Total Credits: 7 CLE, 7 Criminal Law Specialization
Don't miss our biannual DUI seminar. This year’s seminar will include updates on recent caselaw, legislation, MVD, basics of crash reconstruction and issues with THC-based DUIs.
Specific topics include:
Defense attorneys, prosecutors and judges all may benefit from this seminar.
Faculty:
Michelle Bell, Law Offices of Michelle Bell
James Charnesky, Law Offices of Charnesky & Dieglio
Joel Chorny, Law Office of Joel Chorny
Dina Dieglio, Law Offices of Charnesky & Dieglio (seminar chair)
Lawrence Koplow, Koplow Law Firm
Troy Kranz, Owner, Arizona Crash & EDR Services
Devan Montgomery, Matthew Lopez Law
James Rappaport, Appellate Counsel, Pima County Attorney’s Office
Steven Scharboneau, Steven George Law
Samantha Walker, Misdemeanor Supervisor, Pima County Attorney’s Office
| DUI Cases: Issues and Updates (14 MB) | 193 Pages | Available after Purchase |
| Marijuana DUI Cases Slides (32.3 MB) | 168 Pages | Available after Purchase |
| Supplemental Materials for Marijuana DUI Cases (1 MB) | 22 Pages | Available after Purchase |
| Additional Resources on Field Sobriety Tests (10.7 MB) | 789 Pages | Available after Purchase |
Michelle Bell, Law Offices of Michelle Bell, strongly focuses her practice on DUI defense and is passionate about protecting the rights of others. Michelle graduated from the University of Northern Florida, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in criminal justice. Michelle earned her Juris Doctorate from Arizona Summit School of Law, and is licensed to practice in the State of Arizona and California. Michelle is also admitted to practice in the Arizona State Supreme Court, the California State Supreme Court, and the United States District Court of Arizona.
Michelle is a National College of DUI Defense (NCDD) and Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice (AACJ) member. Michelle has been recognized as a Top 10 Female Attorney in Arizona, a Top 40 Attorney Under 40, Super Lawyer- Southwest Rising Star, a Top 100 Trial Attorney, a Best DUI Attorney, and the Best of Arizona.
James Charnesky, Law Offices of Charnesky & Dieglio, has been practicing in the area of criminal defense for over 20 years. The majority of his practice is devoted to defending individuals charged with driving related crimes involving either alcohol or drugs. He is a member of both AACJ and NACDL. James attended the University of Arizona College of Law from 1995-1998. After graduating James began his law career as an Assistant Pima County Public Defender where he practiced for five years handling hundreds of misdemeanor and felony DUI cases. Since leaving the public defender's office, Mr. Charnesky has continued to practice criminal and DUI defense at the Law Offices of Charnesky & Dieglio. James has attended both the Wyoming Trial Institute and NACDL's National Trial College. He tried well over 250 jury trials.
James has presented at numerous legal seminars across the state on various issues relating to DUI defense including how to present expert testimony in challenging breath and blood readings, opening statements and closing arguments, and developing a winning theory of your case. He is often contacted by colleagues seeking strategy advice on defending case. James is known to share his work with others helping to foster community among defense attorneys. Most recently, James was awarded the Stephen Barnard Lifetime Achievement Award for DUI defense by AACJ (2023).
Joel Chorny, Law Offices of Joel Chorny, is a seasoned criminal defense attorney based in Tucson, Arizona, with over a decade of experience advocating for justice and defending the rights of individuals facing criminal charges ranging from DUI to first-degree murder. As the founder of The Law Office of Joel Chorny, PLLC, established in 2022, Joel has built a reputation for providing compassionate, effective legal representation to those in need.
Joel served as a public defender for 12 years, gaining invaluable experience and insight into the intricacies of the criminal system. In his time at the Pima County Public Defender’s office, Joel served as the office’s mentorship program coordinator and provided training to the attorneys in his office on the subjects of trial advocacy, client relations, and work-life balance.
In addition to his legal practice, Joel is deeply involved in civil rights education, particularly focusing on empowering parents to understand and navigate the legal system. He is also one of Pima County’s premier Spanish-speaking attorneys, ensuring that the Spanish-speaking community has access to quality legal representation. Joel is also an adjunct professor of trial advocacy at the James E. Rogers College of Law.
Outside the courtroom, Joel is a dedicated father of two and husband. His personal journey is marked by triumph over challenges, particularly in health and fitness, where he finds passion in cycling.
An engaging and dynamic speaker, Joel combines his legal expertise with his background in improv comedy to deliver compelling, relatable presentations. Whether in the courtroom or at a public event, he is committed to advocating for the rights of individuals and fostering a deeper understanding of the legal system.
Dina Dieglio, Law Offices of Charnesky & Dieglio. Since her admission to the Arizona Bar in 1998, Dina Dieglio has devoted her practice to criminal defense. During her years with the Pima County Public Defender's Office (1998-2003) Ms. Dieglio earned a reputation as a zealous advocate for her clients. Along with James Charnesky, she is currently a partner in the firm of Law Offices of Charnesky & Dieglio which they started in 2003. Her practice is 100% criminal defense with a focus on DUI related crimes. A Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rated attorney, Ms. Dieglio has handled thousands of cases from misdemeanors to serious felony offenses. Dina has given dozens of CLE presentations on various DUI topics over the last twenty years. She co-chairs the Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice annual DUI seminar along with Lawrence Koplow and has been the chair of the State Bar DUI Law Update Seminar. Currently, Dina is the Vice Chair of the Tucson City Magistrate Merit Selection Commission. Dina was also appointed to the Criminal Justice ACT (CJA) Panel Lawyer Screening Selection Committee in 2018 and is currently serving her second term.
