Criminal Defense Attorneys in Tucson, AZ
Led by the Dean of the
National College for DUI Defense
reviews
Joe St. Louis & Liz Farkas
Attorneys Joe St. Louis & Liz Farkas
Families Trust Joe St. Louis Law When Facing Serious Charges
We've Served as Judges and Prosecutors
Joe St. Louis has served as a judge. Liz Farkas spent years as a prosecutor. That range of backgrounds means we understand how a case looks from the bench, from the prosecution's table, and from the defense, and we use all three perspectives to build your strategy.
Led by a National Leader in DUI Law
In July 2026, Joseph P. St. Louis was named Dean of the National College for DUI Defense (NCDD), the national organization that has trained more than 1,700 DUI defense attorneys across the U.S. and Canada since 1994. That standard shapes how our firm builds every DUI defense.
Fighting Prosecutors with Comprehensive Facts
We send investigators back to the scene of a DUI stop to document lighting, road conditions, and testing errors, and bring in medical and accident reconstruction experts when a case demands it. Nothing the prosecution relies on goes unchallenged.
At Joe St. Louis Law, our mission is to see clients through some of the most difficult moments of their lives. We are expert DUI and criminal defense lawyers who stop at nothing to defend the rights and freedoms of the accused. Our attorneys are ready to hear your side of the story during a free and confidential consultation.
“We don’t win cases because the prosecutors like us. We win by working our cases to death, and because we never stop working for our clients” –Joseph P. St. Louis
“most qualified law firm I could have ever come across...”
- Chester, Real Client
“I feel very blessed.”
- DJ, DUI Client
Meet Our Nationally Recognized Attorneys
Joseph P. St. Louis
Joe is a certified specialist in both Criminal Defense (Arizona State Bar) and DUI Defense with the National College for DUI Defense and has tried more than 200 cases to juries in state and federal court. State bar associations across the country have invited him to share his expertise in DUI defense at conferences nationwide. He currently serves as a Regent of the organization and as Dean of the National College for DUI Defense (NCDD). Early in his career, he was appointed to serve as a part-time Justice of the Peace in Pima County.
Named Dean in 2026
200+
Cases
Tried to juries in state and federal court
10+
Years
Named Best Lawyers
Liz Farkas
Liz spent 13 years as a prosecutor in the Pima County Attorney's Office, rising to head of the Vehicular Crimes Unit before joining Joe St. Louis Law. That experience gives her an insider's view of how prosecutors build and argue their cases, which she now uses to take them apart. She has tried more than 50 cases to juries, has a particular strength in pretrial motion practice, and regularly convinces prosecutors to dismiss felony charges before a case ever reaches a grand jury.
Common Questions
After My Free Consultation, What Does It Cost to Hire Joe St. Louis Law?
Our Tucson criminal defense attorneys offer free initial consultations. If you choose to work with us, we charge flat fees. There are times when we will charge a fee for pretrial work or other needs, but for many cases, clients can expect to pay a flat fee. Trust money is collected upfront, and we bill against that for out-of-pocket expenses.
You can find firms that cost less, but there are many reasons why people in need can benefit from investing in our services. This is not a megafirm where a large number of seats need to be filled with lawyers. Mr. St. Louis hand-picked his small team because of the quality of work they do, and the quality of people they are. If there is a flaw in the case against you, they will find it.
How Can a Criminal Defense Attorney Help Me?
Whether you are charged with a felony offense involving an alleged sex crime, aggravated assault charges, child pornography charges, a drug offense, manslaughter or murder charges, gun charges, or even domestic violence or assault charges, a conviction will bring significant changes to your life. You may face:
- Prison or jail time
- Loss of license required for your employment
- Loss of your ability to travel
- Limitations on whether you can live with your children
Even a misdemeanor conviction can have significant negative consequences. Call us today to get the best outcome possible for your criminal charges.
What Do I Need to Know About a DUI Charge?
Arizona has some of the harshest penalties of any state in the country for a DUI offense. There is mandatory jail time required for every DUI offense, even if you have no prior criminal history. In addition, there is a mandatory suspension of your driving privileges. If you are convicted of an alcohol-related DUI, you will have to install a breath tester in any vehicle you drive. If convicted of any DUI, you will have to take alcohol or drug treatment classes, attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving Victim Impact Panel, and pay a fine.
Does a High Blood or Breath Test Result Mean I'll Be Convicted?
Many people facing DUI charges believe that if there is a blood test result showing a blood alcohol content (BAC) above the legal limit, there is no hope of beating the charges. But you must remember that a BAC is just a number on a piece of paper.
Criminal charges are only as good as the facts supporting them. In fact, it may not matter what your BAC was. Our attorneys frequently either convince the prosecution to dismiss charges of super extreme DUI (having a BAC over .20) or obtain not guilty verdicts on that charge at trial (including one of Joe St. Louisâs clients who was found not guilty at trial of all charges including having a reported .297 blood alcohol concentration).
If you’ve been charged with a crime in Arizona, you should contact the attorneys at Joe St. Louis Law for a free consultation. We exclusively focus on DUI and criminal defense, and we are prepared to be the strongest advocates for your rights. Hear our lawyers explain some of the aggressive strategies we’ll implement for your defense.
Choose a Nationally
Recognized Team to Fight for You
Hiring an expert witness isn't enough to win a DUI case built on blood alcohol evidence. Some lawyers simply read a list of questions written by their expert and get lost the moment an objection is sustained. You deserve an attorney who understands the science well enough to defend it himself, not one relying on someone else's notes.
Joseph P. St. Louis didn't start his career with a background in science, but he has since become a sought-after speaker on laboratory errors, teaching both judges and juries how blood alcohol testing can go wrong. Every summer, he trains fellow defense lawyers at a laboratory in Arlington, Texas, as part of the National College for DUI Defense's Serious Science program.
He also spends five days a year teaching other attorneys how to help a jury understand technical, science-heavy issues, including why a blood test result may not be reliable in a particular case. That same skill, translating complex science into a case a jury can actually follow, shapes how he selects and prepares every jury for trial.
