Bennie Lazzara received both his undergraduate degree and his Juris Doctorate degree, with honors, from the University of Florida in 1966 and 1969, respectively. Prior to joining Wilkes & McHugh, P.A., Mr. Lazzara was a Prosecutor with the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office and an attorney with the Public Defender's Office in Hillsborough County. He went on to become managing partner at Lazzara & Paul, P.A. for 23 years, where he handled cases pertaining to medical malpractice, personal injury, wrongful death, condemnation, libel, admiralty, and nursing home abuse and neglect, as well as criminal defense and prosecution. In 1995, the Pinellas County Review called Mr. Lazzara" the best criminal defense attorney money can buy." Lazzara and Paul, P.A. was also instrumental in the creation of the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team and served as their legal counsel.

Mr. Lazzara is licensed to practice law in Florida, Mississippi, Montana, Tennessee, and Texas. He is admitted before the United States Supreme Court and the Supreme Courts of Florida and Montana. He is a member of the Florida Bar, the Florida Justice Association, the Hillsborough County Bar Association, the Kentucky Bar Association, the Mississippi Bar Association, the State Bar of Montana, the Montana Trial Lawyers Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, the American Board of Criminal Lawyers, and the American Board of Trial Advocates. Mr. Lazzara was awarded the prestigious "In the Trenches" award by the Trial Lawyers Section of the Hillsborough County Bar Association and has been featured in The Best Lawyers in America.

Mr. Lazzara has dedicated his energy and trial expertise to championing the cause of the elderly and enfeebled. Since then, he has been involved in gaining several multi-million dollar, record setting, jury verdicts in Florida, Arkansas, and California on behalf of nursing home residents who have been neglected and abused and their families.