Hiring a Child Custody Lawyer in Arizona
How courts in Arizona decide custody, emergency custody, parenting classes, how to check a lawyer's license, and free or low-cost family law help. We do not recommend or rank lawyers.
What a lawyer costs in Arizona: fee rules
| Rules on contingency fees | Under Arizona's ER 1.5 (Arizona Supreme Court Rule 42), the scope of representation and the basis or rate of the fee must be communicated to the client in writing, and contingency fee agreements must be signed by the client and meet ER 1.5(c). Contingency fees are not permitted in most family law matters or in any criminal defense case. If a fee is called nonrefundable or earned on receipt, the client must be told in writing that they may discharge the lawyer at any time and may be entitled to a refund. The bar's guidance also notes a contingency agreement cannot let the lawyer also take court-awarded fees or collect more than a statute allows. |
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| If you disagree with a lawyer's bill | The State Bar of Arizona's Fee Arbitration Program is free and voluntary for clients who dispute a lawyer's fee; the amount in dispute must be $1,000 or more and no litigation over the fee can be pending. Clients do not need a lawyer to take part. If both sides agree to arbitrate, the award is binding. Phone: 602-340-7379. |
| If a lawyer takes your money | Arizona's Client Protection Fund, created by the Arizona Supreme Court in 1961, can reimburse losses caused by an Arizona lawyer's dishonest conduct (theft, embezzlement, conversion, failure to refund unearned fees when no work was done, or intentional dishonesty) toward a client or in a qualifying fiduciary role. The lawyer generally must have been suspended for more than six months, disbarred, placed on interim suspension or disability inactive status, have died, or been convicted of a related felony. Negligence, malpractice and fee disputes where some work was done are not covered. The Trustees may pay up to $100,000 on one claim and up to $250,000 total in claims against one lawyer; payment is discretionary. Claims must be filed within five years of when the claimant knew or should have known of the dishonest conduct. |
Arizona rules to know first
| How custody is decided | Arizona uses the terms legal decision-making and parenting time, decided by the child's best interests. Factors include the child's relationship with each parent, adjustment to home, school and community, the child's wishes if of suitable age and maturity, the mental and physical health of everyone involved, which parent is more likely to allow frequent and meaningful contact with the other, domestic violence or child abuse, and coercion in reaching an agreement. State policy is that, absent evidence to the contrary, a child benefits from substantial, frequent, meaningful and continuing parenting time with both parents and from both parents taking part in decisions. If a parent has committed domestic violence, there is a mandatory rebuttable presumption that awarding that parent decision-making or parenting time is contrary to the child's best interests. No fixed age is set for the child's wishes. Re-verified 2026-10-27. |
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| Emergency custody | A party in a legal decision-making (custody) and parenting time case may file a motion for a temporary order, supported by pleadings as required by § 25-411; the court may grant temporary legal decision-making and parenting time after a hearing, or on the papers if no one objects. If domestic violence is alleged, the court must make written findings. Under the interstate custody law, an Arizona court has temporary emergency jurisdiction if the child is in Arizona and has been abandoned, or emergency action is needed because the child, a sibling or a parent is being mistreated or abused or threatened with it. Temporary emergency jurisdiction: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/25/01034.htm. Re-verified and corrected 2026-10-27. |
| Parenting classes | Yes. Each county superior court runs an education program on the impact of divorce on adults and children. In a dissolution, legal separation or annulment case involving the spouses' minor child, the court orders both parties to complete it, unless the court finds it is not in the best interests of the parties or child, or a party has completed a comparable program. Re-verified 2026-10-27. |
| Grandparents' rights | A grandparent or great-grandparent may ask for visitation if it is in the child's best interests and one parent has died or been missing at least three months, the child was born to parents not married to each other, or the parents' marriage has been dissolved for at least three months. The court gives special weight to the parents' view of the child's best interests and considers the historical relationship, motivations, and the effect on the child's activities. Visitation rights end if the child is adopted, except by a stepparent. Re-verified 2026-10-27. Source: Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 25-409 |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The State Bar of Arizona offers an online Find an Attorney member directory but does not describe a statewide lawyer referral service. The Arizona courts' Self-Service Center lists the county bar referral services instead: the Maricopa County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service, (602) 257-4434, which charges a small consultation fee, and the Pima County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service, (520) 623-4625, which offers a 30-minute consultation for a fee. State Bar public page: https://www.azbar.org/for-the-public/ |
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| Check that the lawyer is licensed | The State Bar of Arizona's Member Directory lets you search lawyers by name or by legal need, with filters such as certified specialization, city, county, language and firm. Results show membership status, a State Bar admission-related date, practice area, professional liability insurance status, board-certified specializations and section memberships. Legal paraprofessionals and alternative business structures can also be looked up. |
| Check discipline history or file a complaint | Complaints ("bar charges") about Arizona lawyers, legal paraprofessionals and alternative business structures go to the State Bar of Arizona's Intake Department. The bar encourages calling the Intake Hotline (602-340-7280 or 800-319-0514 ext. 7280) before submitting a written charge, which can be filed with the online charge form. An Intake Bar Counsel reviews it, usually contacts the lawyer, and the matter may be dismissed, referred to diversion, or sent for screening investigation. The bar's "Check Legal Professional Discipline" link goes to its Member Directory. |
Free legal help
| Free legal aid | Arizona has three LSC-funded legal aid organizations that give free civil legal help to eligible low-income people: Community Legal Services, (800) 852-9075 (Maricopa, Mohave, La Paz, Yavapai and Yuma counties and some nearby towns); DNA-People's Legal Services, (800) 789-5781 (Coconino County and the Navajo and Hopi Nations); and Southern Arizona Legal Aid, (800) 248-6789 (Pima and other southern and central counties and 11 Native American communities). Step Up to Justice offers free civil legal help to low-income residents of Pima County. LSC grantee list: https://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/our-grantees |
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Last verified against official sources: October 27, 2026.
How we source this page: each state-specific rule links to the statute, court rule or official government page it comes from. A rule taken from a public copy of a state code (used only where the official code is not freely readable online) is marked as a secondary source. Spot an error? Use the contact page to report it. About our sources
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.