Help?!

March 7, 2010 11:24 AM

Does anyone know of a good criminal lawyer in the Phoenix/Tempe area? My son ran into what should have been a minor possession charge (paraphernalia, residue), but is instead a potential felony change in the state of Arizona.
posted by UncleJoe to law & government (6 answers total)

If you can't get a personal recommendation, try using http://www.martindale.com/ and pick a criminal lawyer with an AV rating.
posted by mikeand1 at 12:29 PM on March 7, 2010

does he qualify for a public defender? He can always start with one, and then depending on how he feels its going, later on he could retain private counsel if he's not satisfied.

As to finding one, in Oregon, at least, you can call the state bar and they'll refer you to an attorney in that specialty. You might try the Arizona state bar and see if they have a similar program.

Also, as a general matter, a "minor possession charge" and a felony are not necessarily incompatible. The real question isn't the charge, it's how the prosecutor and his lawyer would resolve the charge. This isn't legal advice, though, and I don't practice in Arizona.
posted by Happydaz at 1:03 PM on March 7, 2010

Happydaz - thanks. I know that they are not incompatible, which is why I am so concerned. Arizona seem very draconian with thie drug laws.
posted by UncleJoe at 1:16 PM on March 7, 2010

I recommend against getting a referral from the bar. It's not much better than randomly picking someone out of the phone book (which is the last thing you should do.)
posted by mikeand1 at 1:36 PM on March 7, 2010

I don't practice in Arizona or in the criminal field at all, but I'd second Happydaz's suggestion to call a legal referral service. I found this page from the ABA with a couple of Arizona services, and this page from the Arizona Attorney General's site with a little more information.

I am not your or your son's lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
posted by tellumo at 1:47 PM on March 7, 2010

I worked as a paralegal (not in the criminal field) in the Phoenix area a few years back. Whenever someone was in need of criminal representation we'd send them over to Robert Jarvis:
2650 East Southern Avenue
Mesa, AZ 85204-5413
[phone]

My brother got in a bit o' trouble and used him as well and seemed satisfied.

I do not know the attorney personally.
posted by Sassyfras at 3:40 PM on March 7, 2010