Meet the Phillips and Associates Legal Team
Arizona's Largest Consumer Law Firm
| CRIMINAL & DUI | BANKRUPTCY | PERSONAL INJURY |
 Robert R. Teague Supervising Attorney Bankruptcy Division |
 William B. Blaser Supervising Attorney Personal Injury Division |
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| PRODUCT LIABILITY | PERSONAL INJURY | PERSONAL INJURY |
 Lowell W. Finson Supervising Attorney Defective Drugs & Product Liability Division |
 "Trey" A.R. Dayes III Assistant Supervising Attorney Personal Injury Division |
At the Arizona Law firm of Phillips and Associates, our experienced and highly talented team of attorneys represent those in need of legal representation.
Many of our bankruptcy, personal injury and criminal defense attorneys are Board Certified Specialists. Whether your case is a personal injury or bankruptcy, or if you are in need of criminal defense, our attorneys serving Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa, Scottsdale, and communities throughout Arizona can help you.
Click on any of our attorneys to learn more about them. To schedule a free consultation with our personal injury, criminal defense, or bankruptcy attorneys in Phoenix or at one of our many other Arizona locations, please contact us. We can help you.
Phoenix Attorneys - Learn About Our Lawyers
Robert Beucler
Robert Beucler is a Board Certified Specialist in Bankruptcy Law having first received his Bankruptcy Specialization Certification in 1990. Mr. Beucler’s status with as a Certified Bankruptcy Specialist for the past 20 years sets him apart in Arizona as one of an elite few attorneys statewide with this distinction and this breadth of bankruptcy law experience.
Mr. Beucler has been employed by Phillips & Associates for over 11 years. He has successfully represented thousands of bankruptcy clients during this time. He currently represents Chapter 13 bankruptcy clients at the firm. Mr. Beucler has more than thirty years of legal experience and has limited his practice during that time almost exclusively to bankruptcy law. Prior to his employment with Phillips & Associates, Mr. Beucler spent 5 years representing Chapter 7 bankruptcy panel trustees in the District of Arizona. Prior to that he worked in private practice working in the areas of general litigation, bankruptcy, and family law.
Mr. Beucler grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona and graduated from Colorado College with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Mr. Beucler received his Juris Doctorate from Arizona State University College of Law and has served on the Board of Directors of the A.S.U. College of Law Alumni Association.
William B. Blaser
Bill graduated from the University Of Arizona College Of Law in Tucson, Arizona earning his Juris Doctorate degree 1976. Mr. Blaser has been in practice in southern Arizona for more than 30 years. He has had a wide range of experience in the law, his focus and emphasis has always been trials and litigation. As such, he has developed a deep background of experience in personal injury cases and civil trials in general. Mr. Blaser is also certified as a Specialist in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation by the Arizona Board of Legal Specialization. Prior to graduating from the University of Arizona, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas Tech University in History with interests in Physical Education, Classics, and English.
Bill started his practice in Cochise County as a deputy County Attorney working at the same time for both the civil and criminal divisions of that office. Thereafter, he went into private practice in Bisbee ultimately moving to Tucson to start his own firm. In 1995 he was asked by State Farm Insurance Companies to set up and start their Claims Litigation Office in Tucson where he was the Managing Attorney there for 10 years. Since 2005 he has been engaged as a consultant for Tucson lawyers advising and helping them with their trial and litigation files, and now is the Supervising Attorney for Phillips & Associates' Tucson office.
Bill is admitted to practice in the State of Arizona, the Federal Courts in Arizona, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and The United States Supreme Court. He has had trials in most of the counties in Arizona, in the Tucson Federal District Court, and oral arguments before Division 2 of the Arizona Court of Appeals in Tucson and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
Bill has been involved in a variety of personal injury cases from automobile cases involving minor injuries to dust storm cases with multiple deaths, premises cases to products liability cases.
