Attorneys
Terry Allen
Terry Allen is an attorney for the criminal law division of Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center. Mr. Allen is a Former Judge Advocate in the U.S Marine Corps and has sat as a Judge Pro Tempore in the Vista Court. He has handled numerous felony and misdemeanors cases in State and Federal Courts as well as Military Courts Martial.
Mr. Allen is a Graduate of Baker University in Kansas and the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Law. He is admitted to Practice Law in Missouri since 1969 and California since 1978 and Federal District Court.
Robert Arentz - Criminal Defense
Robert Arentz is the supervising attorney at Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center. Mr. Arentz is a Board Certified Specialist in Criminal Law by the Arizona Board of Legal Specialization and has been licensed to practice law in Arizona since 1978 and in California since 1984. In addition to his supervisory role, he also handles high profile and complex cases, as well as felony criminal cases in Arizona and California. Mr. Arentz has been in practice for more than twenty-five years. He has handled numerous criminal trials and appeals, including death penalty litigation.
Mr. Arentz is a graduate of Michigan State University in 1973 with honors and Pepperdine University School of Law in 1978. He is admitted to practice law in the State of Arizona, State of California, and various Federal Courts and before the United States Supreme Court. He has practiced criminal law since 1978, both as a prosecutor and a criminal defense attorney.
In 1984, Mr. Arentz assisted in the creation of the Cochise County, Arizona Public Defender’s Office, and served as director of that office for over five years. Mr. Arentz has also served as Chairman of an Arizona State Bar Disciplinary Hearing Committee.
Mark Benson
Mark D. Benson is an attorney assigned to the Firm’s Criminal Division. Mr. Benson has more than 15 years of criminal defense experience handling cases from major felony charges in Superior Court to misdemeanor DUI matters. A graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law and Arizona State University, Mr. Benson is an aggressive attorney who has represented clients throughout Arizona. A veteran of the Pinal and Maricopa County Public Defender Offices, Mr. Benson possesses excellent legal research and litigation skills.
Ron Bobo - Of Counsel
Ron Bobo is a highly respected, long time San Diego Criminal defense lawyer. Mr. Bobo obtained his B.A. Degree from San Diego State in 1965, with a major in philosophy and psychology. He received his Master’s Degree from SMU in 1968. He earned his Juris Doctorate Law Degree from Western University College of Law in 1975 and he was admitted to practice law in California in February 1976. Mr. Bobo was formerly a felony supervisor with San Diego County Public Defender’s office downtown. He was transition training supervisor, helping misdemeanor lawyers progress to handling a felony caseload. He was chief of the El Cajon branch of the Public Defenders office from 1998 to December 2004.
Mr. Bobo has represented over 1,000 clients and conducted more than 100 jury trials. He has achieved acquittals on almost every criminal charge including first and second degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon (car, gun, and knife), terrorist threats, domestic violence, robbery, burglary, possession of controlled substance for sale, and sale of controlled substance.
Mr. Bobo is past President and former Board member of the Criminal Defense Bar Association. He is a current member of the San Diego Criminal defense Lawyer’s Club, California Public Defender’s Association, California Attorneys’ for Criminal Justice, and the San Diego County bar Association.
Thomas C. Booth, III - Criminal Defense
Mr. Booth is a graduate of Boston University and earned his Juris Doctor from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. He is admitted to practice law in the State of California and the United States District Court, Southern District of California.
Mr. Booth's prior experience includes more than eight years in private practice. He has represented clients in both felony and misdemeanor cases. As a sole practitioner, Mr. Booth's caseload also included civil litigation, family law and bankruptcy matters. His approach is to obtain the best possible disposition for his clients under the law, facts and circumstances of the case. Mr. Booth has been recognized by the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program for his service to that program.
Before entering the practice of law, Mr. Booth served more than twenty years as a Coast Guard officer. Much of that career was in operational law enforcement. He has commanded operational units, is a Distinguished Graduate of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and has valuable insight into the impacts of legal matters on military personnel and their careers.
Cindy Castillo
Cindy Castillo is a trial attorney and a bilingual member of our criminal defense team in the Phoenix office. Ms. Castillo is originally from New Mexico and now makes her home in Arizona. She received her undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Spanish for the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She earned her law degree at the Arizona State University College of Law, where she graduated with Pro Bono Distinction. Ms. Castillo also served as the Executive Moot Court Board Chairperson.
Ms. Castillo is a member of the State Bar of Arizona and she is admitted to practice in the United States District Court, District of Arizona. Prior to joining Phillips & Associates, her background in criminal law included managing a criminal defense law firm in North Carolina, service in the Maricopa County Public Defender’s Clinic, and a position at the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. Ms. Castillo is active in the Los Abogados Hispanic Bar Association, the American Inn of Court, and the Chandler-Ahwatukee Chapter of the Sertoma Club. Prior to practicing criminal defense law, Ms. Castillo practiced in the areas of social security disability and workers’ compensation.
