Firm Overview

John Wesley Hall, Jr., has been practicing law in Little Rock and the State of Arkansas since 1973. He was a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney from 1973-79, and he has been in private practice since then. He is President-Elect of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (2007-08) and President (2008-09).

Patrick J. Benca, practicing since 1999, worked as a public defender and private practitoner. He has a degree in Criminal Justice from UALR and he even worked as in intern in the Little Rock Police Department’s Crime Scene Unit while in law school (what better way to learn to cross-examine about evidence collection protocol?).

Kara L. Binz, practicing since 2007, worked in the Pulaski County Public Defender’s Office and for this firm during law school, participating in a seven week public corruption trial.

Hall and Benca first worked together defending a federal capital murder trial in 1998-99 where the client was convicted after a three month trial but sentenced to life without parole and avoided the death penalty. They joined forces in 2003 with the view toward becoming the best criminal defense lawyers in Arkansas.

All of us are committed to the belief that the client in any criminal case is entitled to objective, creative, and zealous representation, with the client’s best interest in mind. None of us are afraid to go to trial, but it is whether to go to trial is always the client’s decision because it is the client’s life and liberty on the line. In fact, the best plea offers come to the best trial lawyers.

They have handled virtually all types of criminal cases, from the simple to the incredibly complex, representing people from all walks of life, including street crime, sex crimes of all types, lawyers, doctors, police officers and politicians charged with crimes in office, PATRIOT Act prosecutions, numerous homicide cases, and financial and other white collar crimes.

Both are experienced trial and appellate advocates. Hall has tried approximately 250 jury trials, handled 200 appeals, argued twice in the U.S. Supreme Court, and has tried a war crimes trial in an international tribunal. Benca, having practiced law only six years, already has about 20 reported appellate decisions in criminal cases.
We have a support staff of former court clerks experienced in criminal justice including court procedures and corrections.

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