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A NOTE TO READERS. This profile was researched and written independently by Awesome Attorneys’ editorial team. The Law Office of Michael Alarid III 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 | The Law Office of Michael Alarid III |
| Attorney | Michael Alarid III |
| Location | Phoenix, AZ (Maricopa County practice) |
| Focus | Criminal defense — DUI, drug offenses, violent crimes, sex-crime allegations, and general felony/misdemeanor defense |
| Certifications | Board-Certified Specialist in Criminal Law (Arizona Board of Legal Specialization) and Board Certified in DUI Defense (National College for DUI Defense) — one of a small handful of Arizona attorneys holding both credentials simultaneously |
| Education | B.A., University of New Mexico (2004); J.D., Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law (2008) |
Sources: Super Lawyers, Avvo, FindLaw, National Trial Lawyers, firm site (alariddefense.com). Compiled August 2026.
Origin
Two Board Certifications, a Rare Combination in Arizona Criminal Defense
Michael Alarid III earned his J.D. from Arizona State University in 2008 after undergraduate study at the University of New Mexico, and won his first felony jury trial as a Rule 38 certified student attorney while still in law school. He spent time at a boutique criminal defense firm and later at one of Arizona’s larger criminal defense firms — reportedly arguing before the Arizona Supreme Court twice within his first five years of practice, including a case cited as having influenced state law on marijuana-related DUI charges — before founding his own Phoenix practice. This profile independently verified, across multiple third-party sources, that he holds Board Certification in Criminal Law from the Arizona Board of Legal Specialization and separate Board Certification in DUI Defense from the National College for DUI Defense (NCDD); sources vary on the exact number of Arizona attorneys holding the same combination (three to six, depending on the source and year cited), so this profile describes the credential as rare without asserting a specific unverified count.
Practice
General Criminal Defense With a DUI Specialization
The firm’s stated caseload covers the full range of Arizona criminal matters — DUI, drug offenses, theft, assault, domestic violence, gun charges, vehicular crimes, sex-crime allegations, white-collar crimes, and homicide defense — handled across city, county, superior, and appellate courts as well as U.S. District Court. The dual board certification gives DUI defense particular emphasis within the broader practice.
Track Record
Individual case outcomes in criminal defense are not typically published as settlement figures the way they are in civil litigation. The firm’s own materials describe “a long record of securing acquittals, dismissals and reductions of charges,” without providing an itemized case table; no independent case-result compilation was located during this research.
Past-Results Disclaimer: Every case is different, and no past result guarantees a similar outcome in any future matter.
Client Voice
No independently attributed client reviews were located in the sources reviewed for this profile beyond general marketing testimonials on the firm’s own site, which this profile treats with appropriate caution as firm-published material rather than independently verified third-party review.
Community
Mr. Alarid is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice (AACJ) — professional organizations focused on criminal defense practice and policy — distinct from his direct client caseload.
Recognition
Mr. Alarid’s Arizona Board of Legal Specialization certification in Criminal Law and his NCDD DUI Defense board certification were each corroborated across multiple independent third-party sources (Super Lawyers, Avvo, FindLaw, National Trial Lawyers) before this profile used the word “specialist” to describe him. He was named to National Trial Lawyers’ “Top 40 Under 40” list for 2020, a peer-nomination-based recognition distinct from pay-to-play marketing awards.
The Arizona Legal Backdrop
What follows is general legal information, not legal advice.
Arizona criminal charges are prosecuted under Title 13 of the Arizona Revised Statutes. Arizona’s DUI statutes are found at A.R.S. § 28-1381 et seq., which set out separate standards for impairment-based and per se blood-alcohol-content DUI charges, with enhanced penalties for aggravated DUI (A.R.S. § 28-1383), including DUI while a driver’s license is suspended or with certain prior convictions. Criminal defendants in Arizona also retain constitutional rights to counsel, a speedy trial, and confrontation of witnesses under both the U.S. and Arizona Constitutions, which shape defense strategy throughout a case.
The Awesome Attorneys Assessment
The Law Office of Michael Alarid III’s genuine differentiator is a verified, dual board certification — in general criminal law and specifically in DUI defense — that few Arizona attorneys hold simultaneously, backed by documented early-career appellate experience arguing before the Arizona Supreme Court. The honest caveat: as a solo practice, case capacity is inherently narrower than at multi-attorney criminal defense firms, and this profile could not independently verify the specific claimed case-outcome statistics (acquittals, dismissals) beyond the firm’s own marketing description.
Methodology & Sourcing
This profile was researched in August 2026 from Super Lawyers, Avvo’s attorney profile, FindLaw’s attorney directory, National Trial Lawyers’ member profile, and the firm’s own site (alariddefense.com). The Law Office of Michael Alarid III 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.