Criminal Defense in Arizona

How we help

Charged with a crime, or someone you love was arrested? We explain what happens next, what the case actually turns on, and what your options are — starting with a confidential conversation.

Every criminal defense matter starts with a free, confidential review. We'll tell you honestly where you stand and, if we take your case, handle it from intake through resolution.

Common criminal defense charges we handle in Arizona

Criminal Defense law in Arizona

Arizona is the strictest of the three states we serve, in ways that are structural rather than discretionary — which makes early defense work matter more here, not less.

• There is no parole: Arizona abolished parole for most offenses committed after the mid-1990s. A prison sentence is served to a fixed statutory proportion, reduced only by earned release credits — there is no parole board that can shorten it. This is the single most consequential thing most people facing Arizona charges do not know.
• Sentencing runs from a presumptive term: Arizona sorts felonies into classes and sets a presumptive term for each, which aggravating and mitigating findings move up or down within a statutory range. Because the starting point is fixed by class, what a case is charged as matters enormously.
• Some charges remove the judge’s discretion: Allegations that an offense was "dangerous," or that the person is a repetitive offender, carry mandatory prison — the option of probation disappears. Contesting those allegations is often where the real defense work is.
• A felony that can become a misdemeanor: For the least serious felony class, an Arizona court can leave the offense undesignated and later designate it a misdemeanor if probation is completed successfully. If you are not a U.S. citizen, do not assume federal immigration law follows the state designation — it may not.
• DUI carries mandatory jail: Arizona attaches a mandatory minimum jail term to every DUI conviction, including a first offense, and grades the offense into tiers by blood-alcohol level, each tier raising the floor. A DUI becomes a felony — "aggravated" DUI — based on circumstances rather than test results: a repeat offense within the statutory lookback, driving on a suspended license, a child in the car, or an interlock violation.
• Charging usually goes through a grand jury: Arizona felonies commonly proceed by grand jury indictment rather than a preliminary hearing, and where that presentation was defective there is a distinct remedy — a remand for a new finding of probable cause.

Free checklists and guides

Practical steps for the moments that move fastest — the first hours after an arrest, what to do if someone you love is in custody, and what to ask before agreeing to anything.

• Before You Plead to Anything, If You Are Not a U.S. Citizen
• What to Do in the First 48 Hours After an Arrest
• What to Do If a Family Member Is in Jail
• Questions to Ask Before Accepting a Plea
• What to Bring to a First Meeting With a Defense Lawyer
• How to Prepare for a Court Appearance
• Court Date Planner

How Arizona compares

We are licensed in California, Arizona and New Mexico, and they differ more than most people expect. These put the three side by side.

• Is There Parole in Arizona? Sentencing and Release in California, Arizona and New Mexico
• Can a Felony Become a Misdemeanor? California vs. Arizona vs. New Mexico
• DUI and DWI: How California, Arizona and New Mexico Differ
• Criminal Charges and Immigration Status: Why the State Matters

Serving Arizona

We represent criminal defense clients throughout Arizona — there's no need to be in a particular city. Call (866) 855-1195 or start your free review above. Have questions first? See our Criminal Defense FAQs.

Frequently asked questions

See all Criminal Defense FAQs →