Ms. Benzie devotes her practice to representing claimants in workers’ compensation matters and plaintiffs in civil litigation, including premises liability, medical malpractice, professional negligence, nursing home negligence, motor vehicle accident, and legal malpractice. She has 15 years of experience and has represented clients before administrative law judges, various Courts of Common Pleas throughout the Commonwealth, in addition to the Commonwealth and Superior Courts. Lisa graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1997, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology and a Certificate of Study in Women’s Studies. She then worked until 1999 for Victim’s Services as a counselor and legal advocate for victims of sexual assault and other violent crimes. In this role, Lisa realized her desire and passion for the law and returned to Dickinson School of Law where she obtained her J.D. in May 2002. Knowing she can make a difference in someone’s life by helping them at a most vulnerable time in their own life, is extremely meaningful to Lisa.
She is currently President of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice (PAJ) and advocates tirelessly on behalf of injured persons to preserve their rights to access to civil justice. Lisa is a past Chair of the New Lawyer’s Section, Workers Compensation Section and Legislative Committee, and remains active in PAJ’s Medical Malpractice and Workers Compensation Sections. She is a member of the Dauphin County Bar Association where she currently serves as the Association’s secretary, is a past member of the Board of Directors, and past co-chair of the DCBA Women in the Profession Committee. Lisa also is in her first term serving as a Dauphin County Arbitrator. Finally, Lisa is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association where she is a Past Chair of the House of Delegates, a Member of the Executive Council of the Civil Litigation Section, Co-chair of the PBA Political Action Committee (PBA PAC), past Co chair Commission on Women in the Profession, past Co-chair of the Health Law Committee, and past Chair of the Young Lawyer’s Division. In 2007, as a young lawyer, Lisa was named to the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer in Plaintiff’s Medical Malpractice. In 2008, she was named as one of the Best Lawyers in America in Workers’ Compensation and Plaintiffs Medical Malpractice. In every subsequent year, Ms. Benzie has been recognized by both publications. In 2014, Best Lawyers of America named Ms. Benzie as the publication's 2015 and 2018 Workers' Compensation Law - Claimants "Lawyer of the Year” and was named one of the Top 50 Women Attorney in Pennsylvania by the Super Lawyers rating service.
In addition to being devoted to her profession, Ms. Benzie is also involved with many charities in different capacities. Currently, she is co-chair of the Central Pennsylvania Salvation Army’s main fundraiser, The Shoe Strut. Lisa was involved with inception of this event in 2012.
Lisa brings the benefit of personal life experience to her practice. As a young child, Lisa’s Father was injured working in the local coal mines in her hometown, Gallitzin, Cambria County. Lisa lived through, and knows firsthand, what it is like to depend on the system for survival. Being the youngest of eight (8) kids in her family with a stay at home Mom, Lisa recalls the stress and difficulty inflicted upon her family from the frivolous denial of benefits by an insurance carrier. When attorneys finally got involved, Lisa, her Father, and her entire family, recall the sense of relief, hope, and the encouragement they were given throughout the course of their case. It is for these reasons that Lisa has decided to spend her career fighting for victims of work injuries, medical malpractice, and personal injury suffered at the hands of a negligent person, in the same way, the attorneys fought for her family when she was young.