Josh Benzadon graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2020, with a degree in communications with a minor in business. As an undergraduate, Benzadon stumbled into a business law course to satisfy a requirement for his minor. He says his professor, Bradley Gold, structured the course to mimic a real law school class. Benzadon became obsessed with the subject and learning structure and read the textbook from cover to cover.
Next, he took a sport and entertainment law course with Professor Tullos Wells, the former general counsel for the San Antonio Spurs. Benzadon was hooked; today, his chosen curriculum at Miami focuses on venture capital law for venture technology businesses and startups — all areas for which Miami Law offers expertise.
A born and raised Miamian, Benzadon decided to return to his hometown for Law school to be close to family.
Interning w/Tech Law Focus at Top NYC Law Firm
This past summer, he interned remotely for Dentons law firm in New York. His onboarding was non-traditional. Dentons rarely enrolls 1L law students, but after an interview, they made an exception. He worked in their venture technology practice, conducting due diligence on merger and acquisition contracts, and assisting in research for their blockchain partners. In addition, he provided Dentons attorneys with research material for presentations. Benzadon’s fascination with cryptocurrency and technology fuels his interest in business law.
Miami Law was one of the first law schools in the U.S. to offer a course in non-fungible tokens, and an NFT course with adjunct professor Stephen Krause (also lead counsel at Dapper Labs — the company behind NBA Top Shot and CryptoKitties) solidified his direction in law school.
Advice for Undergrads Considering a Legal Future
Benzadon advises future law students to take an undergraduate course before applying. He says there is a tremendous amount of reading, and students should give themselves a trial run with legal material and text and sample law school’s course structure before deciding if it is the career they want.
“You either love it or hate it,” he says. It is essential to take the common forewarning of “law school is hard” seriously — Benzadon admits it is just as hard as people said it would be. However, what makes it worth it is his genuine love for the subject, the legal system, and a clear purpose for his law degree after graduation.
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