Alexandra “Ally” Benevento was born and raised in Western New York. Prior to attending law school, she worked as a paralegal for a small firm. Alexandra Benevento earned her law degree from the University of South Carolina in 2009. Prior to joining the Strom Law Firm team, Alexandra was a solo practitioner, focusing her practice on criminal defense and personal injury cases.
Since starting with the Strom Law Firm in late 2012, Alexandra has focused her practice on state and federal criminal defense, civil rights and civil litigation. She strives to provide compassionate representation and has successfully represented thousands of individuals in state and federal courts.
Alexandra is admitted to the South Carolina Bar, as well as the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. She has previously been admitted pro hac vice to, and successfully represented clients in numerous federal district courts across the country. She is a member of the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (SCACDL), the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), the South Carolina Association for Justice (SCAJ), the Women’s White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA), the DUI Defense Lawyers Association (DUIDLA), the South Carolina Bar Association, and the Richland County Bar Association. Alexandra is certified in DUI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing using the NHTSA curriculum. She is a frequent participant in continuing legal education seminars with SCACDL, presenting on topics involving criminal law.
In addition to practicing law, Alexandra is an adjunct professor of Legal Writing and Criminal Law at Midlands Technical College. She serves on the board of directors of the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, representing South Carolina’s Fifth Judicial Circuit. She also serves on SCACDL’s Legislative Committee. She volunteers as the mentor coordinator for the United States District Court BRIDGE Program, a cooperative effort between South Carolina’s U.S. District Court, U.S. Probation Office, Federal Public Defender’s Office, and U.S. Attorney’s Office that provides rehabilitative services to individuals with substance abuse problems who are involved in the federal criminal justice system. She also serves on the board of directors for Milestones—a local nonprofit that benefits children living in foster care. Alexandra is passionate about social justice, restorative justice, sentencing equality, and criminal justice reform. She supports numerous organizations and nonprofits benefiting the wrongfully convicted, recently released, and historically disenfranchised.
In her spare time, Alexandra enjoys reading, writing, fondant cake decorating, architectural photography, and cooking Cuban and Italian. She and her husband live in Columbia with their two daughters and a blue Shar-Pei named “Rosie.”
