Zachary Mushkatel discovered his affinity for the law by chance. As a political science major at the University of Arizona, he first aspired to become a professor. But an unexpected invitation to participate on a mock trial team at the university encouraged him to turn his competitive spirit and drive to help others into a legal career. “The law is about representing the client’s best interest, being able to think on your feet, and being a master of language and persuasion,” he says. “It just felt like home to me.” Mushkatel graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2004 and has gone on to build a thriving law firm representing clients in the Sun Cities, Northwest Valley and the Phoenix metro region. Mushkatel brings a diverse array of legal expertise to his practice at Mushkatel, Robbins & Becker, PLLC. He started as a public defender before joining the law office of Henry Florence and Sherry Bell to work as a criminal defense attorney. In 2008, he joined forces with Mathis Becker to form Mushkatel and Becker. Throughout that period, he gained experience working in various practice areas, including personal injury, estate litigation, estate planning, guardianship and conservatorship work, probate, corporate litigation, real estate, and various civil matters. Mushkatel’s cross-disciplinary background provides for comprehensive counsel to clients to explore all possible legal avenues. Today, Mushkatel assists individuals throughout the Valley in personal injury, estate and civil litigation matters. Providing exceptional client service and producing results are his top priorities. “My job is to provide a lifeline to clients who feel stuck or helpless and to go to bat for them,” he says. Several of Mushkatel’s personal injury cases have resolved in excess of one-million dollars. He is the recipient of the 2020 Top-Rated Lawyer Award from Avvo and has been named a “Top 40 Under 40” by The National Trial Lawyers and a Premier Attorney by The National Academy of Jurisprudence. For Mushkatel, delivering maximum results does not mean sacrificing personal relationships. Success comes from taking the time to get to know each client’s individual needs and tailoring the legal approach to match his or her goals. Building those relationships results from creating an unpretentious yet professional environment that puts people at ease. “Most law firms run like businesses,” says Mushkatel. “The problem is that a business’s interests may not always run in stride with a client’s best interests. Our clients are our Number One priority, and the way we show it is by sitting back and listening quite a bit.” Community service is important to Mushkatel and every attorney the firm. Each lawyer is required to worki on at least two pro bono cases at all times. Mushkatel believes those services should be provided not for the accolades or to meet State Bar requirements, but simply because helping others is fundamental to the legal profession. Mushkatel is licensed in the State of Arizona, the Federal District Court of Arizona and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He is on the board and a faculty member for the Arizona College of Trial Advocacy, a program of the State Bar of Arizona’s Trial Practice Section. He is a past president and a member of the West Maricopa County Bar Association and a former member of the Board of Directors of the Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Sun Valley Lodge. A former semi-professional baseball pitcher, Mushkatel has coached his son’s Little League team for several years. When he is not working, he enjoys golf and spending time with his family.Zachary Mushkatel discovered his affinity for the law by chance. As a political science major at the University of Arizona, he first aspired to become a professor. But an unexpected invitation to participate on a mock trial team at the university encouraged him to turn his competitive spirit and drive to help others into a legal career. “The law is about representing the client’s best interest, being able to think on your feet, and being a master of language and persuasion,” he says. “It just felt like home to me.” Mushkatel graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2004 and has gone on to build a thriving law firm representing clients in the Sun Cities, Northwest Valley and the Phoenix metro region. Mushkatel brings a diverse array of legal expertise to his practice at Mushkatel, Robbins & Becker, PLLC. He started as a public defender before joining the law office of Henry Florence and Sherry Bell to work as a criminal defense attorney. In 2008, he joined forces with Mathis Becker to form Mushkatel and Becker. Throughout that period, he gained experience working in various practice areas, including personal injury, estate litigation, estate planning, guardianship and conservatorship work, probate, corporate litigation, real estate, and various civil matters. Mushkatel’s cross-disciplinary background provides for comprehensive counsel to clients to explore all possible legal avenues. Today, Mushkatel assists individuals throughout the Valley in personal injury, estate and civil litigation matters. Providing exceptional client service and producing results are his top priorities. “My job is to provide a lifeline to clients who feel stuck or helpless and to go to bat for them,” he says. Several of Mushkatel’s personal injury cases have resolved in excess of one-million dollars. He is the recipient of the 2020 Top-Rated Lawyer Award from Avvo and has been named a “Top 40 Under 40” by The National Trial Lawyers and a Premier Attorney by The National Academy of Jurisprudence. For Mushkatel, delivering maximum results does not mean sacrificing personal relationships. Success comes from taking the time to get to know each client’s individual needs and tailoring the legal approach to match his or her goals. Building those relationships results from creating an unpretentious yet professional environment that puts people at ease. “Most law firms run like businesses,” says Mushkatel. “The problem is that a business’s interests may not always run in stride with a client’s best interests. Our clients are our Number One priority, and the way we show it is by sitting back and listening quite a bit.” Community service is important to Mushkatel and every attorney the firm. Each lawyer is required to worki on at least two pro bono cases at all times. Mushkatel believes those services should be provided not for the accolades or to meet State Bar requirements, but simply because helping others is fundamental to the legal profession. Mushkatel is licensed in the State of Arizona, the Federal District Court of Arizona and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He is on the board and a faculty member for the Arizona College of Trial Advocacy, a program of the State Bar of Arizona’s Trial Practice Section. He is a past president and a member of the West Maricopa County Bar Association and a former member of the Board of Directors of the Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Sun Valley Lodge. A former semi-professional baseball pitcher, Mushkatel has coached his son’s Little League team for several years. When he is not working, he enjoys golf and spending time with his family.

