History | BNN LawJOHN HENRY BENCKENSTEIN ( 1903-1992 ), was born in Detroit, Michigan and came to Beaumont, Texas at an early age. He was the son of Genevieve Peterson Benckenstein and Leonard Frederick Benckenstein. After attending Culver Military Academy and Laurenceville School in Laurenceville, New Jersey, he attended the University of Virginia where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1928, which was replaced with a Juris Doctor degree in 1970. He was a member of Phi Delta Phi. Mr. Benckenstein revised Huley's Notes on Commercial Law, University of Virginia, 1927.Mr. Benckenstein was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1928 and began the practice of law in Beaumont, Texas on June 19, 1928. He was also admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Western and Southern Districts of Texas ; the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Louisiana ; the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ; and the U.S. Supreme Court in 1952.In 1963, Mr. Benckenstein invited Lipscomb Norvell, Jr., to join him in his general defense practice. He was the founding member of Benckenstein & Norvell, and at the time of his death, he was serving as "Of Counsel" to the firm. Mr. Benckenstein was a member of the Jefferson County Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, the American Bar Association, the Federation of Insurance Counsel, the Motor Carriers Lawyers Association, the Texas Association of Defense Counsel, Trial Attorneys of America, and was a Fellow " Texas Bar Foundation.In March of 1990, the firm opened its Houston office to more fully accommodate clients in the Houston area. In 1995, the firm became Benckenstein, Norvell & Nathan, LLP. In 2007, the firm opened its Austin office to better serve clients in the Austin area. The firm is Martindale-Hubbell AV rated. The firm's three offices offer clients a wide range of legal services. The attorneys of Benckenstein, Norvell & Nathan, LLP, have extensive trial experience in a variety of practice areas.