When it comes to DUI Defense Representation in Arizona, one name stands above the rest: Brian Douglas Sloan, the DUI Defense Attorney at Law Offices of Brian D. Sloan. Having personally defended more DUI cases than any other private attorney in the state, he has established a formidable reputation, with his success largely attributable to his unconventional approach – setting him apart from other Attorneys in the field. Brian’s distinctive style and remarkable track record have not gone unnoticed. In 2022, he was the sole DUI Defense Lawyer named a “Power Lawyer” by USA Today, cementing his status as one of Arizona’s most award-winning DUI Defense Attorneys.
Brian has been defending DUI cases for nearly 20 years, and about 15 years ago, he started his own private practice. As of mid-2024, he has defended more than 4,500 clients. He strives to be more inclusive of clientele who normally could not afford to hire a DUI Defense Lawyer. Brian desires to streamline the process as much as possible and keep his prices as low as possible, ensuring that his clients receive excellent representation at an affordable price.
“I wanted to be considered one of the top DUI Defense Lawyers in Arizona,” Brian shares. “And I feel that I have done a pretty good job at accomplishing that.”
The Beginning
Before venturing out on his own, Brian worked for a law firm for about six years. At this firm, he learned the ins and outs of DUI Defense Representation. He defended his clients in around 50 trials, gaining a solid background in DUI Defense.
Brian’s journey to the top of his profession began early in his career when he created a DUI Sentencing Guide. This invaluable resource, used by lawyers throughout Arizona, provided an easy reference for sentencing requirements for all types of DUI convictions. Later, he expanded his guides, covering areas such as the Out-of-State Prior DUI Convictions and Pre-Sentence Incarceration Credit. Brian also personally created and maintained an informational website for the DUI Defense community and those charged with a DUI offense.
Prior to beginning his legal career, Brian attended Pepperdine University School of Law in Malibu, California, where he graduated six months early with a Juris Doctor degree; he also received a Certificate in Dispute Resolution from the Strauss Institute. Before law school, he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism at California State University, Northridge.
Establishing the Law Firm
During his tenure at his first law firm, Brian realized that defending DUI cases was a perfect fit for his skills and interests. He came to that realization after seeing that people charged with DUI offenses were just average people who had made a mistake. “They were not bad people or people who intended to commit a crime,” Brian points out, “nonetheless they found themselves charged with a criminal offense.”
After defending approximately 1,500 DUI cases at that firm, Brian decided it was time to set up his own legal practice. In 2010, he opened his personal law firm and was one of the very few law firms to solely focus on DUI Defense Representation.
Initially, when starting his law firm, Brian set up his legal practice like every other law firm, doing things the way every other lawyer and law firm was doing it. However, he soon discovered there was a more effective way to represent people and offer representation at a much more affordable cost. Despite having more experience than many other lawyers at the time, he was able to – and continues to – offer his legal services at much lower rates than comparable lawyers. He does that by keeping his overhead low and not charging for busy work.
“I was amazed at how much money other lawyers were charging for their legal services,” Brian shares. “And, when I saw them appear in court, oftentimes they seemingly had no idea what they were doing.” This is what later prompted him to start The Arizona DUI Team with the aim of creating a clear choice in DUI Defense Representation.
“I wanted to make sure that people knew, simply by the name, they were getting someone that excelled in DUI Defense,” Brian explains, “as opposed to just hiring some random law firm and hoping that the lawyer assigned to their case was skilled enough to know how to properly handle the defense of their DUI charges.”
Brian has achieved significant success with his chosen approach. Not only has he personally defended more DUI charges than any other private lawyer in Arizona, but he has also achieved substantial success inside the courtroom, with numerous charges dismissed, evidence suppressed, and beneficial plea agreements for his clients.
He also does not need to invest too much into advertising, which typically leads to lawyers charging more for their legal services. He often represents clients who, through their research, find him to be the best option available for their DUI case, offering the most experience at a very reasonable price with payment plans available.
“I am often told that despite someone talking to multiple different lawyers, I was the clear choice to represent them,” Brian says.
Most Preferred by Clients
In Arizona, as a DUI Defense Lawyer, Brian offers more value than every comparable lawyer, who charges two to four times his rate. “I put a lot of work into my client’s case to try to get them the best possible result,” he says.
Clients are also drawn to Brian because he treats them as he would like to be treated. “I don’t nickel and dime my clients. I have a flat fee with no hidden costs,” Brian says. “I set up easy payment plans and don’t charge for busywork, phone calls, or responding to texts or emails.” He has also created an innovative approach, called “Bifurcated Representation,” where clients pay only for the legal services that they need, and not for legal services that they don’t.
Every client of Brian has access to his personal cell phone number. They can call him directly with their questions. Once they sign with him, he not only takes care of every aspect of their case so they can live their lives, but he also provides them with a Commonly Asked Questions document. This resource answers most questions that clients may have as the case progresses through the system.
Brian also emails his clients a long, detailed Case Review, usually about 10 pages long, laying out his thoughts on their case. He explains that this allows clients to process the information provided by him on their own time and make a fully informed decision on how they want to proceed.
Brian strives to make the process as easy as possible for his clients, addressing all of their concerns. “I try to treat my clients like people going through a difficult situation, rather than simply files with case numbers,” he points out. And in order to minimize disruption to their lives, Brian handles most if not all of his client’s court appearances on their behalf. This lets them focus on their lives and careers, and not be bogged down by unnecessary time in a courtroom. Although most DUI cases remain pending in the court system for several months, Brian’s clients usually need to appear in court only once, and usually only for a few hours.
