Listed amongst the Most Influential People of 2021 by TIME100, Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 Most Influential African Americans, The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Lawyers, and the 2014 NNPA Newsmaker of the Year, Attorney Ben Crump is referred to as “Black America’s Attorney General.” Through a steadfast dedication to justice and service, renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Benjamin Crump has established himself as one of the nation’s foremost lawyers and advocates for social justice. He has successfully battled to protect constitutional rights at the local, state, and federal levels, using his advocacy skills and the high profile of the cases to provide a voice to those long silenced and hope to those pushed to the outside. He is the founder and principal owner of Ben Crump Law.
Attorney Crump’s tireless advocacy has led to legislation preventing excessive force and developing implicit bias training and policies, leading him to represent clients in some of the most high-profile cases in the United States.
His work has involved cases including Trayvon Martin, who was killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford, Florida, in 2012; Michael Brown, who was killed by a law enforcement officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014; Danny Ray Thomas, who was killed by a law enforcement officer in Houston, Texas in 2018; and Stephon Clark, who was killed by police officers in Sacramento, California, in 2018. Attorney Crump represented 9 of the 13 black women who were victims in the Holtzclaw Oklahoma City Police rape case in 2015 and worked on the precedent-setting U.S. Supreme Court case involving excessive police force against Robbie Tolan in 2008. Most recently, Attorney Crump has represented the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, the residents of Flint, Michigan, who were affected by the poisoned water of the Flint River, and the family of Henrietta Lacks in a landmark reparations case. Crump has helped reach historic settlements and verdicts for families that have faced injustices. Crump won a $411 million verdict for Duane Washington who was horribly injured in a truck accident, he helped reach a $641 million settlement for the children of Flint, Michigan, he reached a $27 million settlement for the family of George Floyd, a $12 million settlement for the family of Breonna Taylor, and over $200 million in settlements in banking while Black cases, among others.
Attorney Crump has served in leadership positions at the highest levels of the legal profession and has been recognized for his efforts by numerous esteemed organizations. In 2021, St. Thomas University College of Law, one of the most diverse law schools in the nation, announced the Benjamin L. Crump Center for Social Justice in his honor, which will open doors for minority students pursuing law degrees. He served as the 73rd President of the National Bar Association and is the current President of the National Civil Rights Trial Lawyers Association. He was the first African American to chair the Florida State University College of Law Board of Directors. He was bestowed the NAACP Thurgood Marshall Award, the SCLC Martin Luther King Servant Leader Award, the American Association for Justice Johnnie Cochran Award, and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Eleanor Roosevelt Medallion for Service.
Attorney Crump is also the executive producer of the groundbreaking documentary, “Woman in Motion,” about Nichelle Nichols and the race to space. Nichols was among the first African-American actresses on TV and played Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek the original series. He hosted the critically acclaimed legal docudramas, “Evidence of Innocence” on TVOne and “Who Killed Tupac: The Search For Justice” on A&E. He was also seen on Fox’s “You The Jury.” Attorney Crump portrays legendary civil rights attorney Z. Alexander Looby in the award-winning Hollywood film production “Marshall,” and has appeared in the documentary “Beating Justice,” the story of the Martin Lee Anderson case, and BET’s “I am Trayvon.”
He is the founder and director of the Benjamin Crump Social Justice Institute and hosts its annual Contemporary Issues in Civil Rights Symposium, where national thought leaders gather at Tennessee State University. He is a frequent contributor to MSNBC, CNN, and USA Today.
Attorney Crump’s book, published in October 2019, Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People, reflects on the landmark cases he has battled, and how discrimination in the courthouse devastates real families and communities.
With myriad successes on the national stage, Attorney Crump has still made his community a priority by helping to ensure quality legal representation and access to the courts for poor people in his hometown, formerly serving as Board Chairman of Legal Services of North Florida and, with his former law partner Daryl Parks, donating $1 million to the organization’s capital campaign.
Attorney Crump was born in 1969 in Lumberton, North Carolina. He graduated from Florida State University (FSU) and received his law degree from FSU College of Law. He is married to Dr. Genae Angelique Crump.
