The McDonald Law Firm, P.C.

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The McDonald Law Firm, P.C. Criminal Defense Attorney handling all types of criminal cases.

10/16/2026

I’ve had cases where I kept waiting for the case to get better.

More disclosure.

Another interview.

Another court date.

Maybe the prosecutor would change.

Maybe something would happen.

Eventually I had to ask myself:

“What am I waiting for?”

That’s an uncomfortable question.

Sometimes there is a legitimate strategic reason to wait.

Other times, we’re simply allowing the case to happen to us.

So I started looking at it differently.

What can I do this week that changes the posture of this case?

Talk to a witness?

Provide mitigation?

Request a settlement conference?

Identify the prosecutor’s real concern?

File the motion?

Pick up the phone?

Set the case for trial?

Sometimes the answer is still:

Wait.

But now waiting is a strategic decision instead of the absence of one.

One thing I’ve learned over 31 years:

Cases rarely improve because we’re hoping something changes.

You have to continually ask:

What can I do to move this case?

What leverage can I create?

What conversation haven’t I had?

What decision have I been avoiding?

Don’t just manage your cases.

Drive them.

If you have a felony jump on this limited available statute! I can help! Call me to see if you qualify.
10/13/2026

If you have a felony jump on this limited available statute! I can help! Call me to see if you qualify.

🚨 ARIZONA'S NEW SECOND-CHANCE LAW — TURN YOUR FELONY INTO A MISDEMEANOR! 🚨A new Arizona law took effect September 12, 20...
10/13/2026

🚨 ARIZONA'S NEW SECOND-CHANCE LAW — TURN YOUR FELONY INTO A MISDEMEANOR! 🚨
A new Arizona law took effect September 12, 2026!
If you have an Arizona Class 4, 5, or 6 felony conviction, you may now qualify to have it designated a Class 1 misdemeanor under A.R.S. § 13-604.01!
To qualify, you must meet ALL FIVE requirements:
1. You had no previous felony convictions before the qualifying offense.
2. Your offense did not involve a victim.
3. You completed ALL court-ordered requirements, including payment of all fines, fees, restitution, and other monetary obligations.
4. At least FIVE YEARS have passed since you completed your sentence, with no subsequent felony convictions or misdemeanor convictions involving a victim during that period.
5. The judge determines that changing your felony to a misdemeanor is in the interest of justice.
❌ Cases that DO NOT qualify:
• Dangerous felony offenses.
• Cruelty to Animals.
• Misconduct Involving Weapons.
• Convictions for failing to register as a s*x offender.
WHY IS THIS A HUGE DEAL?
A felony conviction can follow you for life, affecting employment, housing, and professional opportunities. Changing that felony conviction to a misdemeanor could make an enormous difference in your future!
⏰ ACT FAST! This law is scheduled to expire October 1, 2028!
I can review your conviction and, if you qualify, file a motion asking the court to designate your felony as a misdemeanor. Approval is subject to the judge's discretion.
McDONALD LAW FIRM — CRIMINAL DEFENSE
📞 520-884-5201
📧 [email protected]
Call me today to discuss whether you qualify!

10/09/2026

I’ve had this conversation countless times during consultations.

“Can you guarantee you’ll get this dismissed?”

No.

And I won’t pretend that I can.

Early in my career, I thought the way to get clients was to convince them how good I was.

Thirty-one years later, I approach that conversation differently.

I explain what I see.

The good facts.

The bad facts.

The things we can control.

The things we can’t.

What concerns me.

Where I see opportunities.

And what I would do if they hired me.

Something interesting happens when you stop trying so hard to “sell” yourself:

People trust you more.

A frightened potential client doesn’t need another lawyer promising them the moon.

They need someone who can look at a frightening situation and say:

“Here’s where you are. Here’s where we need to go. And here’s how I would approach getting you there.”

You don’t have to guarantee the result.

You need to demonstrate that you understand the problem and have a plan.

That’s not just a better consultation.

It’s the beginning of a better attorney-client relationship.

10/07/2026

One thing I’ve noticed serving as a Judge Pro Tem:

Some lawyers keep arguing after they’ve already won.

The judge asks a question.

The lawyer gives a good answer.

The judge appears satisfied.

And then…

The lawyer keeps talking.

And talking.

Eventually, the lawyer says something that creates a new question that didn’t exist 30 seconds earlier.

I’ve probably been guilty of it myself.

There is a natural tendency as advocates to believe that if three good arguments are persuasive, seven arguments must be even better.

