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A NOTE TO READERS. This profile was researched and written independently by Awesome Attorneys’ editorial team. Debus & Kazan, Ltd. did not pay for, request, or review this article prior to publication, and placement on Awesome Attorneys’ editorial pages cannot be purchased. Nothing in this article is legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney–client relationship. Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict the outcome of any future case.
At a Glance
| Firm | Debus & Kazan, Ltd. |
| Attorney | Lawrence I. Kazan |
| Office | Phoenix, AZ |
| Focus | Criminal defense generally, with a particular emphasis on DUI and other vehicular crimes |
| Education | J.D., Gonzaga University School of Law (1977); M.S., Gonzaga University (1976); B.S., Arizona State University (1974) |
| Certification | State Bar of Arizona Certified Specialist in Criminal Law |
Sources: Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, State Bar of Arizona Board of Legal Specialization roster, firm website, Lawyer Legion. Compiled August 2026.
Origin
Nearly Fifty Years of Trial Work
Lawrence “Larry” Kazan earned his B.S. from Arizona State University in 1974, then went to Gonzaga University for both a master’s degree and his J.D., graduating law school in 1977. He was admitted to the Arizona bar in 1978 and, the same year, to the U.S. District Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals; he was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1982. He practices today at Debus & Kazan, Ltd., a Phoenix firm founded with the late Larry Debus (1937–2021).
Practice
A Vehicular-Crimes Focus Inside a Full Criminal Defense Practice
Kazan’s firm bio describes him as an Arizona trial lawyer who “practices in all areas of criminal defense with a particular emphasis on vehicular crimes.” Over his career he has represented a number of publicly known clients in criminal matters, including musician Glen Campbell and professional athletes Jason Kidd, Stephon Marbury, David Boston, and Charles Barkley — representation confirmed by his firm’s own attorney biography and by Barry Tarlow’s National Directory of Criminal Lawyers.
Track Record
Criminal defense outcomes — dismissals, acquittals, and negotiated resolutions — are governed by confidentiality and court record limitations that make a public, itemized results table impractical, and no such compilation was located in the sources reviewed for this profile.
Past-Results Disclaimer: Every case is different, and no past result guarantees a similar outcome in any future matter.
Client Voice
No attributed, independently sourced client reviews were located in the sources reviewed for this profile; that reflects the available public record, not a claim of a flawless history.
Community
No independently verifiable community or civic involvement was located in the sources reviewed for this profile beyond Kazan’s professional and bar association activity.
Recognition
Kazan is a State Bar of Arizona board-certified specialist in criminal law, has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® every year from 1995 through at least 2022, and was named Criminal Defense “Lawyer of the Year” in Phoenix by Best Lawyers in both 2013 and 2015. This profile uses the word “specialist” advisedly, on the strength of that documented, individually attributed certification.
The Arizona Legal Backdrop
What follows is general legal information, not legal advice.
Arizona DUI law imposes some of the strictest mandatory minimum penalties in the country, including for “Extreme” and “Super Extreme” DUI classifications based on blood alcohol content, under A.R.S. § 28-1382. Criminal defendants in Arizona are entitled to a speedy trial under Rule 8 of the Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure, and felony charges generally require a preliminary hearing or grand jury indictment before proceeding to trial.
The Awesome Attorneys Assessment
Lawrence Kazan’s differentiator is a nearly five-decade track record defending high-profile clients in a specialty — vehicular crimes — that comprises a large share of Arizona’s criminal docket. The honest trade-off: a well-known defense attorney with this level of recognition typically commands fees at the higher end of the market, and clients facing more routine charges should weigh whether that level of experience is proportionate to their case.
Methodology & Sourcing
This profile was researched in August 2026 from Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, the State Bar of Arizona’s Board of Legal Specialization public roster, the firm’s own website, and Lawyer Legion. Debus & Kazan, Ltd. did not commission, review, or pay for this profile.
Publisher Disclosure & Independence Notice
This profile is an independent editorial article published by Awesome Attorneys. Awesome Attorneys does not endorse, recommend, or warrant any lawyer or law firm profiled on this site, and inclusion in this series is not paid placement.