William Cronin
Mr. William Cronin is an attorney in the firm's Criminal division. Mr. Cronin earned his law degree from California Western School of Law in San Diego in 2000. Before joining Phillips & Associates, Mr. Cronin handled cases in law firms and private practice and worked at the Mohave County Public Defender's Office where he litigated numerous cases in Superior Court. Mr. Cronin is admitted to practice in all Arizona courts, including the United States District Court of Arizona, and is a member of the State Bar of Arizona.
Mr. Cronin is originally from Pasadena, California and relocated to Arizona in 1977. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Arizona in 1987. He then worked in California for real estate and trust companies. During that time, he received his Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University in 1994.
Marcus E. DeBose
Marcus E. DeBose is an attorney for the criminal law division of the Firm. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he majored in History and minored in Spanish. Mr. DeBose completed an adjunct history studies exchange program at the University of Valencia, in Valencia, Spain. He earned his Juris Doctorate at the University of San Diego School of Law where served as a member of the Appellate Moot Court Board and as a member of the California State Appellate Oral Advocacy Team. Mr. DeBose has been a member of the California Bar since 2001 and is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.
In 2002, Mr. DeBose obtained an acquittal on his first jury trial wherein his client was falsely accused of domestic violence. Since then he has obtained several favorable jury verdicts, evidence suppression rulings and probation grants on both misdemeanor and felony cases. Devoted to volunteer service and the maintenance of community ties, Mr. DeBose will serve as President of the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association in 2006 and is a member of the Mission Valley Rotary Club. Mr. DeBose speaks fluent Spanish.
Basil Diamos
Basil Diamos is a 1979 honors graduate of the University of Arizona. After admittance to the State Bar of Arizona in 1979, Mr. Diamos began private practice in Tucson. In 1982, Mr. Diamos moved to Phoenix where he practiced general law. He returned to private practice in 1985 as an independent contractor for the City of Phoenix.
Mr. Diamos has extensive experience in the Phoenix Municipal Court system, primarily dealing with DUI and other various misdemeanors. He has practiced law for over 26 years and is a member of the United States District Court of Arizona, as well as the Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice.
Daniel F. Greene
Dan Greene received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. After college, Mr. Greene worked as the Director of Business and Marketing for the Southern California offices of a Washington Post subsidiary company focusing on Education, Academics and Test Preparation. A native San Diegan, Mr. Greene left that position to pursue a law degree from California Western School of Law. As a law clerk and student intern, Mr. Greene worked for the Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General and for the Federal Defenders of San Diego. After graduating, Mr. Greene served as a certified law clerk for the San Diego County Public Defender's Office.
Mr. Greene is a member of both the State Bar of California and the Federal Bar for the Southern District of California. As a highly valued member of the Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center family of trial attorneys, Mr. Greene handles a majority of the firm’s felony attempted murder, robbery, assault, battery, domestic violence, and theft-related cases. He has aggressively defended clients at trial on serious felony charges (see Highlights below), and has successfully negotiated plea bargains in cases where trial was not in the client’s best legal interests. Mr. Greene has successfully represented clients prosecuted for Attempted Murder, “Gang” Crimes, Robbery, Assault with a Firearm / Deadly Weapon, Inflicting Great Bodily Injury, Battery, Lewd Contact, Residential and Commercial Burglary, Grand Theft, Embezzlement, Prostitution, Resisting Arrest, Aiding & Abetting, Accessory, Reckless Driving, Evading Police, Driving Under the Influence of Drugs and Alcohol, Transportation, Sales and Possession of Narcotics and Drug Paraphernalia, etc.
In addition to defending against adult prosecutions, Mr. Greene handles both juvenile Delinquency and Dependency cases. He has also successfully represented clients for felony and misdemeanor expungements, requests for probation modifications, early termination of probation and felony reductions, as well as exclusions/exemptions related to the Department of Justice Sex Offender Website.
Dan Greene brings intelligence, hard work, enthusiasm and, most importantly, “Results” to the practice of Criminal Defense Law. He is tireless in his efforts to obtain for his clients the best legal results possible on each and every case.
Highlights include:
- ATTEMPTED MURDER (GANG CASE) - - DISMISSED DAY OF TRIAL
- D.V. BATTERY RESULTING IN GREAT BODILY INJURY - - NOT GUILTY
- ATTEMPTED MURDER - - HUNG JURY
- ASSAULT WITH A SEMI-AUTO WEAPON - - HUNG JURY
- FELON IN POSSESSION OF FIREARM - - DISMISSED DAY OF TRIAL
- IDENTITY THEFT / FRAUDULENT USE OF CREDIT CARD - - DISMISSED PRE-TRIAL
- RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY - - DISMISSED POST-PRELIMINARY HEARING
- ATTEMPTED LEWD CONDUCT WITH A MINOR - - DISMISSED POST-TRIAL
- ASSAULT & BATTERY RESULTING IN GREAT BODILY INJURY - - DISMISSED AT PRELIM.
