"I endorse attorney Sergio Humberto Benavides. Dedicated to his clients with a track record of success. Has earned respect from his clients and peers."
"I endorse Sergio. As a former public defender he has handled thousands of criminal matters. Experience matters. If you are anywhere near Hayward you want a consultation with him in english or spanish."
"I endorse Sergio. He is a highly skilled attorney that is well respected in the legal community."
"I highly endorse and recommend this lawyer. I have witnessed Sergio fight for his clients and have seen him win case after case for his clients. He is a zealous advocate and I was honored to be his co-worker at the public defender's office."
"Top-notch lawyer. Highly respected in the legal community."
"I endorse this lawyer. I interned under, and latter worked with Sergio at the Fresno County public defenders office. Sergio has earned his reputation as a hard working, fight to death criminal defense attorney who works hard for his clients, and gets results!"
"I endorse this lawyer."
"I endorse this lawyer....an absolute legal scholar!"
"I endorse this lawyer."
"Mr. Benavides is an excellent attorney. He fights for his clients and stands firm in the face of overreaching prosecutors and judges. I endorse him without reservation."
Criminal defense lawyer
Criminal defense lawyer
Family lawyer
Criminal defense lawyer
Family lawyer
Criminal defense lawyer
Intellectual property lawyer
Criminal defense lawyer
Criminal defense lawyer
Immigration lawyer
Criminal defense lawyer
Criminal defense lawyer
Criminal defense lawyer
Criminal defense lawyer
Criminal defense lawyer
Criminal defense lawyer
Criminal defense lawyer
Criminal defense lawyer
Criminal defense lawyer
Criminal defense lawyer
Experience
Honors
2015
Top 100 Criminal Trial Lawyers, National Trial Lawyers
2013
Criminal Law Specialist, State Bar of California- Board of Legal Specialization
Work Experience
2014 - Present
Attorney, Law Office of Sergio H. Benavides
2007 - 2013
Defense Attorney, Fresno County Public Defender's Office
Associations
2015 - Present
San Francisco La Raza Lawyers AssociationMember
2015 - Present
National College of DUI DefenseMember
2015 - Present
State Bar of California, Criminal Law SectionMember
2015 - Present
National Trial LawyersTop 100 Criminal Trial Lawyer
2015 - Present
Alameda County Bar Association, Criminal Law SectionExecutive Committee Member
2014 - Present
American Immigration Lawyers AssociationMember
2007 - Present
Californa Public Defenders AssociationMember
2003 - Present
Bay Area Laywers for Individual FreedomMember
Sample of Legal Cases
plea bargain to Wet Reckless
case dismissed
case dismissed
Education
2005
JD - Juris Doctor
1997
MA - Masters
1993
BA - Bachelor of Arts
Speaking Engagements
2015
Federal Prosecutions Under Sarbanes-Oxley
2014
What You Can Do to Help Friends and Familiy Facing Criminal Charges
2014
2014
2014
Eliminating Bias and Substance Abuse in the Legal Profession and a Focus on Developing the Best Medical Evidence for Workers' Compensation Purposes
Languages
Spanish
English
Hindi
Farsi
Korean
Urdu
Activity
Legal Answers
Legal Guides
Legal Answers
Petty theft / shoplifting of $40 from Walmart in California, what can I do to not go to prison?
12 Jun 2021
Green Card Application
19 May 2021
What should our next steps be?
19 May 2021