Joseph is a Life Member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Life Membership recognizes a demonstrated commitment to criminal defense and the mission of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Contact Information

• Tucson, AZ
• www.azdefense.com

Social Media

• X: https://twitter.com/

Biography

As a result of attending a number of court proceedings for friends and relatives (both accused of crimes and victims of crimes) in his teens, Joseph P. St. Louis realized that he he wanted to defend those accused of committing crimes. From that time on, he has been a passionate advocate for his clients, never having had a desire to prosecute or to practice other areas of law. Now having spent over 35 years practicing law, Mr. St. Louis is the President of Joe St. Louis Law, Arizona's premier DUI and criminal defense law firm. Mr. St. Louis has been recognized for his expertise in handling a variety of criminal defense cases, including major felony cases in both State and Federal courts, as well as DUI defense, DUI homicides, drug offenses, sexual offenses, violent crimes, and murder cases, including death penalty cases.

In 2026, Mr. St. Louis became Dean (Chairperson) of the Board of Regents, charged with overseeing the National College for DUI Defense, the premier national DUI defense organization, with over 1,600 members. Mr. St. Louis has been listed in Woodward/White's Best Lawyers in America for 15 years in a row. He has been chosen as one of the best attorneys in Arizona by Superlawyers magazine and AZ magazine every year since 2009. Mr. St. Louis has the highest rating possible given by Martindale-Hubbell, an AV-Preeminent rating.

Mr. St. Louis received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Arizona in 1984, graduating with departmental honors. In 1987, he obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Arizona College of Law. Mr. St. Louis is Certified by the Arizona State Bar as a Specialist in Criminal Law (June 2000 to the present). He is also Certified as a Specialist in DUI Defense by the National College for DUI Defense, recognized by the American Bar Association (July 2012 to the present). Only approximately five percent of attorneys currently practicing are certified as specialists in any area of the law.

Mr. St. Louis is a sought-after speaker on legal issues, and has spoken on a variety of legal topics at legal education seminars sponsored by a variety of State Bar and Defense Attorney organizations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Mr. St. Louis is a graduate of the National Highway Traffic Administration’s Student Course on Standardized Field Sobriety Testing, the National Highway Traffic Administration’s Instructor Course on Standardized Field Sobriety Testing, and the American Chemical Society’s Forensic Chromatography Course.

In 2003, at the request of the then-presiding chief judge of the Pima County Justice Courts, Mr. St. Louis served as a part-time Justice of the Peace. In 2006, he also served as the president of Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice – Arizona’s leading defense attorney organization, with over 600 members.

Mr. St. Louis has handled death penalty cases, both in state court where he was lead counsel in Pima County’s first death penalty case tried completely to a jury (the client received a prison sentence after Mr. St. Louis convinced the jury not to impose the death penalty), and in federal court where he was found to be qualified as "Learned Counsel," a designation reserved for only the most qualified attorneys handling these cases. Mr. St. Louis has the unique distinction of having had two back-to-back first-degree murder cases in which the judges dismissed all murder charges during trial.

Mr. St. Louis has tried over 225 cases to juries, on both misdemeanor and felony charges, in Federal court and in State courts throughout Arizona. He has also argued cases before the Arizona Court of Appeals, the Arizona Supreme Court, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

In 2013, Mr. St. Louis was one of four attorneys who conducted a 17 day court challenge to the manner in which blood was being tested in the Scottsdale Crime Laboratory, in the Maricopa County Superior Court, which resulted in the trial court suppressing all blood alcohol evidence in 11 felony cases.

Mr. St. Louis received the Boy Scouts of America's District Award of Merit in 2010.

Education

• Undergraduate: University of Arizona, BA, 1984
• Law School: University of Arizona College of Law, JD, 1987

Bar Information

Arizona

Practice Areas

• Capital Defense
• Controlled Substances
• DUI
• Sex Crimes