Also, unlike most attorneys, Brian stays on the case after his clients are sentenced. This keeps him in the loop, enabling him to address issues that may come up with the court post-sentence.
Outside-the-Box Thinker
Brian is an outside-the-box thinker. He has successfully come up with creative defenses for his clients that many other lawyers wouldn’t be creative enough to argue.
On one of his first private cases, Brian was brought onto a case as Knapp Counsel. This meant a client hired him to assist in their representation despite already having another private attorney. At that point in his career, Brian had about seven years of experience, while the lead attorney had decades. “I asked if they would be okay if I filed a Motion to Suppress All Evidence, due to an Illegal Traffic Stop,” Brian recalls. “The lead attorney literally made fun of me for thinking that this motion would be successful.”
He adds that when it came time to argue the motion, the lead attorney didn’t even appear in court to show support for his client, who was paying him thousands of dollars more than what I charged him.
At the end of the hearing, the judge agreed with Brian’s arguments and suppressed all evidence, leading to the entire case being dismissed. The lead lawyer then refused to talk to him or even acknowledge him when he encountered him in the courthouse while handling other clients’ matters.
Brian explains that prosecutors have heard traditional defenses thousands of times, and thus they know how to respond and how to argue against them in court. “When an attorney thinks outside the box and comes up with revolutionary ideas, concepts, and defenses, that’s when the client truly benefits,” he adds.
Brian was one of the few lawyers to argue Entrapment in a DUI case; and for years, he has been fighting for the argument that ‘Necessity’ should be a defense considered by a jury in a DUI case, even though current case law indicates it is not an appropriate consideration by the jury on a DUI offense.
Dealing with Challenges
As a DUI Defense Attorney, Brian constantly adjusts how he performs his legal representation. “Not only does every courthouse have different ways of overseeing DUI cases, but sometimes each courtroom and judge has a different way of doing things,” he points out. So, it is crucial to be familiar with each court and courtroom where a client may have a case; as procedures and rules are often changing.
Brian explains that to defend a DUI case effectively, he must be familiar with multiple factors: the venue where he is defending the case, the prosecutor on the case, and the officers involved. He points out that understanding the applicable law is not enough; he also needs to be aware of how each person interprets that law.
Sometimes, Brian also finds it challenging to explain to clients, as the legal procedures and statutes can defy common sense. As a prime example of that, he cites the defense of Necessity in DUI cases, which he has been fighting for almost 20 years now. Brian has had several cases go up to the Appellate Courts in attempts to undo case law that prevents Necessity being considered by a jury as a defense to DUI charges. However, the Court of Appeals has consistently upheld that Necessity cannot be used as a defense in such cases. The Arizona and United States Constitutions state that you have a Right to put on a Defense in a Criminal matter, but current Arizona statute and case law prevent Necessity from being a defense in a DUI case.
Responsibilities at Law Offices of Brian D. Sloan
A lot of Brian’s daily life is constantly in flux. In between his scheduled court appearances, he answers phone calls, handles meetings, and consults new potential clients.
Early on in his career, Brian chose not to put barriers between his clients, potential clients, and himself. Since his clients have his personal cell phone number, they don’t have to go through a receptionist, secretary, or paralegal. “If someone has a question, I want them to get the right answer, and the only way to ensure that they are getting the information they need, in a timely manner, is to be able to talk to me directly,” Brian explains.
Every day, he deals with a new challenge. It may be related to an issue with the Court, the Prosecutor’s Office, law enforcement, the Arizona Department of Transportation, the Motor Vehicle Division, or something completely unexpected. “Sometimes just showing up to Court can lead to an unexpected journey,” Brian points out. Various factors can lead to interesting delays, such as the assigned judge being absent, other cases being taken care of concurrently, or people not behaving appropriately in front of the judge.
Brian devotes his weekends to working on his cases. He does legal research, writes motions, and emails clients their Case Reviews. Brian points out that he is most likely the only lawyer in Arizona who provides such a detailed review to his clients, so that they can fully understand his thoughts concerning their case. Most lawyers, according to him, explain verbally to clients their representation efforts when they appear in court or explain the resolution over the phone. “I’m sure this makes it more difficult for their clients to fully understand the situation,” he says.
Brian believes he is doing good in the world by helping people who find themselves in a difficult situation. “I’m providing a beneficial service to the public, and giving them a chance to move forward in their lives,” he says.
“I work seven days a week. All of my clients have access to my personal cell phone in order to communicate with me. If I’m awake, I’m responding to my clients,” Brian says.
Message to Aspiring Lawyers
“We are at a very difficult time in the history of this country and the practice of law,” Brian notes in his message to aspiring attorneys. He believes that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will rampage through the industry, leading to the consolidation of only a few very big law firms. According to him, these firms will dominate the market. “If you do not own these law firms, an attorney may only be able to survive by being an employee of one of them,” he adds. “I think AI is generally going to take over a lot of these legal jobs.”
He predicts that Criminal Defense, or DUI Defense representation, will be among those legal professions that can hold out longer than many other fields. Brian explains that this is because these jobs entail speaking in front of a jury and trying to convince them to rule in the Defendant’s favor. “Until AI is coupled with a televised or holographic avatar, trial lawyers are likely to survive this upcoming apocalypse more than other fields of law,” he says.
But, until AI takes over, Brian is hard at work defending his clients on Driving Under the Influence cases. Brian personally defends DUI clients on Misdemeanor DUI cases in City and Justice Courts in urban Maricopa County, Arizona.
He can be reached on his personal cell phone: 480-720-7839
