Dog Bite Law Unleashed: Civil and Criminal Dimensions

Lori Ann Zucco Related Seminars and Products

Lori Zucco began her legal career in Tucson after graduating from the University of Arizona College of Law in 1996. After a brief stint in private practice criminal defense, she served as a City of Tucson Deputy Public Defender for seven years, handling a voluminous DUI caseload including dozens of jury trials.

In 2004 Ms. Zucco answered an online advertisement for a “Prosecutor in Paradise” and moved to the Republic of Palau in Micronesia, where she served as an Assistant Attorney General/Felony Criminal Prosecutor for four years. During that time, she participated in many international law conferences throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands on topics such as anti-terrorism and anti-money laundering. She also attended an Australian Director of Public Prosecution conference in Adelaide, Australia, comparable to our APAAC Summer Conference.

After re-patriating to the United States, Ms. Zucco moved to Bisbee in 2009 and joined the Cochise County Attorney’s Office as a Deputy County Attorney in the felony General Crimes Unit. In 2018 she was promoted to Chief Criminal Deputy, and in 2024 she was elected Cochise County Attorney. During her career with the Cochise County Attorney’s Office, she has handled some of the most serious, high-profile cases and has been nominated for APAAC’s Felony Prosecutor of the Year Small Jurisdiction Award four times.

Ms. Zucco serves on the Executive Board of the Cochise County Bar Association as the Immediate Past President and was the Co-Chair of the 2025 Arizona State Bar Convention.

Joy Parker Related Seminars and Products

Joy Parker started her career in the DA's office in New York City before relocating to Arizona. She has worked as a Legal Defender for Maricopa County and has years of experience in family, criminal and juvenile law. She graduated from Temple Beasly School of Law with an LLM in Trial Advocacy. She enjoys mentoring young attorneys and volunteering to assist to teach courses at the James E. Rogers School of Law.

Sara L Dent Related Seminars and Products

Legal Defender

Yavapai County Public Defender

Sara Dent graduated from Seattle University Law School in 2007, and has practiced in Arizona since 2008. She has experience as both a criminal defense attorney as well as a prosecutor, and regardless of which side she was advocating for, always advocated for animals as well.

In addition to her work as a full time government attorney, Sara also serves as a Professor at Practice, teaching Animal Law at the University of Arizona School of Law.

Throughout her career, Sara has spent the better part of it advocating for animal welfare issues, and in particular helping to transform the negative perceptions of bully breed and pit bull type dogs. A large part of that advocacy included certifying her two rescue pit bull type dogs as both therapy and comfort dogs. Being able to volunteer at Tu Nidito with her dogs and helping grieving children and their parents, is something she is most proud of.

She is currently the Chair of the Animal Law Section, and has served in the past as Chair as well as other executive office positions.

Matthew F Schmidt Related Seminars and Products

Schmidt Sethi & Akmajian

Matthew Schmidt is a partner at Schmidt Sethi & Akmajian, a plaintiff's firm in Tucson, Arizona focused on complex personal injury law. Matt graduated from the James E Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona and passed the Arizona bar exam in 2010. Matt's primary interest in law focuses on general personal injury, insurance bad faith and police misconduct. Matt was honored as one of Tucson's 40 under 40 by the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Arizona Daily Star in 2014. In addition to serving his clients, Matt is president of the Engage Foundation, a nonprofit that provides free, fun and underrated recreational activities to underprivileged kids. Matt is a certified Wellness Coach, teaching the legal and general community about stress management; He writes a column called "Mind your Mind" in the Writ, the Pima County Bar Association Newsletter. In May 2011, Matt won 2nd place in the Arizona Attorney's creative arts competition for his fictional piece "The Taker." In June 2010, Matt and his dad (Ted Schmidt) co-authored "Taking the 'Strict' Out of Products Liability Law," a feature article in the Arizona Attorney. Together, they also co-authored multiple sections of the Products Liability chapter of the 2012 Arizona Tort Law Handbook published by the State Bar of Arizona. In law school, Matt served as a legal extern for Senator Jon Kyl in Washington D.C. on the Judiciary Committee for the subcommittee of Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security in the Fall of 2008. He won the Andrew Silverman Law Student Community Service Award in the 2009-2010 for his leadership on the Community Service Board and orchestration of several community service events for law students to participate in. When he is not practicing law, writing or traveling, Matt enjoys participating in or watching just about any sporting event. Matt also enjoys staying active in the community and spends lots of time growing Engage.

Matthew Dale Jefferson Related Seminars and Products