Phoenix Criminal
Defense Lawyers

Phoenix criminal defense lawyers

If you’ve been arrested or charged in Phoenix, you’re probably holding a court date you didn’t expect and questions nobody has answered yet. What happens next? Will this follow you to work? Can you keep it off your record?

AZ Defenders is a team of Phoenix criminal defense lawyers who defend these cases in Phoenix Municipal Court, Maricopa County Superior Court and the county’s justice courts. An arrest is not a conviction, and the earlier we start, the more options you keep.

Where your Phoenix case will be heard

• Phoenix Municipal Court, 300 W. Washington St., hears misdemeanors committed in the city, such as assault, shoplifting, disorderly conduct and misdemeanor domestic violence. The Phoenix City Prosecutor’s Office prosecutes them.
• Maricopa County Superior Court hears felonies downtown at the South Court Tower (175 W. Madison St.) and the Central Court Building (201 W. Jefferson St.). The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) decides whether to file felony charges.
• Maricopa County justice courts hear misdemeanors from outside city limits and from county and state agencies. MCAO prosecutes those cases.

How a criminal case starts in Phoenix

Some misdemeanor arrests end with a citation and a court date. Otherwise, you’re booked at the county’s Intake, Transfer and Release (ITR) facility, 2670 S. 28th Dr. A judge at the Initial Appearance Court, which meets every day, must see you within 24 hours and sets your release conditions.

A misdemeanor case starts with an arraignment, where you enter a plea. In a felony case, MCAO files charges in one of two ways: a grand jury indictment, or a complaint followed by a preliminary hearing before a judge. Lower-level and drug felonies may go to the Superior Court’s Early Disposition Court.

What to do in the first 48 hours after an arrest

• Don’t explain your side to police. You can decline to answer questions and ask for a lawyer. Never agree to an interview without talking to a defense attorney first.
• Follow every release condition. No-contact orders and other conditions are court orders, and breaking one can cost you your release.
• Keep the case off the phone and off social media. Jail calls can be recorded, and posts and texts can become evidence.
• Write down what happened while it’s fresh. Save texts, photos and receipts, and note the names of witnesses. Business and doorbell video can be recorded over quickly.
• Call a lawyer before your first court date. Early on, we can ask the court to change release conditions that don’t work, request the evidence and talk with the prosecutor before charging and diversion decisions are made.