Jody Corrales: The Tucson Bankruptcy Trustee Building a Career on Pro Bono Service

Inside the practice of Jody Corrales, the Tucson bankruptcy shareholder whom a federal bankruptcy judge appointed as a Subchapter V panel trustee for the District of Arizona — and who has built as much of a reputation on pro bono service as on paying casework.

Jody Corrales — At a Glance

Origin: A Rising Star Nominated Twice by Bankruptcy Judges

Jody Corrales earned her J.D. from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law in 2006, serving as Business Editor of the Arizona Journal of International and Comparative Law. She began her bankruptcy practice at Gust Rosenfeld before joining DeConcini McDonald Yetwin & Lacy — founded in 1968 and one of Southern Arizona’s largest full-service firms, with offices in Tucson and Phoenix — where she is now a shareholder. In 2013, two local bankruptcy judges nominated her to the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges’ Next Generation Program, selecting her as one of 40 young bankruptcy attorneys nationwide.

Practice Areas

Corrales represents both creditors and debtors across the full range of bankruptcy chapters — 7, 11, 12, and 13 — including non-dischargeability litigation, valuation disputes, and contested plan confirmation proceedings, alongside general civil litigation. She has been appointed by the federal bankruptcy court as a Subchapter V of Chapter 11 panel trustee for the District of Arizona, a role created by the Small Business Reorganization Act to help small businesses restructure through a streamlined Chapter 11 process — a federal appointment that reflects direct confidence from the bankruptcy bench.

Track Record

As with most bankruptcy practices, the bulk of Corrales’s casework resolves within the bankruptcy court process rather than through published appellate opinions, so there’s no independent case-citation table to publish here. Her professional record instead runs through her federal trustee appointment, sustained peer recognition, and an unusually well-documented record of pro bono service.

Note: Past results, where applicable, do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future matter.

Client Voice

Awesome Attorneys did not locate individually attributable, quotable client reviews for Corrales on major platforms as of the research date; her public reputation is documented primarily through professional recognition, federal court appointment, and community service records.

Community

Corrales devotes substantial time to pro bono work, frequently assisting self-represented litigants in bankruptcy court and federal district court. In 2014 she received the inaugural Hon. Eileen W. Hollowell Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Arizona; in 2023 she was named a Top 50 Pro Bono Attorney by the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services and Education and received an Attorney of the Quarter award from Step Up to Justice. She currently serves on the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference’s Executive Committee, after previously co-chairing Arizona’s delegation of Ninth Circuit Lawyer Representatives, and is a Barrister in the Arizona Bankruptcy American Inn of Court.

Recognition

Corrales holds two genuine bankruptcy certifications: Board Certified in Consumer Bankruptcy Law through the American Board of Certification (an ABA-accredited program) and State Bar of Arizona Board-Certified Bankruptcy Specialist status. She was named to the American Bankruptcy Institute’s “40 Under 40” class in 2020, was a Super Lawyers “Rising Star” from 2013 through 2021, and has been a full Super Lawyer from 2021 onward — both peer-influenced, research-driven selections.

The Arizona Legal Backdrop

What follows is general legal information, not legal advice.

Bankruptcy itself is federal law (11 U.S.C.), but Arizona is an “opt-out” exemption state under A.R.S. § 33-1133, meaning debtors filing in Arizona must use the state’s own property exemptions rather than the federal schedule. The centerpiece is Arizona’s homestead exemption, A.R.S. § 33-1101, protecting up to $400,000 of home equity, adjusted annually for inflation. Corrales’s Subchapter V trustee role also intersects with a more recent federal framework — the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 — which created a faster, less expensive path through Chapter 11 for eligible small business debtors.

The Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Corrales’s genuine strength is a rare combination: dual bankruptcy certification, a direct federal court trustee appointment that signals confidence from sitting bankruptcy judges, and an unusually documented pro bono record for a shareholder-level attorney at a large firm. That combination points to real substance behind the credentials, not just marketing.

The honest caveat: as a shareholder at a large, full-service firm handling both creditor and debtor matters plus general civil litigation, prospective clients — particularly individual consumer debtors — should confirm she’s the specific attorney assigned to their case rather than assuming firm-wide bandwidth guarantees her direct involvement.

Methodology & Sourcing

This profile was researched in August 2026 from deconcinimcdonald.com (firm site, attorney bio), the Federal Bar Association directory, ABI’s “40 Under 40” honoree page, Super Lawyers, and Avvo. DeConcini McDonald Yetwin & Lacy, P.C. 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.

Related: more Arizona bankruptcy attorney profiles · more attorney profiles serving Tucson.