Zachary Divelbiss - Phoenix, AZ
Attorney at Future First Criminal Law
Criminal Defense Lawyers in Phoenix, AZ
2999 N. 44th St. Suite 307 Phoenix, AZ 85018
- Free Consultation
- 1 Super Lawyers®
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9
Years
Experience
Phoenix Criminal Defense Lawyer
Updated: 10/04/2026
Areas of Practice
- Criminal Defense
- DUI Defense
Attorney Information
Overview
Founder. Criminal defense lawyer. Former defendant. Before he ever held a law license, Zachary sat where our clients sit: charged, scared, and misled by the people he thought he could trust. He built Future First Criminal Law for the person he once was.
Why I Created This Law Firm
I built Future First Criminal Law for the person I once was.
At 18, I got a DUI. I lived through the arrest, the punishment, and the fear that one night had ruined my future. It had not. Right after that, I was charged with a fake ID for my own ID, and was railroaded into a conviction after thinking I could trust the police and the prosecutor. They both said the judge would drop my case. They lied. That experience sent me to law school to defend people facing what I faced, and to build the firm I wish I had walked into back then.
A criminal charge is often a good person's worst day, not who they are. We exist so a five-minute mistake never defines the rest of your life.
Our clients usually have something real to lose: a job, a license, custody, residency, or a reputation built over years. We treat your case like it matters, because it does.
If you are facing a charge or carrying an old record, you do not have to face it alone. Call us, and let's protect your future. Everything we do here, I wish I would have had done for me when I was dealing with my cases.
Convicted Over a Technicality, Standing Alone
Zachary did not choose criminal defense from a textbook. He lived it. After a DUI he owned and resolved, he was charged with giving a police officer false identification. The ID was his own real license from the MVD. He was a backseat passenger in a friend's car, not driving, doing nothing wrong. Because his license was suspended at that moment, a genuine license got treated as a fake one.
The officer would not look at his passport. The prosecutor would not hear his side. Both told him the judge would fix it. Broke and representing himself, Zachary learned at trial that the judge had no power to dismiss the case. Only the officer or the prosecutor could, and neither would. He was convicted over a technicality.
That conviction followed him. He graduated seventh in his law school class, passed the bar on his first try, and still waited about a year to be licensed while he explained a "fake ID" that was never fake. The delay cost him jobs and nearly cost him the career he had earned. He built Future First Criminal Law so no one else has to stand in that courtroom alone.
Designed Around What He Needed and Never Got
Future First runs differently on purpose. The firm focuses only on criminal defense and clearing criminal records, so nothing pulls its attention elsewhere. Clients text their attorney and paralegal directly in a group chat, with no gatekeepers and no waiting on callbacks. The firm records video updates that walk each client through the police report, the plea offers, and the negotiations, so the client and their family always see exactly where the case stands.
Fees are flat, with trial included and no hourly billing. The firm handles the MVD license hearing for every DUI client at no extra cost, something most defense firms and every public defender leave to the client. Clearing your record is included free when you pay in full or finance. The goal is simple: resolve the case cleanly, then clear it so it stops following you for life.
Zachary's job today is building and running those systems. Your case is handled day to day by the defense team he built, led by Brielle Schumpe, with a team whose only job is keeping you informed and protected.
Awards and Honors
Awards
Honors
- Lawyer rating: 10.0, Justia, 2026
- Client Champion Platinum Award, Martindale-Hubbell®, 2024
- Best Criminal Defense Attorneys in Peoria, Expertise.com, 2024
- Client Champion Silver Award (peer reviewed), Martindale-Hubbell®, 2023
- Best Criminal Defense Attorneys in Peoria, Expertise.com, 2023
- Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell, 2022
- Client Rating, Martindale-Hubbell, 2022
- Client Champion Award, Martindale-Hubbell, 2022
- Donald E. Lively Mission Pillar Award, Arizona Summit Law School, 2016
- Order of the Quill, Arizona Summit Law School, 2015
- Superb, top attorney DUI & DWI, AVVO
Other Sources of Feedback About Zachary Divelbiss
Included on the 2026 Southwest Super Lawyers list
Past Lists
- 2025 Southwest Super Lawyers list
- 2024 Southwest Super Lawyers list
- 2023 Southwest Super Lawyers list
Education
Legal Education
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Arizona Summit Law School, Phoenix, Arizona, 2016
Juris Doctor
Honors: cum laude
Honors: Top 10% of Class, Graduated Early
Honors: Law Review and Moot Court
Honors: Donald E. Lively Mission Pillar Award
Honors: Castro and Merit Scholarship, Dean's Award
Non Legal Education
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Arizona State University, 2014
B.S.
Honors: cum laude
Honors: Provost Scholarship
Major: Justice Studies
Current Employment Position(s)
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Owner and Lawyer
Past Positions
- Ryley, Carlock & Applewhite: Attorney
- Maricopa County Public Defender's Office: Clerk and Extern
- Lorona Mead, Cavanagh Law Firm, Harla Davison Law Firm: Intern and Extern
Languages
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English
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Spanish
Classes and Seminars
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Criminal Law, October Chapter Meeting, 2021
- Guest Speaker, Smart and Safe Arizona Act - Proposition 207, 2021
Published Works
Articles
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James Publishing publication You've Been Arrested. What Happens Now?, 2018
Bar Admissions
- Arizona Supreme Court
- Arizona, 2017
Other Affiliations
- Maricopa County Bar Association: Professionalism Advisory Council, Criminal Law Section
- Member, State Bar of Arizona, 2017 - Present
- Member, American Bar Association, 2017 - Present
Photo
Contact
2999 N. 44th St.
Suite 307
Phoenix, AZ 85018
Phone Number: 928-543-7541
Email: Send a message
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https://futurefirst.law
(Future First Criminal Law Website)
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https://divellaw.com
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https://www.avvo.com/attorneys/85018-az-zachary-divelbiss-4956593.html
- https://futurefirst.law/blog-az/
Hours: Monday-Friday: 8am-5pm
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