Benjamin Crump grew up in Lumberton, North Carolina, and later became a student leader at Florida State University. The Florida Bar's account describes his childhood in a housing project and his mother's work in a factory and hotel. During college, he served as president of the Black Student Union, an early public role before entering the legal profession.
He graduated from Florida State's law school in 1995. With classmate Daryl Parks, he established Parks & Crump in Tallahassee soon afterward. In an interview with their alma mater, Crump recalled attending a National Bar Association convention before the two had become lawyers, with sponsorship from attorney Willie Gary. He credited other lawyers in the association with helping them learn the practical side of the profession.
In 2006, Crump represented the parents of Martin Lee Anderson, a fourteen-year-old who died after being restrained and beaten at a Florida juvenile boot camp. The state agreed to a $5 million settlement with the family, and Florida closed its remaining juvenile boot camps.
His subsequent clients included the families of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, as well as people affected by the Flint water crisis. These representations made him a nationally visible advocate for families in cases involving police violence and environmental harm.
Crump became the National Bar Association's 73rd president in July 2015. He identified voting rights as a priority and discussed legislative questions surrounding police body cameras.
In February 2023, St. Thomas University named its law school after him. In August 2025, the university and Crump's office confirmed a decision to restore the school's original name and announced plans for a Benjamin L. Crump Institute for Environmental and Societal Law.
