Patrick Benca

Partner

Patrick Benca is a founding partner of the firm and leads our criminal defense team. His practice focuses on the defense of state and federal crimes of any nature, including white collar crimes, homicide charges, drug charges, civil forfeitures, juvenile crimes, violent crimes, criminal appeals and other post-conviction relief, and much more.

He has been a passionate supporter of fighting for civil rights since graduating from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law. Patrick has experience working with the Little Rock Police Department’s crime scene investigators and often teaches continuing education courses to his peers about complex issues surrounding search and seizure and other criminal law matters.

Patrick Benca is a death penalty certified attorney who has successfully won appeals in front of the Arkansas Supreme Court for clients on death row. He was also appointed by Governors Mike Beebe and Asa Hutchinson to the Arkansas Sex Offenders Assessment Committee.

He is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, the Arkansas Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys and the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association. Patrick Benca was also named one of the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 under 40, he was awarded the Death Penalty Focus 2012 Abolition Award, and the Arkansas Association of Trial Lawyers “Champion of Justice Award.”

In 2011, Patrick Benca represented Damien Echols of the West Memphis Three and facilitated an Alford Plea deal that would result in Echols' freedom. In 2017, 2020, and 2021 he was named one of the best lawyers in Arkansas by Little Rock Soiree. He has been named by Super Lawyers as one of the top criminal defense attorneys in Little Rock from 2015 to 2021.

Bar Admissions

• California
• Arkansas
• United States District Court – Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas
• United States District Court – Western District of Tennessee 
• United States Court of Appeals – Sixth and Eighth Circuits
• United States Supreme Court