- GRAND THEFT BY EMPLOYEE - - DISMISSED AFTER REVERSAL ON APPEAL
Alan R. Hock
Alan R. Hock is one of our criminal defense attorneys in Phoenix. A trial attorney, he is originally from Tucson, Arizona and his family has lived in Arizona since the 1880's. Mr. Hock graduated from the University of Arizona in 1976 with a Degree in Political Science. After graduation, Mr. Hock made his home in Roanoke, Virginia where he was employed for several years as a stockbroker.
Upon returning to Arizona, Mr. Hock graduated from Arizona State University College of Law. Following admission to the State Bar of Arizona, Mr. Hock served as Assistant City Prosecutor for the City of Phoenix, where he handled only criminal and D.U.I. cases. As an assistant city attorney, Mr. Hock obtained considerable trial experience. Mr. Hock has now limited his practice to D.U.I. and criminal defense cases.
Mr. Hock has recently been certified as a Criminal Law Specialist in the State of Arizona by the Arizona Board of Legal Specialization.
Mr. Hock was a Flight Commander, Squadron Administration Officer and Pilot in the United States Air Force (Reserve). He is currently involved with the Aircraft Owner and Pilot Association.
Allen F. Jacobs
Allen F. Jacobs is a criminal defense attorney in Phoenix. He is originally from Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Jacobs graduated from Drake University in 1965 with a Bachelor of Science. He then continued his studies at the University of Illinois, College of Law, where he graduated in 1968 with his Juris Doctorate in law.
Prior to moving to Phoenix with his family, Mr. Jacobs was a sole practitioner in the Chicago area from 1973 to 1997. He practiced both civil and criminal law. Shortly after his admittance to the State Bar of Arizona and U.S. District Court, District of Arizona in 1997, Mr. Jacobs joined Phillips & Associates. Mr. Jacobs has now limited his practice to D.U.I. and criminal defense cases.
Douglas LaSota
Mr. LaSota has resided in Arizona most of his life. He holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from Our Lady of the Lake University of San Antonio, where he graduated Summa Cum laude at the top of his class. He then obtained his Juris Doctorate from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. He is also a graduate of the Institute of Comparative Political and Economic Systems at Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C., where he was Goldwater Scholar and a legislative intern at the U.S. House of Representatives. Mr. LaSota was a prosecution intern at the Maricopa County Attorney’s office and then served as an Assistant City prosecutor for the City of Phoenix. Mr. LaSota previously served as a Judge Pro Tem in Scottsdale City Court, the Maricopa County Justice Courts, Mesa Municipal Court and Chandler Municipal Court.
Mr. LaSota has been involved in many criminal and DUI cases of statewide concern. He fought to preserve the right to a Jury Trial in DUI cases, and won on that issue in Mesa Municipal Court, Maricopa County Superior Court, the Arizona Court of Appeals – Div. 1 and before the Arizona Supreme Court (in 2006). Mr. LaSota is licensed by the State Bar of Arizona and is also certified to practice before the U.S. District Court of Arizona and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Julio Laboy
Julio Laboy graduated from the College of Law at Arizona State University, earning his Juris Doctor as well as a certificate in Indian Law. He was selected the graduation student speaker and finished law school a full semester early. Mr. Laboy also has a Master of Arts in Mass Communications from California State University, Fullerton where he was also selected the student graduation speaker. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Journalism from Brooklyn College in New York City.
Mr. Laboy accepted a position as a prosecutor with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office after completing law school and conducted numerous felony trials. Immediately following his tenure at the County Attorney's Office, Mr. Laboy began his own private criminal defense practice before joining Phillips & Associates in the Criminal Department, where is the assistant supervising attorney. He has extensive experience in both misdemeanor and serious felony matters.
Prior to entering law school, Mr. Laboy spent approximately seven years working as a staff writer for various newspapers including The Orange County Register; New York Newsday, where he was part of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team covering a bombing attack on the NYC subway; and The Wall Street Journal, where he won several awards for his coverage of minorities in business.
Mr. Laboy is also a former City of Phoenix Commissioner, having represented Mayor Phil Gordon on the Estrella Village Planning Committee. He also created, coordinates, and moderates "Inside/Out" an ongoing volunteer series of weekly workshops at the Lower Buckeye Jail for juvenile inmates charged as adults. Mr. Laboy is licensed to practice in the Superior Courts of Arizona and in the U.S. District Courts of Arizona.
