David Benowitz

David Benowitz, born May 4, 1969, in Leonia, New Jersey, is an American lawyer and has been partner of the law firm Price Benowitz since 2001, after serving as a public defender in the District of Columbia. Benowitz is a criminal defense and personal injury lawyer who has made multiple appearances in national print and television media.
Education and career
Benowitz graduated from University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in History in 1991 and received his law degree from George Washington University School of Law in 1995.
After law school, Benowitz served as a public defender and staff attorney at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia.
Notable cases and legal issues
The first case he worked that received media attention was his successful defense on another case of the woman against whom sportscaster Marv Albert was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery counts. The Washington Post in 1997 documented how Benowitz's client was accused of making phone threats, but that the prosecution dropped the case and the Superior Court judge dismissed the charges.
In 1998, Benowitz defended Michael Renardo Thomas, a teenager who participated in a carjacking that involved stabbing a female victim multiple times and then locking her in the trunk of her burning car. Benowitz asked the court to sentence Thomas under Washington's Youth Act, which would allow for an earlier release from his sentence if he showed progress in jail. Benowitz described Thomas as "a tremendously disturbed young man who faces enormous issues in his life", but not a "malicious sociopath".
In 2009, Benowitz commented to Associated Press Worldstream regarding the arrest of an illegal immigrant from El Salvador in the murder of federal intern Chandra Levy. Benowitz stated that he would question the witnesses' motivation for cooperating with police and inquire about the circumstances under which they were interviewed.
In 2010, Benowitz explained the legal aspects of faulty and improperly calibrated blood alcohol content measurement devices to the media.
In July 2011, Benowitz appeared with Chuck Todd on The Daily Rundown (MSNBC) to speak at length about the sentencing phase of the Casey Anthony trial, noting now "notoriously difficult" probation is in the state of Florida.
In January 2012, Benowitz defended Washington D.C. city politician Kevin B. Chavous against a misdemeanor charge of soliciting a prostitute, which was dropped by the prosecutor. The charge was dropped by the prosecution, with Benowitz telling The Washington Times, "The government, to their discretion, chose to drop the charges. There will be no finding of guilt, absolutely no criminal liability for Mr. Chavous."

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