Aaron Carrow
Aaron Carrow is originally from Jacksonville, Florida where he received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of North Florida and his law degree from Florida Coastal School of Law. Following admission to the State Bar of Florida, Mr. Carrow served as Assistant State Attorney for Sarasota County, where he handled criminal cases. As an Assistant State Attorney, he gained considerable trial experience.
Mr. Carrow is dedicated to public service, before practicing law he interned with U.S. Senator Bill Nelson. While in Florida he volunteered at Habitat for Humanity and since moving he has continued his public service as a volunteer for the Town of Fountain Hills. He is currently licensed in Arizona and Florida.
Rachel DaPena
Rachel DaPena is an associate of the firm's bankruptcy department. Ms. DaPena graduated with honors from California State University Fullerton, receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice. Prior to attending law school, she worked as a Counselor at a drug treatment furlough program for female prison inmates. She received her Juris Doctor from Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa, California. During law school, she was a member of the Entertainment and Sports Law Society, Women's Law Society, Federalist Society and was a competing member of and Vice President of Whittier's Trial Advocacy Honors Board. She clerked for the Orange County District Attorney's office and was integral to the implementation of several gang injunctions. In addition, she has experience in the practice areas of plaintiff's personal injury, insurance defense for construction defect and personal injury, general business civil litigation, and intellectual property. She currently limits her practice to consumer bankruptcy. She is licensed in all of the state courts of California and Arizona, the District Court of Arizona, and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
“Trey” A.R. Dayes III
“Trey” A.R. Dayes is a trial attorney in the Personal Injury and Wrongful Death division of the Firm. Mr. Dayes has litigated cases involving catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, and various commercial issues. He has represented the City of Phoenix, 21st Century, Western Agricultural Insurance, and AIG Insurance Companies, National Propane Company, and CRST Trucking, as well as many individual clients.
Mr. Dayes received his Juris Doctor from the Brigham Young University J. Rueben Clark Law School in 1996, where he was chosen to be an Editor and Note and Comment Editor for the BYU Journal of Public Law. He also authored "Drafting a Limited Liability Clause that will Pass the Scrutiny of Utah Courts." He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. Trey has attended the AAJ Advanced Medical Trial Skills College. Mr. Dayes is licensed to practice law in Arizona and Utah.
While in Utah he represented several municipalities including the cities of Lindon, Pleasant Glove, and American Fork. He also represented several corporate clients including Utah Community Credit Union and the Bank of American Fork.
In his spare time, Trey values his time as a boy-scout leader, and playing sports, such as soccer and baseball. He enjoys spending time with friends and family.
Elizabeth Liz Dudley
Ms. Dudley is a former Registered Nurse and an attorney; specializing in women’s issues with a focus on pharmaceutical and medical device litigation. Ms. Dudley has joined the Phillips National Injury Group’s Mass Tort Department.
Ms. Dudley earned her license to practice law in Kansas and was responsible for litigating and managing pharmaceutical mass tort and medical device cases. She has successfully settled thousands of cases which earned her firm and her clients several millions of dollars in fees and settlements.
Ms. Dudley, after practicing as a nurse in surgery, obstetrics, intensive care and as a Director of Nursing, became a nurse consultant, then an attorney in Wichita, Kansas. Ms. Dudley set up efficient programs for processing large volumes of pharmaceutical and device cases. This process allowed her to perform more efficient and cost-effective medical/legal case analysis.
Ms. Dudley has been appointed to various national mass tort and multi-district litigation committees including Silicone Breast Implants, Fen-Phen, Vioxx, Bextra/Celebrex and Yaz/Yasmin. Most recently she earned a nomination for a place on the Proposed Plaintiff’s Steering Committee for the Yaz/Yasmin multi-district litigation. She was recently appointed by the Yaz/Yasmin Plaintiffs Steering Committee to their Science committee.