Melanie Laboy
Ms. Melanie Laboy is attorney in the Criminal division. Ms. Laboy graduated from Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is a former prosecutor with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office where she prosecuted numerous felony and misdemeanor cases. Prior to joining Phillips & Associates, Ms. Laboy defended various criminal cases throughout the state for smaller firms in Maricopa County. Ms. Laboy also has previous courtroom experience in family and civil law, including complex construction defect litigation and civil mediation. Ms. Laboy is also a Phoenix Commissioner having been appointed by Mayor Phil Gordon to the city's Development Advisory Board. She is admitted to practice in both Arizona and Wisconsin and is a member in good standing of both State Bar Associations. Ms. Laboy is also admitted to the Federal District Court - Eastern District of Wisconsin and the Federal District Court in Arizona.
Laura Lehan
Laura Lehan is a 1980 graduate of Arizona State University where she received a Bachelor of Science degree. Ms. Lehan later graduated from Law School at Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco, California. After an intensive civil litigation internship in the State of California, Ms. Lehan relocated to Maricopa County, Arizona and she was admitted to the State Bar of Arizona in 1988.
Ms. Lehan is a trial attorney in the D.U.I. and criminal defense division of our Phoenix firm. Ms. Lehan also has experience handling accident and injury cases and has trial experience on negligence cases. She has also represented clients in legal proceedings from dissolution of marriage, paternity, and grandparent rights, including extensive trial and appellate litigation. Ms. Lehan is a member of the State Bar of Arizona, admitted to practice in the United States Federal Court for the District of Arizona, and is a member of the Arizona Women Lawyers Association.
Attorney Lehan now limits her practice to criminal defense law and D.U.I. defense.
Larry Magid
Larry Magid is a trial attorney and a member of our team of criminal defense attorneys in our Phoenix office. Mr. Magid was recognized as a Certified Criminal Trial Attorney by the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1982 and has practiced criminal law both as a prosecutor and defense attorney. Mr. Magid has more than thirty years experience in criminal law. He is a graduate of West Virginia University and Seton Hall School of Law. He was admitted to practice law in the State of New Jersey in 1969. He is also admitted to practice in various Federal Courts.
Mr. Magid is a member of the Arizona State Bar and has limited his practice exclusively to criminal defense and D.U.I. cases. Mr. Magid has given specialized courses in various areas of criminal law and investigations for may agencies including the F.B.I. and D.E.A. He has taught criminal law and procedure for several years.
Samantha Mann
Ms. Mann completed her undergraduate studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara and graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law. Ms. Mann joined Steigerwalt & Associates in 2002 as their misdemeanor attorney. Since then, she has become the firm's Managing Attorney and carries a varied felony caseload. She negotiates and litigates felony cases including vehicular manslaughter, battery, forgery, indecent exposure, prostitution, resisting arrest, vehicle code violations, assault with a deadly weapon, as well as cases involving drug possession and sale.
Additionally, Ms. Mann is our authority in handling federal cases. She continues to maintain a significant district court caseload that permits her to litigate a wide array of cases through the motions and trial stages.
- Ms. Mann has received some impressive results including, but not limited to:
- DUI's- dismissed, not guilty
- Felony weapon charges- dismissed
- Assault with a deadly weapon- dismissed
- Robbery- not guilty
- Assault- not guilty
- 3,000 lbs. of marijuana (Federal case)- not guilty
- Vehicular Manslaughter- dismissed
Ms. Mann is a valued member of our team who at all times guarantees thorough, professional, and effective representation to her clients.
David R. Mika
David R. Mika is a trial attorney and a member of our team of criminal defense attorneys in our Phoenix firm. He has handled numerous felony and misdemeanor criminal defense and D.U.I. cases in his twenty years of practice. He is originally from Chicago, Illinois and graduated from Roosevelt University in 1977 with a degree in Business Administration. He then attended John Marshall Law School in Chicago and received his degree to practice law in 1980. Mr. Mika was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1980 and to the Arizona bar in 1983.
After relocating to Arizona in 1981, his main practice area was originally civil litigation including personal injury and insurance coverage matters. Since 1992, Attorney Mika has limited his practice to the area of criminal defense and D.U.I. defense and has represented numerous Arizona clients in criminal and D.U.I. jury trials.
Jose A. Montaño
Jose A. Montaño is a trial attorney in the criminal law division of the firm. Mr. Montaño is originally from our sister city, Hermosillo, Sonora, México. Mr. Montaño is a graduate of Arizona State University with honors and Arizona State University College of Law. He is a member of the State Bar of Arizona, admitted to practice in the United States Federal Court of Arizona and also in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Mr. Montaño has tried numerous felony and misdemeanor cases as both prosecutor and criminal defense attorney. Mr. Montaño has a broad background in Business, Real Estate, Immigration and Criminal law. After joining our firm, Mr. Montaño has limited his practice exclusively to criminal defense and D.U.I. cases.
