ATTORNEY ADVERTISING NOTICE. This profile was researched and written independently by Awesome Attorneys’ editorial team. It was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed prior to publication by the firm profiled. All case outcomes, recognitions, and reviews described below are attributed to their sources. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future matter. This article is for general information only and is not legal advice; reading it does not create an attorney–client relationship.

David N. Horowitz: A Litigator Who Chose to Stop Litigating Divorces

David Horowitz spent decades as a family law litigator before deliberately shifting his practice toward mediation, arbitration, and collaborative divorce — and now chairs the state committee that sets the rules for who gets to call themselves a family law specialist.

David N. Horowitz — At a Glance

Sources: warnerangle.com (firm website), State Bar of Arizona Board of Legal Specialization, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, International Academy of Family Lawyers, Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell, Avvo client reviews. Compiled August 2026.

Origin

From Assistant Attorney General to Mediator

David Horowitz began his career in public service, working as an Arizona Assistant Attorney General in the Child Support Enforcement and Child Protective Services divisions from 1991 to 1994 — direct experience with the state’s own enforcement machinery before he began representing private clients against it. Over more than 30 years since, per the firm, he built a litigation practice spanning divorce, adoption, business valuation, child custody, grandparents’ rights, and prenuptial and postnuptial agreements.

More recently, per his Super Lawyers profile, Horowitz has deliberately shifted his practice away from courtroom litigation and toward alternative dispute resolution — mediation, arbitration, and collaborative law. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, sits on the Academy’s board of governors, and co-chairs its Mediation Committee. He currently chairs the State Bar of Arizona’s Board of Legal Specialization Family Law Advisory Commission — the body that oversees the very certification standard this profile relies on to describe him as a “specialist.”

Practice

Litigation Background, Mediation Focus

Per the firm, Horowitz’s current practice centers on divorce, paternity, child custody, legal decision-making, parenting time, child support, and mediation and arbitration of family law disputes, with additional experience in step-parent adoption, grandparents’ rights, parenting coordination, and guardianship and conservatorship matters. He also serves as a Judge Pro Tempore for the Maricopa County Superior Court and teaches Family Law and Legal Studies at Phoenix College.

Track Record

What’s Documented

As with most family law practices, no dollar-figure results table is published, and settlements in this area are typically confidential. What’s independently verifiable is the depth of his institutional roles — chairing the state’s own family law specialist certification commission is not something conferred lightly, and requires ongoing peer confidence rather than a one-time award.

Client Voice

A Genuinely Split Record

Horowitz’s Avvo reviews are not uniform, and we’re reporting both sides. One reviewer described a years-long, high-conflict case in which Horowitz’s “positive non-aggressive attitude (but assertive)” approach led the other side to agree to resolve a second matter without further court proceedings, calling him “extremely trustworthy and knowledgeable.” A separate reviewer described the opposite experience: calling the representation “horrible” and writing that Horowitz “did not communicate appropriately” and “did not do the necessary research.” We’re including both accounts rather than the more flattering one alone; a prospective client should weigh that this is a genuinely mixed public record, not a uniformly positive one.

Community

Institutional, Not Just Individual, Involvement

Beyond his AAML board role, Horowitz chairs the State Bar of Arizona’s Board of Legal Specialization Family Law Advisory Commission and is an officer of the State Bar’s Family Law Executive Council. He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers, serving on that organization’s USA Chapter Board of Managers, and teaches as adjunct faculty at Phoenix College. Earlier in his career he served on Arizona’s Committee Regarding Review and Clarification of Rule 74 of the Arizona Rules of Family Law Procedure.

Recognition

Genuinely Peer-Reviewed

Horowitz’s Board Certified Family Law Specialist credential is a formal State Bar of Arizona certification — the basis for this profile’s use of the word “specialist.” He also holds an AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell, has been listed in Best Lawyers in America for Family Law, Family Law Arbitration, and Family Law Mediation since 2021, and is recognized by Southwest Super Lawyers. His AAML Fellowship and IAFL Fellowship are both peer-vetted, not purchased.

Arizona Legal Backdrop

Mediation and Arbitration Under Arizona Family Law

Arizona’s family courts actively encourage alternative dispute resolution: Arizona Rule of Family Law Procedure 67 governs settlement conferences and mediation referrals, and parties can agree to binding arbitration under the Arizona Uniform Arbitration Act (A.R.S. § 12-3001 et seq.) rather than litigate a dissolution to trial. Underlying substantive rules remain the same regardless of forum: community property division under A.R.S. § 25-211, spousal maintenance under A.R.S. § 25-319, and legal decision-making/parenting time under A.R.S. § 25-403. None of this is legal advice; whether mediation, arbitration, or litigation is the right path depends heavily on whether both parties are negotiating in good faith.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Horowitz’s institutional credentials are unusually deep for a family law attorney — he doesn’t just hold the state specialist certification, he chairs the commission that administers it, and his AAML and IAFL roles suggest real standing among his peers nationally and internationally. The trade-off worth naming plainly is the client-review record: it’s genuinely split, with one detailed account describing poor communication and another describing an excellent outcome. That split is real and we’re not smoothing it over. For someone specifically looking for a mediator or collaborative-divorce practitioner rather than a courtroom litigator, his current practice focus and institutional standing are a strong match — but the mixed review record is worth asking about directly before retaining him.

Methodology & Sourcing

Compiled from Warner Angle’s website, the State Bar of Arizona Board of Legal Specialization, the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and International Academy of Family Lawyers directories, Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell, and Avvo client reviews. No claim was taken from firm marketing without a second-source check where one existed. Compiled and verified August 2026.

Publisher Disclosure & Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by the firm prior to publication, and inclusion in this directory is not an endorsement of any outcome. Firms are added or excluded based on our own editorial verification process, not advertising relationships.