Ms. Dudley’s responsibilities include:
- Developing legal theories of liability
- Formulating litigation strategies regarding science and causation
- Obtaining the services nationally recognized experts
- Synthesizing relevant medical literature to the case at hand
- Reviewing and analyzing documents produced
- Developing trial criteria
- Taking depositions
- Attending hearings
- Developing sound settlement grid criteria
- Negotiating settlements and appealing award decisions
- Assisting with Daubert hearings
Given her already extensive experience and high degree of knowledge in both the medical and legal fields, Ms. Dudley has had the opportunity to get to know and work with many of the plaintiff law firms that handle these types of cases on a national level. These relationships have provided and will continue to provide economic benefits for Ms. Dudley’s client’s and her firm.
Lowell W. Finson
Lowell W. Finson is a trial attorney who handles serious personal injury, product liability, mass tort and medical malpractice cases. Mr. Finson a cum laude graduate of Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, in Cleveland, Ohio in 1974. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Finson graduated with honors from Miami University in 1971 from Oxford, Ohio, with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration. His primary area of practice is civil litigation, focusing on serious injuries arising out of defective drugs. Mr. Finson has been licensed to practice in Arizona since 1986 and in Ohio since 1974, and is admitted in all State and Federal Courts in Arizona and Ohio. In 2007, after over 33 years of practice, Mr. Finson recently passed the California State Bar Exam, considered to be one of the most difficult in the nation. He has tried over 100 jury trials in both State and Federal Courts. Additionally, Mr. Finson has argued in the Courts Of Appeals in Ohio, Arizona and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Finson was a Board Certified Specialist in Workers Compensation, certified by the Arizona Board of Legal Specialization from 1998-2004. He has handled hundreds cases before the Industrial Commissions of Arizona and Ohio.
Mr. Finson was a member of the Board of Directors of the Arizona Trial Lawyers Association from 2003 – 2006. He has been a member of the American Association of Justice for most of his legal career, and is currently a member of the Avandia, Yasmin and Shoulder Pain Pump Litigation Sections. Mr. Finson is a Red Cross Volunteer, and on a panel of attorneys who rendered legal advice to victims of Hurricane Katrina that were evacuated and relocated to Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona. Mr. Finson is also a member of the ACLU Arizona Attorneys Panel, which screens legal cases for consideration for litigation regarding victims of civil rights violations.
Currently, Mr. Finson is the Supervisor of the Mass Tort Division of the firm, and is responsible for cases involving many drugs and medical devices. Since 2005, he has put together a large staff of attorneys, medical legal specialists, paralegals and support staff which maintains over 1500 actively filed cases, and is recognized as a leader in pharmaceutical medical legal science in the nation. He practices in State and Federal Courts in Arizona, California, Florida, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, and Louisiana. His case load involves drugs such as Avandia, Fosamax, Yasmin, Vioxx, Bextra, Celebrex, Digitek, Zyprexa, Seroquel, Byetta, Zelnorm, Heparin, Ortho Evra, Actonel, Trasylol, Gadolinium, Gardasil, and Zometa. He also has national products liability cases in transvaginal mesh, Yamaha Rhino, and heart related device litigations. He is in leadership positions in several national litigation projects. He is on the Science and Discovery Committees in the Avandia Multidistrict Litigation centered in Philadelphia, and on the Executive Committee of the Avandia Coordinated Proceeding in California. He is also in a leadership role in the Yasmin National Litigation, and as such, will be a member of the Science and Discovery Committees of the soon to be formed Coordinated Proceedings in Pennsylvania, California, and Multidistrict National litigation. He has been asked to speak at various seminars across the nation, and most recently was invited to speak on a national webinar on the subject of Yasmin.
