Julio M. Zapata
Mr. Zapata has over 24 years of litigation experience and is fluent in Spanish. He has presented cases to the Arizona Supreme Court and the Arizona Court of Appeals where the Courts have given published decisions in his clients' favor, leading to new laws.
Mr. Zapata began his legal career at Garvey, Schubert & Barer ("GSB") located in Seattle, Washington. He practiced law as a litigation attorney while at GSB. In 1999, Mr. Zapata and his family moved to Arizona.
In Arizona, he began to practice law at Fennemore Craig, P.C., one of the oldest law firms in the State of Arizona, with over 200 attorneys and regional offices. Mr. Zapata was a litigator and handled personal injury matters ranging from the most catastrophic to the less severe where he handled numerous successful cases for clients. He became owner/director/officer at Fennemore Craig in 2006. In January 2014, Mr. Zapata established his own litigation practice firm known as Zapata Law PLLC.
Mr. Zapata is admitted to practice law in the States of Arizona and Washington. He is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court, District of Arizona; U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington; U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit Court; and the U.S. Tax Court. Mr. Zapata is also a member of the State Bars of Arizona and Washington. He is a member of the Trial Section at the State Bar of Arizona. Mr. Zapata is AV Preeminent Peer Review rated (the highest rating available), by Martindale Hubbell. He has written articles concerning product defect matters and has been published by the Washington Law Review.
He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Washington in Seattle where he served on the Washington Law Review and was student body president. Mr. Zapata was also the law school student body president for the Hispanic National Bar Association, and is a founder's circle lifetime member of the organization. Mr. Zapata has served as Treasurer for the Arizona Latino Arts Cultural Center, and has served on the Board of the Arizona Fair Housing Center.
His field of work, and sample cases can be found in the Legal Service section.
Admissions
Arizona, 2000
U.S. District Court, District of Arizona, 2000
Washington, 1998
U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, 1998
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit Court
U.S. Tax Court, 2005
Education and Honors
J.D., University of Washington School of Law, 1998
B.A., Sociology, magna cum laude, University of Southern California, 1994
B.S., Public Administration, magna cum laude, University of Sourthern California, 1994
AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated (the highest rating available), by Martindale-Hubbell
Professional Associations
Member, Trial Section, State Bar of Arizona
Member, Bankruptcy Section, State Bar of Arizona
Member, Maricopa County Bar Association
Member, American Bankruptcy Institute
Member, Washington State Bar Association
Member, American Bar Association
Lifetime Member, Founder's Circle, Hispanic National Bar Association
Served as Regional President for Washington and Arizona
Articles
Hispanic Executive Magazine, "A Flash of the Future" by Julie Schaeffer. April/May/June 2014 Edition.
Attorney at Law Magazine, Greater Phoenix Edition. March 2013.
Rollovers and Roof Crush: Are auto manufacturers doing enough to reduce roof crush and produce safer vehicles? by Julio Zapata. May 2011
Window Glazing: Are auto manufacturers doing enough to reduce occupant rejection and produce safer vehicles? by Julio Zapata. May 2011
Public Justice: Federal Preemption - Bernal v. Daewoo
Buyer Beware! Under-insured auto coverage. By Julio Zapata. April 2011
Taming the Bankruptcy Code's Toothless Tiger, 11 U.S.C. § 521(2), 72 Washington Law Review 1195. By Julio Zapata. October 1997.
