Law Offices of Stephen Benda

Specialties

Bankruptcy, Collections, Litigation, Will/​Trust Disputes



We are litigators– that means we use the Courts to obtain judgments and Sheriffs to enforce them and seize assets.

We collect for people and business entities that are owed money. We collect sums over $ 10,000 and have recently collected $ 1,200,000

We defend people and entities who owe substantial sums, both in court or by filing bankruptcy.

We sue and defend people for breach of contract and other business litigation, such as a partnership or corporation disputes. We also represent people in will or trust disputes.

We are qualified in tax disputes and litigation, and specialize in discharging taxes in bankruptcy.

We also handle cases of various type of malpractice by professionals, such as lawyers, accountants, etc.

We have also successfully litigated cases in workplace sexual harassment, physical and financial elder abuse, embezzlement, breach of fiduciary duty, personal injury, to name a few.

We have published cases in collection law, taxation & bankruptcy.

History

Established in 1986.

Started by Stephen Benda, the Law Offices of Stephen Benda have grown from year to year and acquired substantial experience in various types of litigation in the last 24 years.

Stephen Benda has the highest ratings awarded by various agencies, such as «Superb» 9.7÷10 on Avvo, AV rated by Martindale and Hubbell (Preeminent, at the highest level of professional excellence), and one of «Best Lawyers in Silicon Valley» (San Jose Magazine).

Mr. Benda has a Bachelors in Mathematical Physics, 1^st class, Masters in mathematics and in statistics, an MBA (Arjay Miller Scholar) all from Stanford University, a JD from Peninsula University, Valedictorian, and an LLM (Tax) from Golden Gate University.

The law firm has been successful by distinguishing itself from other firms by staying small, having the personal touch, and understanding the economics of its clients’ cases. We draw on Mr. Benda’s broad experience to perform a cost/​benefit analysis of cases presented to us.

Meet the Business Owner

Stephen B.

Business Owner

I grew up in Prague, Czech Republic and then moved to London, England where I attended school and university.

I came to the States when I was twenty to study mathematics at Stanford, and when I finished I co-​founded a wine import/​export company and obtained my residency as an investor.

After five years, having successfully run the wine company, I sold my interest and went to Stanford for my MBA, after which I consulted to start up firms in Silicon Valley, acquiring founders’ stock in companies that went public. That experience convinced that I should become a lawyer, which I did by attending evening classes and working in the day time.

I graduated in 1986 and passed the bar examination on my first attempt.

I live and work in Menlo Park, which makes for a very short commute. I am often at work during the weekends — some people would describe me as a workaholic. I just think that I enjoy my work in meeting and helping my clients achieve their goals.