About Sergio H.
Sergio H. Benavides built a career that moves from the classroom to the courtroom. He earned a B.A. in English Literature from California State University, San Francisco State University in 1993. He followed that with an M.A. in Education from Antioch University–Seattle in 1997, then turned to the study of law and received his J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 2005.
After law school he entered public-sector practice. In 2007 he joined the Fresno County Public Defender's Office as a defense lawyer. There he worked on criminal defense matters and gained courtroom experience representing clients in county proceedings.
In 2014 he opened a solo practice, establishing the Law Office of Sergio H. Benavides. He is admitted to practice in California and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. His practice grew out of his years defending clients in public service and now handles a mix of criminal defense and immigration-related issues.
Benavides remains active in professional circles. Since 2007 he has been a member of the California Public Defenders Association. He joined the American Immigration Lawyers Association, San Francisco La Raza Lawyers, Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom, and the DUI Defense Lawyers Association in 2014. Beginning in 2015 he added membership in the Alameda County Bar Association, where he participates in the Criminal Law and Immigration Law sections. These memberships reflect the two strands of his practice and offer forums for case law updates, training, and peer discussion.
Clients who come to his office typically encounter a lawyer who moved from public defense into private practice. His prior work in a county public defender office informs how he approaches case preparation and courtroom hearings, lending experience on procedures and trial practice. He also handles matters that involve immigration law and related intersections with criminal proceedings.
He maintains an office under his own name and continues to accept cases in both criminal and immigration matters. His current practice in the Law Office of Sergio H. Benavides centers on representing individuals in criminal defense and immigration-related legal issues.
