AWESOME ATTORNEYS
INDEPENDENT EDITORIAL · FIRM PROFILES · PHOENIX, ARIZONA
AVISO DE PUBLICIDAD DE ABOGADOS. 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 results, recoveries, and recognitions 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.
A Firm With Two Certified Specialists — and a Founder Willing to Turn Down a Case
Zachar Law Firm has represented injured Phoenix clients since 1996 under founder Christopher J. Zachar, a State Bar Certified Specialist known for a willingness to file lawsuits and go to trial rather than settle quickly — and, per one public account, for declining a case after his own investigation raised concerns about it.
BY THE AWESOME ATTORNEYS EDITORIAL TEAM · PHOENIX, ARIZONA · JULY 2026
ZACHAR LAW FIRM — AT A GLANCE
| FUNDADA POR | Christopher J. Zachar, J.D., University of Arizona College of Law (1992) |
| ENFOQUE | Plaintiff-side personal injury and medical malpractice: car accidents, motorcycle accidents, wrongful death, catastrophic injury, nursing home abuse, insurance bad faith |
| OFICINA | 714 E. Rose Ln., Phoenix, Arizona |
| FUNDADO | 1996 (29 years) |
| CERTIFICACIÓN | Two State Bar of Arizona Certified Specialists on staff — Christopher Zachar and David Catanese — both in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation, a designation held by fewer than 1% of Arizona attorneys |
| VENTAJA DISTINTIVA | An explicitly litigation-first philosophy: the firm states that a willingness to actually file suit and try cases, rather than settle quickly, is what produces fair insurance offers |
Sources: attorneyatlawmagazine.com (feature interview), zacharlawfirm.com (firm website), Yelp, Avvo, Justia. Compiled July 2026.
ORIGEN
Nearly Three Decades of a Litigation-First Approach
Christopher J. Zachar graduated from Arizona State University in 1989 and earned his J.D. from the University of Arizona College of Law in 1992, the same year he was admitted to practice in Arizona. He founded Zachar Law Firm in 1996 and has practiced personal injury and wrongful death law continuously since. Zachar has served on the Board of Directors of the Arizona Trial Lawyers Association and holds lifetime membership in that organization, alongside memberships in the American Association for Justice, the Maricopa County Bar Association, and the State Bar of Arizona.
In a published interview, Zachar articulated a specific philosophy: “If you’re not willing to file the lawsuit in the tough cases and be prepared to take the case to court, you’re usually not going to get a fair offer from an insurance company” — a direct, checkable statement of the firm’s litigation-first approach, distinct from firms whose practice is built primarily around settling claims without filing suit.
PRÁCTICA
Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice, With Two Certified Specialists
The firm’s practice spans car and motorcycle accidents, wrongful death, catastrophic injury, and nursing home abuse, with additional practice in medical malpractice (birth injury, misdiagnosis, pharmacy and surgical errors) and insurance bad faith. Notably, the firm has two attorneys carrying the State Bar of Arizona’s Personal Injury and Wrongful Death specialist certification — Zachar and David Catanese — a credential the firm states fewer than 1% of Arizona attorneys hold.
HISTORIAL
El tablero de resultados
The firm’s public materials describe “large verdicts and favorable settlements” and cite a combined 60 years of trial experience among its attorneys, but Awesome Attorneys did not locate an itemized, case-by-case settlement or verdict table.
| CATEGORÍA | WHAT’S PUBLICLY DOCUMENTED |
|---|---|
| Case results | Not itemized publicly; firm states “large verdicts and favorable settlements” without a published table |
| Combined trial experience | 60 years, per the firm, across its attorneys |
| Reconocimientos | Christopher Zachar named to Southwest Super Lawyers, 2007–2015 |
Sources: attorneyatlaw.com, Yelp. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future matter; every case is unique.