In 2016, the Law Offices of Charnesky & Dieglio received the the Robert J. Hooker Award. This award is given by the Arizona Public Defenders’ Association to one private law firm in the State of Arizona “In recognition and appreciation of their exceptional commitment of time, effort and expertise to Arizona Public Defenders and their clients.” In addition to several other awards and recognitions, Ms. Dieglio was recently presented the AACJ’s Presidential Commendation Award (2023) and AACJ’s Larry Hammond Leadership Award (2024).
Lawrence Koplow, Koplow Law Firm, is in private practice focusing on the defense of DUI and vehicular crimes allegations. He was formerly a prosecutor in the Vehicular Crimes Section of the Maricopa County Attorneys’ Office. Lawrence has been practicing law for 20 years. During that time, he has conducted over 300 jury trials.
In 2015, Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice (AACJ) presented him with an “Outstanding Contribution to DUI Defense Award.” On January 18, 2019, Lawrence was also awarded a President’s Commendation by AACJ for his work in the case of State v. Diaz which challenged the constitutionality, and eventually overturned in a published opinion, the use of an Arizona Statute to seize blood without a warrant.
He is the author of the Challenging Blood Alcohol Measurements chapter, in Aspatore Publishing’s treatise DEFENDING VEHICULAR HOMICIDE CASES, 2015 Edition. Lawrence’s practice involves litigating issues concerning the use of forensic toxicology, metrology, laboratory quality assurance and quality control. His work has helped shape Arizona case law and effectuated changes in the way Arizona crime laboratories now conduct their work.
Troy Kranz is the owner of Arizona Crash & EDR Services, a business specializing in vehicle crash data retrieval services. He also performs traffic crash investigation, reconstruction and aerial mapping services.
Troy has nearly 30 years of law enforcement experience, including almost 25 years as a traffic crash investigator and reconstructionist. He currently works full time for a large law enforcement organization as a crash investigator in addition to owning his own business. Troy regularly uses the Bosch crash data retrieval system along with other tools to obtain vehicle data for criminal and civil litigation. Troy has attended over 2000 hours of crash investigation training through organizations such as Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, the Institute of Police Technology & Management (IPTM), and the Southwestern Association of Technical Accident Investigators (SATAI). Troy regularly teaches crash investigation to new police recruits in Pima County, Arizona as well.
Troy is currently an accredited as a crash reconstructionist through the Accreditation Commission of Traffic Accident Reconstructionists (ACTAR), #1762. He is also a current member of the Southwestern Association of Traffic Accident Investigators, the National Association of Professional Accident Reconstruction Specialists, and SAE International.
Devan Montgomery, Matthew Lopez Law. Originally from Wisconsin, Devan moved to Arizona for work after externing for Maricopa County Office of the Public Defender in the summer of 2019. In 2020, she started out at Maricopa County Office of the Public Defender as a law clerk and transitioned into an attorney position before taking an associate position with Matthew Lopez Law firm. Currently, she handles all Phoenix Municipal and Maricopa County cases at her firm. In her free time, Devan enjoys crossfit, documentaries, sports, and spending time with her dogs.
James Rappaport is a Deputy County Attorney at the Pima County Attorney’s Office, where he works in the Appeals Section. His past practice areas include zoning and environmental litigation, inverse condemnation, insurance defense, and § 1983 defense for the Tucson Police Department and Pima County Sheriff’s Department. He has also prosecuted DUIs both in Pima County Justice Court and Tucson City Court on behalf of the Pima County Attorney's Office.
James has tried cases to state and federal juries, and he has litigated in the Arizona Court of Appeals, the Arizona Supreme Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. James was also an instructor for the Pima County Sheriff’s Academy, where he taught courses in constitutional law and civil rights liability.
He received a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, in historical musicology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2011. He earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 2014.
James is the current President of the Pima County Bar Association and Chair of the Tucson City Magistrate Merit Selection Commission. He has been published twice in DePaul University’s Issues in Aviation Law & Policy on the subjects of Federal Aviation Act preemption and aviation tort litigation.
Steven Scharboneau is the founder of Steven George Law, and fills roles as father of two, criminal defense attorney, lobbyist, co-chair of the AACJ Legislative Committee, and member of the Phoenix Rio-Vista Village Planning Committee. When he’s not chasing his children around or advocating for his clients in the courtroom, Steven works closely with stakeholders, legislators, and the governor’s office on criminal justice reform issues in Arizona.
Samantha Walker is the Misdemeanor Attorney Supervisor at the Pima County Attorney’s Office. She has practiced criminal law with Pima County for three years, where she has handled cases in Pima County Justice and Superior Court. She began with a misdemeanor caseload of over 600 cases, then moved on to a felony DUI caseload of over 400 cases, during which time she performed the duty of Law Clerk Supervisor. She became the Misdemeanor Supervisor in February 2024, where she leads onboarding training and supervises a team of nine attorneys.
She received a double major, magna cum laude, in English and Creative Writing-Poetry from the University of Arizona in 2018. She earned her law degree from University of Arizona in 2021, where she received the Dean’s Achievement Award for Leadership, was an Articles Editor for Arizona Law Review, and received the Udall Family Prosecutorial Fellowship. Samantha was nominated for the 2023 APAAC Misdemeanor Prosecutor of the Year.
| 5 |
|
| 4 |
|
| 3 |
|
| 2 |
|
| 1 |
|
