6 minute read
Making a Difference Through Integrity
Suzuki Law Offices help clients achieve the best possible outcome
By Kamala Kirk
rom auto accidents to federal crimes, veteran attorney Richard J. Suzuki and his experienced team at Suzuki Law Offices are committed to defending their clients’ rights to help them achieve the best possible outcome in every situation. Since 2007, the firm has successfully handled thousands of criminal defense and auto accident cases. Throughout the years, they have successfully recovered millions of dollars for clients and won not-guilty verdicts for multiple cases including first-degree murder.
“Several of our attorneys are former federal and state prosecutors with a tremendous amount of trial experience,” Suzuki says.
“We also have an in-house investigator who has been with us for 14 years and is a retired captain from the Scottsdale Police Department. Our experience spans everything from misdemeanor shoplifting and DUI cases to domestic violence and first-degree murder — no case is too small or big for us. We place great value on integrity and our ethics bar is held very high, which is reflected in part by the hundreds of excellent online reviews we’ve received from satisfied clients.”
A former state prosecutor and assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Arizona, Suzuki has handled thousands of federal, felony and misdemeanor cases throughout the years.
He is licensed to practice in all Arizona state courts, the U.S. District Court District of Arizona, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, U.S. District Court of Colorado, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois and the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
“My focus is on criminal cases in city, state and federal courts, as well as personal injury
Richard J. Suzuki is the former assistant U.S. attorney for the District of
Arizona. (Photo by Tim Sealy)
law,” Suzuki says.
“Currently, I’m also representing clients in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, the U.S. District Court of Utah and the U.S. District Court of Colorado.”
After graduating from the University of Arizona College of Law in Tucson, Suzuki served as a law clerk for the Honorable Howard Fell of the Arizona Superior Court in Pima County.
He then went on to work as a criminal prosecutor for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, where he investigated and litigated felony matters for the Major Crimes Gang and Repeat Offender Program Bureau.
Over the course of his long career, Suzuki has received many honors and awards including being named one of the Top Valley Lawyers for multiple years in a row, voted Best of Scottsdale Attorneys 2019 and 2020, member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates, in addition to being part of The National Top 100 Trial Lawyers.
As a result of his diverse professional background and extensive insider knowledge, Suzuki can offer his clients important insight that helps them achieve the best results possible.
“Having worked on the other side as a prosecutor, I know what they’re looking for and how to best defend my clients,” Suzuki says.
“The relationships I have with many prosecutors help my clients obtain the best results, along with having realistic expectations of what we can accomplish.” Among the firm’s many success stories, Suzuki recounts a personal injury accident case in which he fought for a client who was hit by a commercial truck while on a motorcycle. Suzuki Law Offices went up against a very large insurance defense law firm and won their client a $3 million settlement.
“In addition to criminal cases, I’ve always been passionate about personal injury cases as well,” Suzuki says. “I previously spent three years working for an insurance defense firm, which helps me now when fighting against insurance companies because I know what it’s like on the other side, which is very helpful to my clients.”
One thing clients appreciate and value about working with the team at Suzuki Law Offices is the great attention to detail and personal care they receive throughout the entire process.
“We treat our clients like family, and we take very good care of them,” Suzuki says.
“I’m constantly meeting with clients and am very involved. Our entire team stays on top of things, and we make sure to return clients’ calls within the same day. We also work closely with their families because they’re able to help us with mitigation for our clients so that we can fight for them. A lot of law firms will only work with an individual but having that personal touch and connection with clients and their families is very important to us and further contributes to their success.”
Suzuki and a majority of his team also speak fluent Spanish, which has allowed them to help even more clients, particularly those who don’t speak English. Suzuki is also a member of Los Abogados and part of the Hispanic National Bar Association and the Arizona Hispanic Bar Association.
“I use Spanish on a daily basis, and I deal with a lot of Hispanic clients,” Suzuki says. “It’s a very prominent language in this area and when dealing with legal issues, especially serious ones, people feel more comfortable talking to someone that can speak their language. It really makes a difference.”
During the pandemic, Suzuki notes there were significant decreases in personal injury accident cases due to fewer people driving on the road. Also, prosecutors held back a lot of criminal cases from being filed, but there was a noticeable increase in domestic violence cases due to more people being confined to their homes.
Despite the challenges that all businesses faced during the pandemic, Suzuki Law Offices made the necessary adjustments to continue serving the needs of their clients in a safe manner.
They implemented new safety precautions, which included decreasing the number of staff members who were in the office at any given time. In addition, they installed plexiglass between workspaces and sanitation stations for washing hands.
“We had to make some adjustments, but our office remained open, and we were still showing up to court,” Suzuki says.
“We held more meetings on Zoom, but we always had someone available at the office to take calls from clients and meet with them. When it comes to criminal defense cases, often clients are scared and they can’t wait to talk to someone on the phone, they need to see someone. Fortunately, the pandemic situation seems to be getting a lot better and we’re all moving forward in the right direction.”
When it comes to assisting others, Suzuki Law Offices is passionate about giving back and helping the community — in and out of the courtroom. They support multiple causes and organizations, including the local YMCA, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Phoenix Children’s Hospital and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, among others.
“We’ve always been very involved in the community,” Suzuki shares. “I love animals and we recently became involved with the Arizona Humane Society. We’re very big on helping youth as well, I coached youth sports for over 10 years, and we support many local high school football, baseball, softball and basketball teams. Whether it’s people in the community or our clients, I love helping people and the opportunity to have a big impact on their lives.”
Richard J. Suzuki meets with clients and is heavily involved in their cases. He also works closely with their families. (Photo by Tim Sealy)
