About bennett legal, llc

As an attorney with over 25 years of experience and as a former Assistant United States Attorney for 14 years, Mark is an experienced trial lawyer and practical advisor who has excelled in representing clients when it matters the most. 

 
Mark has successfully tried more than 20 jury trials and argued 23 appeals in both state and federal court. His instinctive trial skills have earned praise from both judges and opposing counsel. 

 
Before Bennett Legal, LLC, Mark distinguished himself as a highly-regarded, successful prosecutor serving in the Major Corruption and Fraud Unit and National Security Unit in the office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland and Akron. Mark led the successful prosecution of mortgage fraud in the Northeastern Ohio area during and after the global economic crisis that peaked in 2008. From 2007 to 2014, Mark convicted over 90 defendants who were sentenced to over 1,500 months of incarceration and ordered to pay over $21 million in restitution. 

Prior to his time in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mark also served the public in the Ohio Attorney General's Office, appointed by Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro as the Senior Deputy Attorney General in Cleveland. As the top state attorney in Northeast Ohio, Mark partnered with local governments, community leaders, citizens, and businesses to tackle legal issues important to Northeast Ohio. As the Senior Deputy, Mark managed the Cleveland office consisting of approximately 46 attorneys and 20 staff. 

 
Mark started his legal career in private practice at Weston Hurd, where he litigated business, employment, and product liability disputes and provided business advice and counsel. During his time in private practice, Mark was regularly recognized as a "Super Lawyer" by Law and Politics Magazine in appellate and employment law. Inside Business Magazine also recognized Mark as a “Leading Lawyer” for six years in both employment and government practice. 

Beginning in 2002 until 2021, Mark served as an adjunct professor at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, teaching advanced brief writing and appellate advocacy skills, as well as assisting with the legal externship program. 

Pro bono and community service has always been a cornerstone for Mark. He proudly served on the Board of the Directors of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, the Board of Trustees of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Foundation. Mark has been a long-term member of the Finance Committee of the Cuyahoga County Republican Party and won the Robert E. Hughes Volunteer of the Year Award in 2006. He received recognition as the Ohio State Bar Association’s District 12 Volunteer of the Year in 2002 and the Cleveland Bar Association’s Volunteer of the Year in 2001.

While attending law school at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Mark held full-time positions in global transportation and logistics. He received his bachelor's degree from Baldwin Wallace College (now University), where he graduated summa cum laude and was a varsity student athlete. 

Admissions

United States Supreme Court

Ohio Supreme Court

U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio, 

Eastern District of Michigan

United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit