John P. Tatz | Attorney

I graduated from the University of Iowa School of Law with distinction in 1991. After taking and passing the Iowa Bar exam on my first try in January of 1992, I did various jobs both in and out of the legal field before moving to Arizona in 1993. I took and passed the Arizona Bar exam on my first try in July 1993, and was admitted to practice law in Arizona in October of 1993.

Although I handled a few criminal cases in Iowa and Arizona between 1992-1995, I began to practice almost exclusively in the area of criminal law in February of 1995 when I accepted a position with the Navajo County Public Defender's Office in Holbrook, Arizona . After spending seven months in that position, I accepted a position as an Assistant City Prosecutor for the City of Flagstaff, Arizona in September of 1995.

I was then hired by the City of Scottsdale to be their first Domestic Violence Prosecutor in November of 1996. In August of 1997 I was offered and accepted a position with a private criminal defense firm, but returned to the City of Scottsdale as an Assistant City Prosecutor in February of 1998. I remained there until I was offered and accepted a position as the City Prosecutor for the City of Peoria, Arizona in November of 1999. As a prosecutor, I was active on committees that discussed the prosecution of domestic violence and DUI cases, and was often asked to speak at seminars regarding those topics.

However, in August of 2001 I left Peoria and prosecution to start my own practice doing criminal defense work. Other attorneys have started their own practices and, through aggressive advertising, have grown their firms to the point where they have needed to hire other attorneys. To date, I have chosen not to do that. When a person hires my firm to represent them, they are hiring me. By necessity, I will personally handle every aspect of their case.

My philosophies are simple. First, I will give an honest evaluation prior to being hired. I would rather not be hired than be hired on false expectations. I get many referrals from prior clients, and often from prior clients where the result obtained in their case was not outstanding. However, those clients knew before they hired me what to expect and appreciated the honesty and the effort. Also, I am constantly told that I am one of the few attorneys who will promptly return phone calls. Failing to return phone calls is the number one complaint people have about lawyers, and it is a personal pet peeve of mine.

I believe that my experience as a prosecutor helps me see the case from their perspective and allows me often to negotiate deals that may not have otherwise been possible. There are times, in cases, where aggressive is not the right approach. However, I also believe that I have the expertise and the skill to be aggressive in those cases where negotiation will not achieve the desired result.

My practice is, and has for years, been devoted exclusively to DUI and criminal defense. Every year I get a great deal more than the required hours of continuing education to keep on top of any new developments in the areas of DUI and criminal defense. I am also a member of the Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, which provides me with additional resources to continue to learn ways to improve my representation.

I believe that my judgment, knowledge, skill, honesty and customer service are the qualities that have allowed me to build a successful practice over the last five years.