Ben Stechschulte

Ben Stechschulte, a board certified expert in criminal trial law, has been practicing in the Tampa Bay area for nearly 15 years and has tried over 60 cases to verdict.  His experience is both varied and comprehensive, which makes him uniquely qualified to aggressively and effectively defend his clients who are facing criminal charges or have been injured in an accident.

Ben attended Stetson University College of Law, which is recognized as one of the top law schools in the country for trial advocacy.  After graduating in 2005, Ben served as a prosecutor in Hillsborough County.  Ben prosecuted DUIs, drug crimes, gun crimes, domestic violence crimes and sex crimes.

Having worked as a prosecutor, Ben understands how prosecutors build their cases and how to effectively defend his clients against criminal charges.

After working for 3 years at the Prosecutor’s office, Ben was recruited by a prestigious trial law firm in North Tampa.  Ben handled nearly every criminal case the firm had, along with some personal injury cases.  He began to bring in business independently thanks to word of mouth referrals from his satisfied clients.  Ben’s criminal practice gave him invaluable experience defending an extensive list of different types of criminal charges.  Ben represented countless clients facing DUIs, drug, gun and domestic violence charges, sex crimes and a host of other criminal charges.

Ben’s comprehensive experience in the field of criminal law allowed him to gain the prestigious status of being a board-certified criminal trial lawyer, placing him in the small minority of lawyers who have earned this elite level of recognition as an expert in Criminal Trial Law.  To qualify for certification, lawyers must have extensive experience in their specialty and meet rigorous objective quality standards. This distinction is held by less than two percent of attorneys in the state of Florida and requires at least five years of full-time legal experience and at least 20 jury trials in which the case was tried to completion.  He also successfully passed a peer review in which he was evaluated for character, ethics and professionalism by judges and other attorneys.  Ben met these specific criteria to earn this valued accreditation. In 2015, Ben was recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers® magazine in 2015. This is an honor bestowed on approximately 2.5% of attorneys under age 40 based upon peer review.

In 2012, Ben opened his own law firm so that he could dedicate himself to serving the needs of his clients facing criminal charges or that have been injured in an accident.

On a personal note, Ben is a native Floridian.  He was born and raised outside West Palm Beach, and left briefly to attend John Carroll University, a Jesuit college located outside of Cleveland, OH.  After just 3.5 years, he graduated early to escape the harsh winters of lake-effect snow. He moved back to Florida and to the sunny Tampa Bay area in 2002 to attend Stetson University College of Law where he met his wife.  They currently reside in Tampa with their two children.  Ben is a former collegiate basketball player and enjoys spending his free time with his wife and kids, golfing, boxing, and watching sports – especially the Tampa Bay Rays and the Ohio State Buckeyes.