They aren’t always.

Sometimes your strongest argument is strong enough.

I’ve watched very effective advocates make their point clearly, answer the court’s questions and then—

sit down.

There’s confidence in that.

My takeaway from seeing advocacy from both sides of the bench:

Know your strongest argument.

Make it clearly.

Answer the question the judge actually asked.

And when you’ve made your point…

Stop talking.

Knowing when you’re finished is part of being a good advocate.

I’ve learned over the years that the less time I spend talking usually means I’m winning. When the judge is grilling the other side, keeping my mouth shut is usually the best way to help my client get what we are asking the judge for.

10/06/2026

I caught myself doing something recently that I think a lot of experienced lawyers do.

I was making a case more complicated than it needed to be.

I had identified several issues.

I was researching them.

Thinking about motions.

Looking at different ways to attack the case.

Then I forced myself to stop and ask:

“What is the shortest path from where my client is today to the result my client wants?”

That question changed my approach.

There were plenty of things I could do.

But there were only a couple of things that were likely to materially affect the outcome.

That’s something 31 years of practicing law hasn’t completely cured me of.

Lawyers like doing lawyer things.

Research.

Motions.

Arguments.

Hearings.

But our clients aren’t paying us to demonstrate how many legal things we know how to do.

They’re paying us to solve a problem.

Sometimes excellent representation requires doing more.

Sometimes it requires recognizing that more isn’t better.

Experience isn’t just knowing what you can do.

It’s knowing what you don’t need to do.

10/05/2026

“The prosecutor won’t negotiate with me.”

A criminal defense attorney brought this problem to me recently.

She had made what she thought was a reasonable counteroffer.

The prosecutor rejected it.

She made another.

Rejected.

At that point, she was ready to conclude:

“This prosecutor just isn’t reasonable.”

Maybe.

But I asked her:

“What have you given the prosecutor that makes it easier for them to change their position?”

That changed our conversation.

Sometimes we treat plea negotiations like we’re buying a car.

They offer X.

We counter with Y.

They say no.

We move a little.

They move a little.

But good plea negotiations aren’t always about moving numbers.

Sometimes you have to give the prosecutor new information.

A mitigation fact they didn’t know.

A weakness in the evidence they haven’t fully considered.

A legal issue that creates risk.

Something about the alleged victim’s position.

A sentencing alternative that accomplishes their stated goal without the punishment they’re demanding.

Or sometimes simply a different way of looking at the case.

My advice was:

Stop making offers for a minute. Start diagnosing why the prosecutor is saying no.

Once you know that, you can start figuring out what might get them to yes.

After 31 years of negotiating criminal cases, I’ve learned:

The best negotiators don’t just argue harder for their position. They figure out what the person on the other side needs in order to move.

I’ve had clients in my own practice who made me seriously consider withdrawing from their case.They called constantly.Qu...
10/04/2026

I’ve had clients in my own practice who made me seriously consider withdrawing from their case.

They called constantly.

Questioned every decision.

Sent long emails.

Ignored my advice.

And sometimes seemed unhappy no matter what I did.

My initial reaction was:

“Maybe I just need to withdraw.”

But over the years, I’ve learned to ask myself a different question:

“Is this really a bad client—or is this a scared client who doesn’t understand what’s happening?”

Because there’s a difference.

Criminal defense lawyers live in this world every day.

Our clients don’t.

What may feel like a routine continuance to me might mean another month of uncertainty to someone wondering whether they’re going to jail, lose their job, lose their driver’s license, or have their life turned upside down.

That doesn’t mean we have to tolerate inappropriate behavior.

It does mean I’ve learned to try resetting the relationship before ending it.

I’ll have a conversation about expectations.

Here’s what I can do.

Here’s what I can’t do.

Here’s when you’ll hear from me.

Here’s how we’re going to make decisions.

Here’s what I need from you.

And here’s what I need you to stop doing.

Sometimes it works.

Sometimes it doesn’t, and withdrawal really is the right answer.

But I’ve discovered something important during 31 years of representing people accused of crimes:

Some of my “difficult client” problems weren’t really client problems.

They were communication problems.

Expectation problems.

And occasionally, they were Me problems.

That’s a harder thing to admit.

But becoming a better lawyer sometimes requires asking whether the other person really needs to change—or whether we need to change the way we’re managing the relationship.

Address

319 W. Simpson Street
Tucson, AZ
85701

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+15208845201

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