Mr. Montaño is currently a member of Los Abogados Hispanic Bar Association and numerous other community service organizations.
William K. Mueller
William Mueller is an Senior Trial Attorney in the Criminal Law Division of Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center.
He has been in private practice since 1982, working almost exclusively on criminal felony and misdemeanor cases. Mr. Mueller has also done some appellate work and argued before the United States Court of Appeal in and for the Ninth Circuit. His defense work also includes three years with the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara County Public Defender’s Offices.
Mr. Mueller served with distinction in the United States Marines and is a Vietnam Combat Veteran. He was awarded the Purple Heart, one of the most respected of all military decorations, in 1969.
Mr. Mueller received his Bachelor’s Degree from St. Joseph College in Indiana and his Juris Doctorate from the University Of San Diego School Of Law. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1978.
Joshua S. Parilman
Joshua S. Parilman is an aggressive attorney and a member of our team of criminal defense attorneys in our Phoenix firm. He has gained extensive experience while handling numerous criminal defense and D.U.I. cases. He is originally from Omaha, Nebraska and moved to Arizona where he graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. He completed his first year of law school at Creighton University School of Law in Omaha, Nebraska, before transferring to California Western School of Law in San Diego and receiving the degree of Juris Doctor. Mr. Parilman is admitted to both the Arizona Bar and California Bar.
Jack C. Pemberton
Jack C. Pemberton is a member of the Firm's Criminal Division. Mr. Pemberton graduated magna cum laude from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston where he also earned the distinction of Mock Trial Champion. Mr. Pemberton has significant experience in criminal law having litigated numerous cases while previously working as a Mohave County Assistant Public Defender. He also worked as an extern for the Honorable G. Murray Snow of the Arizona Court of Appeals. A fluent Spanish-speaker, Mr. Pemberton is also well versed in Western Caribbean Creole, and Garifuna, the language spoken by those of Carib and African ancestry living along the Caribbean coast of Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and Nicaragua.
Jon Pettis
Jon Pettis is an attorney for the criminal division of Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center. Mr. Pettis has over 11 years experience as a criminal defense attorney. He has represented clients in both State and Federal courts in cases ranging from simple misdemeanors to very serious felonies. Mr. Pettis is an experienced trial attorney having taken dozens of cases through trial with many successful verdicts. He has also had great success representing clients whose rights were violated by the police, having evidence suppressed and having those cases dismissed.
Mr. Pettis has extensive experience defending clients accused of DUI. He has developed an excellent understanding of police procedures, field sobriety tests, the science involved in DUI cases and explaining to juries why chemical tests are often inaccurate. He is a two- time graduate of the National College for DUI Defense and a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Mr. Pettis is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated with honors. He attended UCLA School of Law where he was a Moot Court award winner.
His knowledge, dedication, and countless hours in the courtroom make him a valuable asset to the trial team at Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center.
Jeffrey L. Phillips
Jeffrey Phillips graduated from Arizona State University in 1990 where he earned a Juris Doctorate in Law and started along the road to a successful legal career. Before law school, Mr. Phillips received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1986 from Arizona State University. Additionally, Mr. Phillips has developed a wide background of experience in business, real estate and finance. At our Phoenix, Arizona firm, he focuses on criminal law and DUI defense, as well as providing attorney representation for plaintiff's serious personal injury cases.
Jeffrey Phillips is licensed to practice law in Arizona. As a part of our Phoenix, Arizona firm, he has served as criminal and DUI defense attorney for a number of clients in both felony and misdemeanor cases, and has presented more than 40 criminal and DUI cases to juries. He has represented clients in felony charges throughout Arizona in Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Gila, Mojave, Navajo and Yavapai Counties.
Jeffrey Phillips has received considerable recognition for his volunteer work. In April 1994, he received the Volunteer Attorney of the Month Award from Community Legal Service. In 1996, he was presented with the William T. Burmingham Award in recognition for the volunteer work he performed throughout the year. In 2002, his work in assisting low income bankruptcy clients contributed to Phillips and Associates being honored with the Volunteer Lawyer Program Bankruptcy Service award.
In addition to his role at our Phoenix, Arizona firm as an experienced criminal and DUI defense attorney, Mr. Phillips works with attorneys throughout the United States, helping seriously injured clients.
Rick Poster
Rick Poster is a Board Certified as a Specialist in Criminal Law by the Arizona Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Poster graduated from California State University with a B.A. in Political Science and was certified as a paralegal from the same school. Mr. Poster then graduated from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Michigan. Rick spent three years prosecuting at the Ingham County Prosecutors Office in Lansing, Michigan, and five years prosecuting at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in Phoenix, Arizona. Since leaving the County Attorney’s Office, Rick has practiced several areas of law, but now serves as one of our criminal defense attorneys at our Phoenix firm exclusively.