Rachel Flinn
Rachel Flinn is an associate in the firm's bankruptcy department. Rachel graduated with honors from Northern Illinois University in December of 2004 with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. After her graduation, she attended Northern Illinois University College of Law. During her tenure at Northern Illinois University College of Law, she was named to the College of Law Dean's List. She was also a member of the Public Interest Law Society and the Women's Law Caucus. As a member of these organizations, she raised funds for the local women's shelter and helped build a home with Habitat for Humanity. In her final year of law school, Rachel clerked at a law firm in downtown Chicago that specialized in workers' compensation litigation. Following her law school graduation, Rachel moved from Illinois to Arizona in order to be closer to her family. In May of 2009, Rachel was admitted to the Arizona State Bar. She is also licensed to practice in the United States District Court, District of Arizona.
Thomas J. Howard
Thomas J. Howard is an attorney in the Personal Injury Department. A 1983 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, Mr. Howard has been a trial attorney for over 25 years in the fields of Personal Injury and Insurance Coverage. Mr. Howard has settled more than a million dollars worth of accident and injury cases. He has also handled medical malpractice and products liability claims.
Mr. Howard has tried over 60 personal injury cases in the Courts of Arizona. He has also handled personal injury cases in various Tribal Courts. He brings a diverse perspective to the firm having spent his first 20 years representing insurance interests, which provides a unique insight into handling Personal Injury cases.
Mr. Howard has been a member of the State Bar of Arizona and U.S. District Court, District of AZ since 1983. He is a member of the Arizona Trial Lawyers Assoc., an organization devoted solely to representing victims of another’s negligent conduct. In 2002 Mr. Howard was honored with the distinction of election to The American Board of Trial Advocates and awarded the second highest rank of Advocate.
RuthAnn James
RuthAnn James was born and raised in New Jersey. She received her undergraduate degree in Literature and Communications from Pace University, Pleasantville, NY. She earned her Juris Doctorate at Pace University School of Law, White Plains, NY.
RuthAnn moved to the Phoenix area in 1993 and was admitted to the State Bar of Arizona the same year. In 1994 she joined the law firm of Goldberg & Osborne where she practiced plaintiff's personal injury, wrongful death and negligence law. RuthAnn remained with Goldberg & Osborne as Managing Attorney until 2006. RuthAnn eventually opened her own practice and where she continued to represent plaintiffs in actions involving personal injury, wrongful death and general civil litigation.
On June 1, 2009 RuthAnn joined the firm of Phillips & Associates where she continues to pursue justice for victims hurt as a result of another's negligence.
RuthAnn is admitted to practice before the Arizona Supreme Court and the U.S. District Court in Arizona. She is a member of the Arizona State Bar, Maricopa County Bar Association and Arizona Trial Lawyers Association.
Joel F. Newell
Joel Newell is an attorney in the Firm’s Bankruptcy Division. A 2007 graduate of Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Mr. Newell also has experience in Commercial Litigation and Business. Mr. Newell was also an Associate Editor of Thomas M. Cooley Journal of Practical and Clinical Law. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Anderson University in Indiana. Mr. Newell has represented debtors and creditors in Chapter 7, 13, and 11 bankruptcies. Mr. Newell is a member in good standing with the State Bar of Arizona, Mr. Newell is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.
R. Glenn Phillips
R. Glenn Phillips has been trying cases for more than 20 years. Nearly 100 percent of his trial experience involves injured people. Glenn is committed to helping people, always going the extra mile for his clients. Throughout his career, he has spared no amount of effort in obtaining full justice for his clients. Glenn handles cases throughout the United States. He has taken over 100 jury trials to verdict.
During the first 15 years of his practice, however, Mr. Phillips represented the insurance companies, defending the bad drivers who caused injuries in motor vehicle and motorcycle accidents, wrongful death, product liability, construction site injury, and insurance company bad faith claims. He knows insurance defense inside and out.
In return, insurance companies know R. Glenn Phillips. They used to hire him, and rely on his sound advice, expert trial skills, and dogged determination. Now, when Mr. Phillips acts as a personal injury attorney on behalf of his Seattle-area clients, the insurance companies know they are up against a worthy opponent.
