benji smith

staff attorney

Benji Smith graduated Brooklyn Law School in 2023 and is a member of the New York bar. Previously a software designer from Texas and California, Benji left tech to find a career in which he could advocate for others the way others once advocated for him. His experiences volunteering as a tutor for non-citizens applying for naturalization inspired Benji to become an immigration attorney.

During law school, Benji helped represent asylum seekers in the Safe Harbor law clinic in New York and helped found the First-Generation Professionals student organization. He has interned and worked for nonprofits in Kentucky and Alaska helping low-income families, children, and survivors of domestic violence, trafficking, and other crimes facing critical legal issues in immigration, public benefits, healthcare, housing, family law, and tribal law. Benji believes in an approach to advocacy that treats clients with care and respect and seeks to empower those who may otherwise feel powerless with legal knowledge of their own—all while working fiercely for a favorable outcome. He is thrilled to join and learn from the amazing team at SJC.

Benji shares a house with two bossy huskies. In his free time, he boxes, bartends, indulges in questionable reality TV, and is studying to become fluent in Spanish.