Rick is a former U.S. Army Officer where he served in the U.S. Army Reserve on active duty and with the National Guard. Rick’s leadership was recognized several times having been awarded an Army Achievement Medal, an Army Commendation Medal, and Best Infantry Leader on active duty.
Rick taught Criminal Law and related courses at Arizona State University West for seven years, authored the Arizona D.U.I. Trial Book and other publications, and has presented at D.U.I. 14 and D.U.I. 15 Seminars on D.U.I. topics.
Rick’s hobbies include computers, golf, and karate.
Jose Antonio Saldivar
Jose Antonio Saldivar is an attorney in the criminal division of Phillips & Associates. Mr. Saldivar graduated from Arizona State University with honors and from Arizona State University College of Law with Pro Bono distinction. He is a three-time Valdemar Cordova Scholarship recipient. Mr. Saldivar is a member of the Hispanic National Bar Association, Los Abogados, and was Vice-President of Los Licenciados.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Saldivar worked for Community Legal Services and represented migrant farm workers before the Internal Revenue Service and the United States District Court, District of Arizona under the Agricultural Worker Protection Act and Fair Labor Standards Act. Mr. Saldivar also worked for the Yuma County Legal Defender where he limited his practice to criminal defense.
Mr. Saldivar resides in Maricopa, Arizona and Ensenada Baja California, Mexico.
David Shapiro
David P. Shapiro was the most recent addition to what was formerly Steigerwalt & Associates, joining the firm in the fall of 2007.
David has dedicated his career to defending those accused of crimes. Mr. Shapiro graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies in 2003 and thereafter attended Tulane University Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana where he earned his Juris Doctor in 2006. David served as President of the Tulane Criminal Law Society and excelled as a student-attorney in the nationally renowned Tulane Criminal Law Clinic. In connection with his service at the Tulane Criminal Law Clinic, he advocated on behalf of inmates and criminal defendants, including prisoners whose rights had been impinged due to the collapse of the New Orleans criminal justice system in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, garnering recognition in several international news documentaries in the process. David also worked for Tulane's Project for Older Prisoners (POPS) and is one of only a few student-attorneys to have successfully argued before the Louisiana State Board of Parole.
David moved to San Diego in 2006 when he was selected for the highly competitive and sought after post-bar internship with the San Diego County Public Defender's Office. He previously had worked with criminal defense offices in his native New York City.
Some of Mr. Shapiro’s accolades in San Diego include, but have not been limited to:
- Felony Burglary Charges = Dismissed at First Readiness Conference
- DUI & Weapons Charges = Dismissed at First Readiness Conference
- DUI (Drugs) = Not Guilty after Jury Trial
- Battery w/ Serious Bodily Injury = Dismissed After Hung Jury (9-3 Not Guilty)
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia = Charges Dismissed on Day of Trial
- Domestic Violence Battery = Charges Dismissed on Day of Trial
- Charges which would have required Lifetime Registration as a Sex Offender = Dismissed on Day of Trial
- Temporary (Civil) Restraining Order = Dismissed, and Attorney’s fees paid by Opposing Party
- Numerous Traffic Offenses = Dismissed at, or during, Trial
David cares about his clients, and strives to make a positive difference in their lives.
Thomas Slattery
Thomas Slattery is also a supervising attorney for the criminal law division for the firm. He is a former prosecutor and felony defense attorney who has represented hundreds of clients in cases ranging from death-penalty murder to driving under the influence of alcohol. Mr. Slattery has tried more than 50 cases to verdict.
Mr. Slattery is a graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law, and he is licensed to practice law in the State of California, and in the Federal District Courts.
Daniel M. Smith
Daniel M. Smith is a Criminal Defense Attorney with Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center.
He has an extensive background in Federal criminal defense cases and has served as a Federal trial lawyer for Federal Defenders, Inc. since 1990. His experience includes time on the State Criminal Appeals Panel and the Federal Trial Panel.
Mr. Smith has had great success raising creative defenses over his career. As early as 1992, Mr. Smith successfully argued the “battered woman syndrome” defense in a bank robbery case on behalf of his client. Mr. Smith maintains that issues sometimes hide in the reports. For example, in a cut and dry third time DUI case, Mr. Smith argued that the prosecution must prove that Federal jurisdiction is ceded to the State when the stop occurs on a military base – he found it in the reports and the defense motion was granted and case dismissed. “I tell my clients that many times, the important issues are hidden until we get the police reports.”
Mr. Smith is a third generation trial attorney, following in the footsteps of his father, the Hon. Ralph G. Smith, Jr., a judge for 18 years and Ralph G. Smith, Sr., his grandfather, who earned notoriety successfully defending bootleggers in the days of prohibition. You may sometimes find Mr. Smith on the telephone talking defense strategies with his father, now that he is a retired judge.