Mr. R. Glenn Phillips is a member of the Washington State Bar Association, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and an Eagle member of the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Phillips is admitted to practice in all Washington State and Federal Courts.
Jeffrey L. Phillips
Jeffrey Phillips graduated from Arizona State University in 1990 where he earned a Juris Doctorate in Law and started along the road to a successful legal career. Before law school, Mr. Phillips received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1986 from Arizona State University. Additionally, Mr. Phillips has developed a wide background of experience in business, real estate and finance. At our Phoenix, Arizona firm, he focuses on criminal law and DUI defense, as well as providing attorney representation for plaintiff's serious personal injury cases.
Jeffrey Phillips is licensed to practice law in Arizona. As a part of our Phoenix, Arizona firm, he has served as criminal and DUI defense attorney for a number of clients in both felony and misdemeanor cases, and has presented more than 40 criminal and DUI cases to juries. He has represented clients in felony charges throughout Arizona in Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Gila, Mojave, Navajo and Yavapai Counties.
Jeffrey Phillips has received considerable recognition for his volunteer work. In April 1994, he received the Volunteer Attorney of the Month Award from Community Legal Service. In 1996, he was presented with the William T. Burmingham Award in recognition for the volunteer work he performed throughout the year. In 2002, his work in assisting low income bankruptcy clients contributed to Phillips and Associates being honored with the Volunteer Lawyer Program Bankruptcy Service award.
In addition to his role at our Phoenix, Arizona firm as an experienced criminal and DUI defense attorney, Mr. Phillips works with attorneys throughout the United States, helping seriously injured clients.
Robert R. Teague
Robert R. Teague is the Supervising Attorney of the Firm’s Bankruptcy Department.
Mr. Teague is certified as a Specialist in Bankruptcy Law by the Arizona Board of Legal Specialization. He joined the Phillips & Associates Bankruptcy Department in 2000 and since then has personally represented many thousands of bankruptcy clients and has been instrumental in growing the Firm’s Bankruptcy practice to become the largest in Arizona. In 2007, Mr. Teague was honored to receive the “Consumer Finance Attorney of the Year Award” from the Maricopa County Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyer Program.
Mr. Teague graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with honors, from the University of Arizona in 1992. Mr. Teague then spent three adventurous years teaching English, Geography, and History to the native islanders at Yap High School on Yap Island, Federated States of Micronesia.
Mr. Teague received his law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and he was admitted to practice law in all of the state courts of Arizona, as well as in the United States District Court, District of Arizona in 1998.
Eric R. Thieroff
Eric R. Thieroff is a graduate of the Chapman University School of Law in Orange, California. Attorney Thieroff’s background is in Bankruptcy, Environmental, Land Use and Real Estate Law. Mr. Thieroff has an undergraduate degree in Physical Geography from Arizona State University in Tempe Arizona.
Mr. Thieroff now works primarily in Phoenix as a bankruptcy attorney, but also has previous experience in Trusts and Estates, as well as civil litigation, business and family law.
Mr. Thieroff was also a Captain in the United States Army 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Mr. Thieroff is licensed to practice law in Arizona and is also a Notary.
Timothy Tonkin
Timothy Tonkin fell in love with Arizona when he followed his parents here from New Jersey and attended Northern Arizona University. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from N.A.U. in 1994. After a brief stint working in New York City, he returned to Arizona to attend the Arizona State University College of Law.
Soon after beginning law school, Timothy began working in the area of personal injury and began advocating for the rights of individuals against insurance companies. In his over six years in the legal field, he has concentrated exclusively on helping injured people and has represented numerous clients in all aspects of personal injury claims including trials, arbitrations and mediation.
In his spare time, Tim values his time as a big brother for the Valley Big Brother/Big Sisters and has worked as a Volunteer Attorney. He enjoys traveling, playing golf and spending time with friends and family.
