About DM Cantor

Our Criminal Defense Team has over 7,000+ case victories, including over 165 Complete Jury Trial Acquittals, and two (2) Board Certified Criminal Law Specialists per the Arizona Board of Legal Specialization (No Law Firm in Arizona Has More! – Read why this is important).

2 Board Certified Criminal Law Specialists – No Law Firm in Arizona Has More!

Since becoming a lawyer in 1989, Arizona Criminal Attorney and Arizona Vehicular Homicide & DUI Lawyer David Cantor has handled many high-profile cases which have been covered by the local and national news media. He has been interviewed and has appeared on Good Morning America, Anderson Cooper Live, CNN, Inside Edition, the CBS Morning Show, Hannity and Colmes, and every local Arizona news channel including Univision. David Cantor also has provided media Legal Commentary on various national news outlets regarding trials, such as the Jody Arias Murder case, the James Ray Sedona “Sweat Lodge” Negligent Homicide case, and the potential Donald Trump Self-Pardoning issue. In addition, David’s own cases have been covered by CNN, MSNBC, the BBC, Daily Mail, Rolling Stone Magazine, and even Howard Stern.

Both the firm, DM Cantor, and David Cantor individually, have received numerous prestigious awards and Top-Ratings by reviewing websites as the Best Criminal Defense Attorney and Best DUI Attorney in Arizona. Read through hundreds of Real Client Reviews HERE.

Additional Information about Top Rated Arizona Criminal Defense Attorney David Cantor and his Law Firm:

Some of DM Cantor’s high-profile cases include:

Lisa Randall: The Dismissal (with Prejudice) of Capital Murder Charges (on the eve of Jury Trial) against grandmother and daycare provider falsely accused of killing a baby in her care.
Mark Kerr and Mark Coleman: Mark “The Smashing Machine” Kerr, and Mark “The Hammer” Coleman (both former UFC Heavyweight Champions) were successfully defended against a Civil Lawsuit instigated by their former manager, thereby releasing them from a very unreasonable contract.
Jason Mayes: The Complete Acquittal at Jury Trial of a Phoenix man who shot and killed his girlfriend’s estranged husband in self-defense.
Brittney Griner: WNBA Basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury regarding a high-profile criminal allegation and a subsequent Divorce case.
Michael Gherman: The high-profile East Valley Wal-Mart double Capital Murder Jury Trial.
Michael Beasley: NBA Basketball player for the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat who, in an internationally covered media case, was Falsely Accused of Sexual Assault and Weapon/Drug Possession.
Valinda Jo Elliott: The Rejection of Criminal Charges (in an Internationally covered media case) against the woman who became lost in an Arizona forest and set a signal fire which ultimately became the Rodeo-Chediski fire – burning more than five hundred thousand (500,000) acres and four hundred and forty (440) homes.
Richard Simmons: The Dismissal of Charges against the famed fitness expert who was accused of slapping a rather large “cage fighter” that was taunting him at the Sky Harbor Airport.
Dr. Nancy Lee: The high-profile “Turn-Down” of First Degree Murder charges against a Scottsdale woman falsely accused of shooting her husband 3 times while he lay in bed, and instead having the death ruled as a suicide.
David Ellefson: Rejection of Criminal Charges against the bass-player in the band Megadeath regarding false sex crime allegations.
Jason Beck: The high-profile “Turn-Down” of Homicide Charges against a Peoria man who was being falsely accused of pushing his estranged wife out of a moving vehicle, which resulted in her death.
Sgt. Patrick Haab: The Declining of Filing Charges (in a nationally covered media case) against an off-duty Army Reservist who took seven (7) illegal immigrants into custody at gunpoint because they had charged at him from the desert, at night, near a local highway rest stop.
Thomas Beatie: The successful Reversal of a Ruling regarding the internationally famous “Pregnant Man”, who was being denied a Divorce and equitable Child Custody by a Judge who had erroneously held that a Transgender male’s marriage to a woman was an Illegal Same-Sex Marriage.
Pedro Quintana-Lujan: The Rejection of Felony Vehicular Homicide Charges against a Goodyear man who hit 14 bicyclists with his truck, resulting in 2 fatalities.
Mr. H: The high-profile “Turn-Down” of Homicide Charges against a freshman in high school who stabbed another high school student in self-defense, resulting in death.