Mr. Smith received his Bachelor’s Degree from Arizona State University and his Juris Doctorate from California Western School of Law. He also holds a membership to the Arizona Bar, the US District Court and Southern District of California Bar Membership. Mr Smith was admitted to the California State Bar in 1990.
Matthew Spiegel
Matthew Spiegel is an attorney for the criminal law division of Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center who speaks both English and Spanish. Mr. Spiegel graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor degree in economics. He earned his Law Degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego.
Mr. Spiegel has extensive experience in handling various types of misdemeanor and felony cases. He has tried many misdemeanor and felony cases, involving charges such as DUI, Child Abuse, and Sex Offender matters. Mr. Spiegel also has experience in drafting all types of criminal and civil motions.
Teresa Starrs
Teresa Starrs is a trial attorney in the criminal law division of the firm. Ms. Starrs has a diverse background having lived in California and the Navajo Nation in Northern Arizona. She also attended school and lived in Mexico for many years. Ms. Starrs graduated with honors from Arizona State University with a degree in Spanish and a minor in translation. She is a graduate of Arizona State University College of law. In addition to law, she has a background in business, and legal interpretation and translation. Ms. Starrs has practiced exclusively criminal law defending her clients with dedication and success.
Kerry Steigerwalt
With over two decades of successful personal injury litigation experience, Kerry Steigerwalt has become one of the most well-known and demanded attorneys in practice today. Mr. Steigerwalt is also highly respected by members of several organizations and associations dedicated to fighting for the rights of injured victims and the criminally accused. He has become a recognized authority in both civil and criminal law matters. With over 100 jury trials appearances, Mr. Steigerwalt has considerable courtroom experience.
Mr. Steigerwalt has also been a devoted criminal defense lawyer and has built a distinguished reputation in his practice. He has successfully defended numerous clients against capital murder charges and multiple "three strikes" cases, often producing unexpected and extraordinary results. Additionally, he possesses familiarity with virtually every form of felony prosecution. Mr. Steigerwalt has also been honorably distinguished by receiving a “not guilty” verdict in ever courthouse in the city of San Diego.
Mr. Steigerwalt's outstanding professional competence has been put to use outside the courtroom as well, with numerous appearances as a legal expert on programs including Court TV, 48 Hours, 20/20, and The O'Reilly Factor. Many local San Diego news stations have also featured Mr. Steigerwalt as their bona fide legal analyst where he has provided guidance on notable legal proceedings such as the Michael Jackson trial, the Scott Peterson case, the David Westerfield case, and the Stephanie Crowe trial. He has also provided expert legal advice to several renowned publications including The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and People Magazine.
Mr. Steigerwalt has an ongoing commitment to continually assisting those in need of his services regardless of budget or type of case. He has assembled a paramount of select lawyers, paralegals, intake specialists, and associated support personnel to facilitate the effective representation of all injured persons and their families.
Michael Stuart
Michael L. Stuart is the supervising attorney for Kerry Steigerwalt's Pacific Law Center’s Chula Vista Office. Mr. Stuart is a graduate from the University of Colorado, Boulder and earned his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. He is admitted to practice law in the State of California and the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.
Mr. Stuart’s primary field of practice is representing criminal defendants in state and federal courts. Throughout law school, he was trained as a Public Defender, where he was assigned to a team that counseled clients, researched and investigated legal theories and case facts, and advocated for clients from arraignment through sentencing. He has filed and researched Writs of Habeas Corpus, appellate briefs and orders in the United States District Court, 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, California Court of Appeal, 4th District, and San Diego Superior Court. Mr. Stuart has been a strong believer in the necessity of aggressive advocacy for all of his client’s legal rights and interests throughout the entire legal process.
Attorney Stuart has extensive experience in handling all types of misdemeanors, including DUI cases and their implications on a client’s privilege to drive. He is very knowledgeable on how to successfully challenge all types of DMV suspensions and revocations. He is familiar with handling felony DUI, drug possession, and domestic violence / child abuse cases.
Gordon Thompson
Gordon Thompson is a trial attorney in the criminal defense division of our Phoenix firm. He has more than twenty years of legal experience and limits his practice to D.U.I. and criminal cases. He is originally from New York, where he graduated from Harper College with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Syracuse University College of Law. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1979. From 1979 through 1981 he was an associate to a sole practitioner with a criminal defense and civil trial practice in upstate New York.
In 1982, Mr. Thompson was admitted to the Arizona Bar. From 1982 through 1989 he engaged primarily in the practice of criminal defense law, working successively in La Paz County, the Phoenix Municipal Court, and Maricopa County. He also handled civil and criminal defense matters for individual members of the Colorado River Indian Tribes.
From 1989 through 1993, Mr. Thompson lived in New York City where he was employed as an Associate General Counsel with the New York City Department of Probation. His duties there included supervision of the prosecution of probation violation proceedings in Queens, as well as representing the Department on civil and criminal motions and appeals in various courts located throughout the city.
