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Inside the solo Phoenix practice of a former Maricopa County prosecutor who, per Best Lawyers’ peer-review process, was named the single top DUI defense attorney in the Phoenix metro for 2023.
David A. Black — At a Glance
| FIRM | Law Offices of David A. Black, PLLC |
| FOUNDED | David A. Black, solo practice, Phoenix |
| FOUNDER’S CREDENTIALS | J.D., UCLA School of Law (2007); B.S. Arizona State University, summa cum laude (2004); licensed in Arizona and California; former Maricopa County Attorney’s Office prosecutor; Judge Pro Tempore, Maricopa County Superior Court, since 2017 |
| FOCUS | Criminal defense (general practice), white-collar defense, and DUI/DWI defense |
| OFFICE | 40 N. Central Ave., Suite 1850, Phoenix, AZ 85004 |
| CONTACT | dbphoenixcriminallawyer.com |
Origin: From Maricopa County Prosecutor to Solo Defense Practice
David Black graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University in 2004, earned his J.D. from UCLA School of Law in 2007, and began his legal career as a prosecutor in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office — the same office that prosecutes the DUI and criminal cases his current clients face. He has served as a Judge Pro Tempore for the Maricopa County Superior Court since 2017, sitting on the bench part-time while maintaining his private defense practice, and is active on the Legislative Committee of the Arizona Association for Criminal Justice and as a board member of the Arizona Jewish Lawyers Association.
Practice Areas
Black’s practice spans criminal defense generally — domestic violence, drug crimes, insurance and healthcare fraud, other white-collar matters — alongside a dedicated DUI defense docket. Unlike several other firms in this category, the DUI practice here isn’t a generic “we also do DUI” line item: Best Lawyers separately lists him under three distinct categories — Criminal Defense: General Practice, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, and DUI/DWI Defense — each requiring independent peer nomination.
Case Outcomes
This is one of the few firms in this batch with named, dated case outcomes rather than only aggregate claims. Per Black’s Super Lawyers-published biography: a Court of Appeals, Division One case (State v. Wasbotten) resolved a standing issue for renters of rental vehicles in favor of the defense bar in 2016 (later reversed on other grounds, with a petition for review pending at the Arizona Supreme Court); a misdemeanor prostitution charge dismissed after a Double Jeopardy motion in Phoenix Municipal Court (2013); a DUI charge dismissed after an evidentiary hearing in Tempe Municipal Court (2013); and a not-guilty verdict on a domestic violence assault charge in Phoenix Municipal Court (2013). A client review on the firm’s site separately describes four cases across a family being resolved favorably, without further detail Awesome Attorneys could independently verify.
Past-Results Disclaimer: Individual case outcomes are not predictive of any other matter. Every case depends on its own facts, and no attorney can guarantee a result.
Client Voice
Yelp reviews for the firm are strongly positive and specific, with reviewers describing Black as thorough in case preparation and highly communicative throughout the process, including one account describing a retired 24-year law enforcement detective who hired Black for his own defense. Awesome Attorneys did not identify a pattern of unresolved negative reviews on Yelp, Super Lawyers, or Best Lawyers at the time of this profile’s compilation.
Community
Black’s Judge Pro Tempore role since 2017 is a genuine, documented form of public legal service — he sits on the Maricopa County Superior Court bench on a part-time basis while continuing private practice, a role that requires separate court appointment beyond simply holding a law license. His Legislative Committee work with the Arizona Association for Criminal Justice is a second, distinct form of public involvement in the state’s criminal justice policy.
Recognition
Genuine, peer-reviewed credentials: Best Lawyers in America named Black its 2023 “Lawyer of the Year” for DUI Defense in the Phoenix metro — a distinction given to one attorney per practice area, per metro, per year, making this the strongest single peer-reviewed DUI credential Awesome Attorneys identified in this batch. He has also been listed in Best Lawyers annually from 2022–2024 across all three of his practice categories, holds a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating, and was a Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2014–2020 before being named a full Super Lawyer from 2022–2024 — both peer-nomination, research-driven processes distinct from pay-to-play marketing awards.
The Arizona Legal Backdrop
What follows is general legal information, not legal advice.
Arizona’s core DUI statute, A.R.S. § 28-1381, prohibits driving while impaired to the slightest degree or with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher. A.R.S. § 28-1382 defines “Extreme DUI” at 0.15% BAC or above, and A.R.S. § 28-1383 covers felony “Aggravated DUI.” For the white-collar and general criminal matters also in Black’s practice, felony sentencing ranges are set out in A.R.S. §§ 13-701 through 13-719, and defendants retain speedy-trial protections under Rule 8 of the Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure.
The Awesome Attorneys Assessment
Black’s Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” honor for DUI Defense specifically — not just general criminal defense — is the most independently credible single distinction found anywhere in this DUI batch, and the named, dated case outcomes above it are unusually well-documented for a criminal defense practice. The honest trade-off: this is a solo practice, meaning capacity is inherently limited compared to a multi-attorney firm, and a client should confirm current availability and whether Black personally handles the matter versus staff. His dual criminal-and-white-collar caseload also means DUI is one focus among several, not the sole practice area the way it is at some of the firms elsewhere in this category.
Methodology & Sourcing
This profile was researched in August 2026 from dbphoenixcriminallawyer.com, Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell, and Yelp. Awesome Attorneys checked for identity confusion with other attorneys named “David Black” practicing in Arizona and found none matching this credential set. The Law Offices of David A. Black 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.