Zachary Divelbiss
("Dive-ul-biss")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.
Phones answered 24/7 · Flat fees with payment plans · Defense in Maricopa County courts
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.
The Résumé Behind the Story
Education
- Arizona Summit Law School: Juris Doctor (2016), Cum Laude, top 10% of class, graduated early
- Law Review and Moot Court
- Donald E. Lively Mission Pillar Award
- Castro and Merit Scholarship, Dean's Award
- Arizona State University: B.S. Justice Studies (2014), Cum Laude, Provost Scholarship
Experience
- Future First Criminal Law: Founder, Owner, Lawyer
- 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
Practice & Recognition
- Admitted: Supreme Court of Arizona
- Passed the Arizona bar on his first attempt
- Practices criminal and DUI defense exclusively
- Maricopa County Bar Association: Professionalism Advisory Council, Criminal Law Section
- Led the firm to Law Firm 500 honors four years running (2022-2025)
The Firm Through Their Eyes
Real Google reviews, word for word. More on our reviews page.
Very thorough. I like how Zach takes the time to create a detailed video explaining everything clearly. Keeps him accountable unlike many attorneys who go back on their word. Highly recommend them.
I know zach through several attorney groups and have seen how much he cares for his clients. He has built a firm that focuses on providing great client service and is able to obtain the best possible result in the least amount of time.
I chose this firm because of Zach Divelbiss’ own personal experience/background & the legal team’s compassion when I was first researching and needing to find representation.
Talk to the Team Zachary Built
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