Jerald (Jerry) Schreck is an award-winning criminal defense attorney in private practice in Phoenix, Arizona. He has practiced exclusively in criminal defense for the past thirty years. During that time, in recognition of his commitment to legal excellence and the provision of high-quality legal representation, he has been awarded the A.P.D.A. Outstanding Performance Award and he was the recipient of the sixteenth annual Joe Shaw Award, in recognition and appreciation of his extraordinary dedication and efforts on behalf of his clients.

Jerry’s breadth of experience as a criminal defense attorney in Arizona can be matched by few practicing attorneys. He has been involved in the representation of thousands of people throughout the four corners of our state ranging from Yuma to Cochise to Mohave to Apache County. He has argued before city court commissioners and Arizona Supreme Court justices. He has represented law enforcement officers, probation officers, pilots, teachers, doctors, lawyers, athletes, religious leaders, college students and corporate executives. The hundreds of jury trials he has been involved in have included issues of self-defense, defense of others, justification, mistaken identity, alibi, and accident for a wide variety of offenses like murder, aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, and sexual assault.

Jerry’s work in criminal defense is not limited to the representation of his own clients. Over the past several decades he has been sought after as a lecturer, consultant, and expert witness on a wide variety of criminal defense topics. He has taught continuing legal education courses for the Maricopa County Bar Association, the Mohave County Bar Association, Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office, Pinal County Public Defender’s Office, the Arizona Attorney’s for Criminal Justice, the City of Phoenix Public Defender’s Office. He has also been invited as a guest speaker at the Arizona Attorney General’s Office Victim’s Rights Institute, Arizona State University Law School, and the Maricopa County Adult Probation Office. He has been sought after as a consultant on various criminal defense topics by Arizona lawyers and others from around the country. He has also been retained as an expert witness in criminal cases in Pinal and Mohave County.

Prior to obtaining his undergraduate degree in Political Science at the University of California at Los Angeles, and his Law Degree at Southwestern University, Mr. Schreck was a non-commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps. While in the Marine Corps his primary military occupation specialty was as a field artillery battery man and he spent some time away from his artillery unit as a cold weather survival instructor, after graduating from the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, California. Schreck’s time in the Marine Corps serving his country gave him a unique perspective on freedom and justice, and that is why his motto for his approach to criminal defense is “I don’t ask for justice, I make it!”

Education & Certifications

Southwestern Law School – J.D. (1994) | Law

University of California – Los Angeles – B.A. (1992) | Political Science

Certificate of Completion of Adult Assessment Track

National Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers – 2008

Certificate of Completion of the Intervention, Treatment, Management of Youth who Engage in Sexually Abusive Behavior Track

National Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers – 2007

Completion of the Defender Impact Leadership Conference

National Legal Aide & Defender Association – 2005

Diploma in Advocacy Skills

National Institute for Trial Advocacy – 2004

Completion of the Trial Practice Institute

National Criminal Defense College – 2001

Certificate of Completion of DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Training Program

National Highway Safety Administration Approved Program – 1996