Upon returning to Arizona in 1994, Mr. Thompson has joined the law firm of Phillips & Associates and since that time has focused his practice on D.U.I. and criminal defense law. Attorney Thompson has presented numerous criminal cases to juries in Arizona over the years.
Joel Erik Thompson - Of Counsel
Joel Erik Thompson is the chief trial attorney for the criminal defense division of our Phoenix firm. Mr. Thompson has been a Board Certified Specialist in Criminal Law since 1980. He often handles high profile criminal defense cases and is a highly respected trial attorney in Phoenix and Arizona in general. He has been practicing criminal law for more than thirty five years and has handled hundreds of major felony jury trials in many different states, including complex high publicity cases, such as the “Phoenix Suns drug case” in 1987, the 29-count indictment of the former Director of the Arizona Liquor License and Control Board in 1999, and numerous homicide and death penalty cases. He has also written and argued many criminal appeals and other appellate matters at all levels of the courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Thompson was also a judge pro tem in the Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County from 1987 to 1995. Since that time, he has limited his role to the area of criminal defense. He is now a major felony trial specialist, and is available on a limited basis for our firm's most serious cases.
Mr. Thompson graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree, cum laude, in Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology in 1966. In 1970, he received his Law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law. He was initially admitted to practice law in the State of New Jersey, and has been admitted to practice law in the State of Arizona since 1975.
He has been recognized nationally for his expertise, and he has written for national publications and has taught legal seminars for various bar associations, public defender offices, law enforcement agencies including the Phoenix Regional Police Academy and Arizona State University School of Law. He is a member of a number of bar associations and professional associations, including the prestigious National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and he is a charter member of the Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice.
David R. Wroblewski
David R. Wroblewski is a trial attorney and a member of our team of criminal defense attorneys at our Phoenix law firm. Mr. Wroblewski attended the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, where he earned a B.A. in Economics in 1994 and graduated Magna Cum Laude with Commencement Honors. Mr. Wroblewski is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, and Golden Key National Honor Societies.
Mr. Wroblewski earned his law degree from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, Illinois in 1998, where he was a member of the Latino Law Student Association and was inducted into the Phi Alpha Delta International Law Fraternity. While in law school, Mr. Wroblewski worked for and held a litigation internship with two prominent Chicago law firms.
Before joining the firm, Mr. Wroblewski had practiced law in Chicago, Illinois and had maintained his own law practice in the East Valley of Maricopa County, Arizona. Mr. Wroblewski is licensed to practice in the States of Arizona and Illinois and is licensed to practice in the United States District Court for the District of the State of Arizona.
Mr. Wroblewski has lived, worked, and studied in Mexico City, Mexico and is fluent in Spanish. During one of his numerous stays in Mexico City, Mr. Wroblewski held an international trade internship with the Department of Commerce for the State of Wisconsin International Trade Office of Mexico City, Mexico. Mr. Wroblewski has also lived and studied in Tres Coracoes, Brazil as an international exchange student.
Mr. Wroblewski currently limits his practice to the area of criminal defense and only represents clients facing serious felony and misdemeanor charges.
Michael S. Yucevicius
Michael Yucevicius is a trial attorney in the Firm’s Criminal Division. Mr. Yucevicius is originally from Chicago, Illinois. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in management from Purdue University in 1977 and subsequently worked as an auditor for the accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand, prior to enrolling in law school. Mr. Yucevicius graduated with honors from Chicago Kent College of Law in 1984.
After graduating from law school, Mr. Yucevicius practiced as a criminal defense attorney in the state and federal trial and appellate courts of New York City until relocating to Arizona in 2002. As an attorney in New York, Mr. Yucevicius tried more than seventy-five criminal matters, ranging from misdemeanors to murder cases. Among the trials in which Mr. Yucevicius was involved were several high profile cases. In one such trial, Mr. Yucevicius achieved an acquittal in a murder case in which his client made a videotaped confession to the crime. In addition to numerous accomplishments as a criminal defense attorney in New York, Mr. Yucevicius also successfully represented several clients there in civil lawsuits involving claims of police misconduct and civil rights violations.
Mr. Yucevicius joined the Firm in 2004. His initial primary duties were to represent clients who were under investigation by law enforcement authorities, but not yet charged with crimes. Mr. Yucevicius has helped many clients avoid criminal charges altogether through aggressive representation. He now represents clients in serious felony trial matters in the state and federal courts of Arizona and has continued to achieve good results.
Mr. Yucevicius is a Board Certified Specialist in Criminal Law, certified by the Arizona Board of Legal Specialization. He is admitted to the State Bars of Arizona and New York, the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second and Ninth Circuits and the United Stated District Courts for the Districts of Arizona, the Southern District of New York, and the Eastern District of New York.