Melissa Kleminski Bower is a practicing lawyer in the state of Arizona.

Patrick Sampair has over 39 years of legal experience and has helped thousands of Arizonans with their family law matters, including divorce, child custody, child support, child relocation, and alimony (or spousal maintenance) disputes. Mr. Sampair has expertise resolving complex financial matters that arise in a family law dispute, drawn in part from his experience litigating civil and criminal tax cases during his early years of law practice. Mr. Sampair is committed to providing his clients with effective and affordable legal representation; he is dedicated to minimizing the negative effects of divorce proceedings and related disputes can have on children. Mr. Sampair received his Juris Doctorate from Creighton University Law School in Nebraska in 1981, and a BA from Creighton University in 1976. He is admitted to practice law in Arizona and Minnesota and is a member of the State Bar of Arizona. Mr. Sampair is also admitted to practice before Arizona state and federal courts, the U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals for the First, Second, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Ninth Circuits and the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts for Arizona. Mr. Sampair is a current Judge Pro Tem in the Maricopa County Superior Courts, and a former Adjunct Professor of Law at the William Mitchell School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1992, he was appointed by the U.S. District Court of Arizona to represent indigent defendants pursuant to the federal Criminal Justice Act.

Rich J. Peters is a proud native of Phoenix, Arizona. As the owner of R.J. Peters & Assoc., P.C., his firm operates less than one mile from the hospital he was born at. Rich has limited his legal practice to Family Law since 1992. He was sworn in by the State Bar of Arizona on October 25, 1992, just a few days after his 25th birthday. Rich often brags that he was the youngest lawyer in the state when he was sworn in, but this is truly just a guess. Rich has owned R.J. Peters & Assoc. Since 2005. Prior to that, he worked for two very prominent Family Law firms in Glendale and Phoenix. While not every case needs to go to Court, Rich does enjoy being in the Courtroom and considers that one of his greatest skills. Although being born and raised in Phoenix, Rich did move around a bit during his youth, spending time in Spain, Houston, and South Africa. In 1989 he graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s Degree from the College of Business. In 1992 he graduated from the University of Arkansas with a Juris Doctor. He immediately returned home to Phoenix after law school. Four of Rich’s five children have graduated from Arizona Universities, and his youngest is graduating in May 2020. He and his wife Jennifer enjoy their time traveling and boating.

Scott Stewart is an experienced and successful divorce lawyer in Phoenix and founder of the Stewart Law Group. Stewart Law Group was started with a single focus on the client and their experience dealing with difficult emotional legal matters. The firm has successfully earned the trust and respect of more than 3,000 clients in cases ranging from simple marital dissolutions to complex property division, child custody, parental visitation, and child relocation disputes. Mr. Stewart believes the firm’s success and its client testimonials are a direct result of his vision and approach to client-focused representation. The firm strongly believes that clients benefit tremendously from their exclusive family law and domestic relations representation, their collective years of experience during weekly meetings and strategy sessions, and transparent billing policy.

Family law attorney Natalie L. Mathews had been in practice for 17 years when she joined Stewart Law Group as partner in 2021. She’s high energy but reserved and a keen observer. Natalie brings zealous advocacy and compassion to every client’s legal matter, whether the case is straightforward or complex. Always eager to collaborate, she loves brainstorming with colleagues – exchanging ideas and sharing professional experiences – in a concerted effort to help clients by implementing winning legal strategies and litigation tactics. A proponent of settlement whenever it’s possible, Natalie’s creative legal mind is always working on outside-the-box solutions to clients’ problems. Natalie is definitely a team player, and not just at the office. This Phoenix native is a lifelong competitive swimmer and a serious runner, competing in ultra-marathons and trail races. She has tested her mettle in the Ultra-marathon (Antelope Canyon), Half Dome (Yosemite), Rim2Rim (Grand Canyon), Imogene Pass (Ouray and Telluride), and national Ragnar relay races, among others. With four children under the age of 14 (including a set of twins), one rescue dog and two cats, instead of slowing down she simply picked up the pace.

Bert L. Roos, Personal Counsel is an attorney whose practice is primarily in the area of family law, such as Divorce, Child Custody, Child Support, Spousal Support, and Paternity. Other areas of practice include DUI, Probate, Personal Injury, and Civil Matters. Bankruptcy services and filings also available. My office also does document preparation, wills and trusts.

Brian G. Winter joined Stewart Law Group as associate attorney in 2017. With over 20 years in family law practice, Brian is a wealth of information and an experienced litigator. Areas of special interest to him are child custody mediation and collaborative divorce. He was trained as Guardian Ad Litem in Connecticut where he also served the court as family law Special Master (2006 – 2014). Recognized for his legal acumen and versatility, Brian is an estate planning and probate law attorney, too. Tech savvy, he likes SLG’s technology-based systems. Early in his legal career, Brian was a solo practitioner for six years. He knows first-hand how the right systems improve productivity and efficiency, saving his clients both stress and money.