★ **David Michael Cantor**
Founding Partner

**★ Christine Whalin**
Partner / Managing Attorney

**Jason Karpel**
Partner / Director of Attorney Development

**Joshua Austin**
Criminal Defense Attorney

**Dominic Callese**
Criminal Defense Attorney

**David Campbell**
Criminal Defense Attorney

**Sean Kraut ¹**
Criminal Defense Attorney

**Tiffany Villegas**
Director of Operations/Human Resources

**Natalie Lugo**
Assistant Director of Operations

**Natalie Banuelos**
Administrative Assistant

**Shelby McMullen**
Administrative Assistant

**Tania Zermeno**
Administrative Assistant

**Tom Robinson**
Senior Legal Research Specialist/Juris Doctor

**Stephanie Ramos**
Front Desk Administrator

★ Certified Criminal Law Specialist – Arizona Board of Legal Specialization
¹ Also Licensed in New York and North Dakota

Notable Attributes of Arizona Criminal Attorney David Michael Cantor

Board-Certified Criminal Law Specialist since 1999 – per the Arizona Board of Legal Specialization
AV® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® and listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers® – Criminal Trial Section
Voted as the only Arizona Lawyer listed in the inaugural Southwest Super Lawyers® Publication, & again listed in the 2019-2025 publications for Criminal Defense, DUI/DWI
Voted a Top Criminal Defense Lawyer by Phoenix Magazine® (2024)
Voted #1 in DUI Defense and White Collar Defense (2020-2025) by Ranking Arizona®
Voted Nation’s Top 1% Attorney by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel® 2015-2025
Voted 10.0 Superb Rating for Criminal Defense on AVVO®
Voted Top 10 Attorney National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys®
Voted 10 Best Criminal Law Firm for Dedication to Client Satisfaction by the America Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys® (2025)
Voted Top 10 DUI/DWI Law Firm by American Institute of DUI/DWI Attorneys®
Voted Top 100 Trial Lawyer by the American Trial Lawyers Association®
Voted Top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyer by the American Society of Legal Advocates®
Voted Superior DUI Attorney by National Advocacy for DUI Defense®
Received the Client Satisfaction Award by American Institute of DUI/DWI Attorneys®
Former City of Phoenix Assistant City Prosecutor
Instructor at the Fourth Annual DUI Conference for Judges
Former Trial Instructor at the Phoenix Police Academy
Former Instructor at the Arizona MVD Hearing Office Teaching Administrative Law Judges
Member: National College for DUI Defense® (NCDD)
Member: National Child Abuse Defense Resource Center® (NCADRC)
Member: Arizona Trial Lawyers Association® (ATLA)
Member: Maricopa County Bar Association
Member: American Bar Association® (ABA)
Member: American Bar Foundation® (AFA)
Life Member National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers® (NACDL)
Life Member Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice (AACJ)
Lifetime Charter Member Best Attorneys of America®
Charter Member of Trial Masters®
Founding Member of American Association of Premier DUI Lawyers®
Past National Executive Committee Member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America®; Criminal Law Section (1999 – 2000)
Past Board Member ASU Sun Devil Wrestling Inner Circle (2016-2018)
Past Executive Board Member of Home Base Youth Services
Past Committee Member and Chairman, University of Southern California, Parents Leadership Circle Executive Committee (2016-2023)
Committee Member, State Bar of Arizona, Advancement and Improvement Committee (2024-Present)
Speaker: State Bar of Arizona’s “Ethics Issues for the 21st Century Lawyer” seminar (multiple years)
Speaker: Maricopa County Bar Association’s “Domestic Violence, Abuse, Sexual Abuse, and Child Pornography Allegations in Family Law Cases” seminar (multiple years)
Speaker: National Child Abuse Defense Resource Center®, National Conference regarding Pre-Indictment Child Homicide Representation
Assistant Volunteer Wrestling Coach at Chaparral High School (2015-2019)
Assistant Volunteer Wrestling Coach at Brophy College Prep (2020-2022)
Co-Founder of Firebird Wrestling Club (2016)
Admitted to practice: State Bar of Arizona (1989)
Admitted to practice: United States District Court, District of Arizona (1997)
Admitted to practice: United States Supreme Court (2000)

David Michael Cantor’s Defense Team takes pride in being knowledgeable in all areas of forensic sciences. This includes DNA technology; Computer Forensics; Latent Fingerprint technology; Ballistics; Drug Recognition technology; Serology and Bodily Fluids testing; Blood, Breath and Urine Alcohol testing methods; Gas Chromatography and Infra-Red Mass-Spectrometry. In addition, the Cantor Criminal Defense Team has an extensive law library with research materials regarding FBI, Department of Public Safety, State and Local Police investigation manuals.

We Pride Ourselves In Knowing More Than The Prosecution And Police Officers! If there is any defense to a criminal allegation (either factual or technical), the David Michael Cantor Criminal Defense Team will find it and utilize it to your benefit. The Cantor Criminal Defense Team, along with the numerous expert witnesses at their disposal, can give you your best chance at a complete acquittal or reduction of the charges. For a free initial consultation, call us at 602-307-0808, or click here to contact us now. The David Michael Cantor Defense Team is the Pinnacle of Representation® We handle DUI/ DWI cases, vehicular crimes, homicide, drug and sex offenses, white collar crimes, property crimes and other violent crimes.

* Per the Arizona Board of Legal Specialization in Criminal Law – David Michael Cantor & Christine Whalin

David Michael Cantor is also a member of Cantor Law Group, PLLC (a separate and distinct Law Firm which emphasizes only Family Law, and Trusts & Estate Law).

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About DM Cantor

About DM Cantor

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