First steps
- Search the lawyer’s name on the State Bar of Arizona website.
- Use the State Bar’s option to check legal professional discipline.
- Look up whether the lawyer is a board-certified specialist in criminal law.
- Ask the lawyer who else at the firm will work on your case, and check those names too.
Checking a lawyer takes a few minutes and is one of the few parts of a criminal case that is entirely in your control. The State Bar of Arizona publishes the tools you need on its public site: a search for legal professionals, a way to check discipline and a directory of board-certified specialists. This page explains what each one tells you and what it does not.
The State Bar search
The State Bar of Arizona’s search for a legal professional is the starting point. Find the lawyer by name, confirm that the record matches the person you spoke to, including city and firm, and note whether they are in good standing. If you cannot find the person, ask them for their full name as registered with the State Bar. Anyone offering to represent you in an Arizona criminal case should appear there.
Discipline history
The State Bar also lets the public check legal professional discipline. A record of discipline is not the same as a complaint; discipline is the result of a process that found a violation of the ethics rules. Read what the record says, how long ago it happened and whether it relates to the kind of work you need. An old, minor matter is different from a recent one involving client money or neglect of cases.
No record does not guarantee good work. It means the State Bar has not imposed public discipline. That is why references, the consultation and your own impression still matter.
Board-certified specialists
The State Bar of Arizona certifies lawyers as specialists in a list of practice areas, and criminal law is one of them. According to the State Bar, certified specialists have passed demanding examinations and have extensive experience in their field, and certification is valid for five years, after which the lawyer must re-apply. The State Bar’s public site includes a search for board-certified specialists.
Certification is voluntary. Many capable defense lawyers are not certified, especially early in their careers. Think of it as a useful signal rather than a requirement, and weigh it alongside experience in your court and with your charge.
What else to confirm
| Item | How | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Who will appear in court | Ask directly at the consultation | The person you meet may not be the one who handles hearings |
| Everyone who will work on the case | Search each name on the State Bar site | Associates should be in good standing too |
| Experience with your court | Ask how often they appear there | Local procedures differ |
| The written fee agreement | Read it before you pay | Arizona requires scope and fee in writing |
Paralegals and document preparers
Some offices use paralegals, and Arizona also licenses certain legal paraprofessionals for limited kinds of work. They can be valuable, but in a criminal case you are hiring a lawyer to advise you and appear for you in court. Ask who will do what, and make sure a licensed lawyer is responsible for the defense.
If something goes wrong later
The State Bar runs a free, voluntary fee arbitration program for fee disputes of $1,000 or more, available if both client and lawyer agree and no lawsuit about the fee is pending. Its Client Protection Fund can reimburse losses caused by a lawyer’s dishonest conduct, such as theft or failing to refund unearned fees when no work was done, up to $100,000 per claim, once the lawyer has been disciplined in specified ways. It does not cover ordinary negligence or disagreements about the quality of work. The fee rules behind these programs are in How Criminal Defense Attorneys Charge in Arizona.
Reviews, ads and referrals
Online reviews and advertisements can help you find names, but they are not a substitute for the State Bar check. Reviews are written by a small, self-selected group of clients and rarely describe the kind of case you have. Advertising shows how a firm presents itself, not how it handles your court. Use reviews to build the list, then use the State Bar records and the consultation to narrow it.
Putting it together
Checking a lawyer is not about finding a perfect record; it is about ruling out problems and confirming that the person you meet is the person who will defend you. Combine the State Bar check with the questions in Questions to Ask at Your First Consultation With a Defense Lawyer, and you will know far more than most people do when they sign.
Tip: Save a screenshot of each State Bar record with the date you checked it. It takes a second and becomes part of your own file on the case.