LA VOZ DEL CLIENTE
What Clients Report — Including a Case the Firm Declined
One reviewer, describing a car accident with a punctured lung and broken bones, called Zachar “the Attorney I needed” after meeting him in person rather than an assistant, and praised the firm’s professionalism. Awesome Attorneys also located a sharply critical account from a prospective client whose mother died after alleged hospital negligence: the reviewer states Zachar initially took interest in the wrongful death case but later declined to proceed after speaking with a mortuary employee who had witnessed the aftermath, citing something unrelated to the mother’s case from the mortuary’s own history. The reviewer characterized the firm as “deplorable” and “arrogant” over the decision not to proceed. Awesome Attorneys is including this account for balance, consistent with this publication’s policy against omitting genuine adverse reviews, while noting that declining a case after an internal investigation — even one a prospective client experiences as painful — is a routine and often responsible part of how contingency-fee litigation is screened.
COMUNIDAD
Más allá de la sala del tribunal
Zachar’s Board of Directors service with the Arizona Trial Lawyers Association and lifetime membership reflect sustained engagement with the state’s plaintiffs’ bar beyond his own casework. Awesome Attorneys did not find documentation of specific charitable programs or nonprofit board seats tied to Zachar individually.
RECONOCIMIENTOS
Posición entre colegas
Zachar’s State Bar of Arizona Personal Injury and Wrongful Death certification is a genuine, individually earned credential, and the firm’s second certified specialist, David Catanese, adds independent depth rather than resting on one attorney’s credential alone. Zachar was named to Southwest Super Lawyers from 2007 through 2015, a peer-nominated distinction, though Awesome Attorneys did not find evidence of continued Super Lawyers selection in more recent years. Awesome Attorneys did not find a Best Lawyers listing or AV Preeminent Martindale rating for Zachar specifically.
LA LEY
El contexto legal de Arizona, en lenguaje sencillo
Readers considering a personal injury or medical malpractice claim in Arizona should understand a few ground rules. What follows is general information, not legal advice.
El reloj de dos años. Arizona’s statute of limitations for personal injury claims is generally two years from the date of injury (A.R.S. § 12-542).
Demandar al gobierno es más rápido y más estricto. Claims against Arizona public entities require a formal notice of claim within 180 days (A.R.S. § 12-821.01) and a lawsuit within one year (A.R.S. § 12-821).
La culpa se comparte, no es todo o nada. Arizona follows pure comparative negligence (A.R.S. § 12-2505): an injured person’s recovery is reduced by their percentage of fault, but not eliminated even if they were mostly at fault.
Los menores tienen más tiempo. The limitations clock is generally paused for minors and people of unsound mind until the disability ends (A.R.S. § 12-502).
EVALUACIÓN
La perspectiva de Awesome Attorneys
Zachar Law Firm’s litigation-first philosophy is a genuine, specific, and checkable positioning — not every injury firm is willing to say publicly that it will walk away from an insurer’s offer and go to trial — and having two certified specialists on staff, rather than one, adds real institutional depth. Zachar’s board service with the state’s plaintiffs’-bar organization further reflects standing among his peers.
The honest trade-off: the declined wrongful death case described above generated a genuinely negative public account, and while declining a case after investigation is a normal part of contingency-fee practice, prospective clients considering a similarly complicated case should understand that not every matter a firm initially expresses interest in will ultimately be accepted. Zachar’s most recent independently documented Super Lawyers recognition dates to 2015, and the firm publishes no itemized case-results table.
METHODOLOGY & INDEPENDENCE
This profile was researched and written independently by Awesome Attorneys’ editorial team in July 2026. Primary sources: attorneyatlawmagazine.com and the firm’s own materials as reflected on attorneyatlaw.com and Yelp. Secondary sources: Avvo and Justia. Zachar Law Firm did not commission, pay for, or pre-approve this article. All claims are attributed to their sources; past results do not guarantee or predict future outcomes. This article is general information, not legal advice.
© 2026 Awesome Attorneys. Contenido editorial independiente. Las ubicaciones patrocinadas en Awesome Attorneys siempre están claramente etiquetadas; esta no es una de ellas.
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