John P. Leader Esq.

John has an unmatched legal profile. A graduate (with distinction) from the University of Arizona in 1985, John went on to attend the University of Arizona law school where he received his Juris Doctorate in 1988. During law school, John was a member of the Arizona Law Review. During law school, John had the honor of spending a semester in Washington, D.C., working on "the Hill" for then Senator Dennis DeConcini. After law school, John landed a prestigious federal judicial court clerkship for Judge Alfredo C. Marquez. In 1990, John was then selected as an Assistant United States Attorney for the U.S. Attorney's Office, where he spent nine years representing the United States of America in the Criminal Division. John received a Special Achievement Award for Sustained Superior Performance of Duty from the U.S. Department of Justice in 1992. As a federal prosecutor, John litigated approximately fifty federal jury trials in the U.S. District Court and presented over 15 oral arguments before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. John has also authored approximately forty Ninth Circuit Court Appellate briefs. In 1999, John entered private civil practice with the firm of Haralson, Miller, Pitt, and McAnally, where he was an associate to Dale Haralson for three years. During this time, John authored two "Amicus Curiae" Briefs, one that was filed with the U.S. Supreme Court [Norfolk Southern R. Co. v. Shanklin, 529 U.S. 344 (2000)] and another filed with the Arizona Supreme Court [Isbell v. State, 198 Ariz. 291 (2000)]. John opened his legal practice in 2007 and continued private civil litigation on behalf of his clients at the Leader Law Firm. John is a member of the American Trial Lawyer's Association, the Arizona Trial Lawyer's Association, and the Western Trial Lawyer's Association. In February 2012, John obtained a $7.8 million dollar wrongful death jury verdict against the State of Arizona. In December 2015, John received a $47 million dollar wrongful death jury verdict against the State of Arizona in an I-10 accident case. Read more about these verdicts here: http://www.leaderlawaz.com/roadway-barriers-and-crossover-accidents/. John Leader is a respected and experienced Catastrophic Personal Injury & Wrongful Death attorney who specializes in helping clients receive justice and compensation for their injuries and losses from negligence or other wrongdoing. We offer a free case evaluation; please contact us today. Awards and Honors Super Lawyers® Selectees John P. Leader Esq. included in a Super Lawyers® list Honors U.S. Department of Justice Sustained Superior Achievement Award, 1992 University of Arizona Outstanding "Junior" Man Award, Chain Gang Award recipient, 1984 Included in “Super Lawyers“ list, 2020-2022 Other Sources of Feedback About John P. Leader Esq. Included on the 2026Southwest Super Lawyers list Past Lists 2025 Southwest Super Lawyers list 2024 Southwest Super Lawyers list 2023 Southwest Super Lawyers list 2022 Southwest Super Lawyers list 2021 Southwest Super Lawyers list 2020 Southwest Super Lawyers list

• Owner and sole practitioner

• Judicial Clerk, U.S. District Court, Law Clerk, 1989 - 1990
• The Hon. Dennis DeConcini [then Senator in Washington, D.C.], Fall Semester 1987, Legal Internship
• U.S. Attorney’s Office, Assistant United States Attorney
• Honorable Alfredo C. Marquez, United States District Court Judge, United States District Court, Tucson, Arizona, 1989-1990, Judicial Clerk
• Languages
• Spanish
• English (Primary)

• "Killer Highways", Arizona Trial Lawyers-CLE Seminar, 2006
• "Negotiating ERISA Liens", Arizona Trial Lawyers, 2001
• "Diary of a $47 Million Dollar Verdict", Western Trial Lawyer's Association, June 7, 2016
• Suing Uncle Sam: Practice Tips Re: The Federal Tort Claims Act, Western Trial Lawyer's Summer Conference, June 7, 2014
• Cross Median Accidents, 2013 Summer Convention, June 7, 2013
• Handling the Police Liability Claim, NBI CLE Seminar, May 1, 2011

• Norfolk Southern R. Co. v. Shanklin, 529 U.S. 344 (2000)
• Isbell v. State, 198 Ariz. 291 (2000)
• Humphrey/Quinn v. State of Arizona
• Court: Arizona
• Year: 2015
• Glazer v. State of Arizona
• Year: 2012

• Beacon Foundation Guardianship attorney, 1999 - 2001

• Arizona, 1989
• U.S. District Court District of Arizona, 1990
• U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1991

• American Association for Justice, 1999 - Present (Member)
• Arizona Trial Lawyer’s Association, 1999 - Present (Member)
• Western Trial Lawyer’s Association (Member)
• Student Bar Association’s Board of Governors, 1987 - 1988
• Fraternities and Sororities
• Tau Kappa Epsilon