
Practice Areas: Personal Injury; view more
Licensed in Arizona since: 1989
Education: The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish
Details
The principal attorney at the firm Leader Law, John P. Leader has nearly 35 years of experience, and he dedicates his practice exclusively to personal injury law. From his firm in Tucson, Arizona, he assists his clients in obtaining justice and compensation for any injury or loss caused by negligence or wrongful conduct.
Knowing how to successfully navigate his clients’ needs at trial, Mr. Leader has secured millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements on their behalf in claims of auto accidents, truck collisions, wrongful deaths and defective roadway injuries. Some of his noteworthy results include two individual wrongful death lawsuits against the state of Arizona where he secured verdicts of $7.8 million and $47 million, and a $2.5 million compensation in a motor vehicle accident.
Hailing from Tucson, Mr. Leader entered private practice after gaining nine years of valuable trial experience as a federal prosecutor at the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s office. During this period, he presented around 50 jury trials in the U.S. District Court and over 15 oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco. He also wrote around 40 appellate briefs.
A 1985 dean’s list graduate of The University of Arizona, Mr. Leader obtained his bachelor’s degree in general studies with an emphasis in English, Spanish and economics. Three years later, he earned his Juris Doctor from The University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law, where he was placed on the dean’s list and was a member of the Arizona Law Review. He also had the honor of spending a semester in Washington, D.C., working for Senator Dennis DeConcini. Upon graduating, he gained a clerkship with Judge Alfredo C. Marquez in Tucson.
First admitted in the state courts of Arizona in 1989, Mr. Leader is also authorized to appear before the federal courts of Arizona, the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. He is a board member of the Western Trial Lawyers Association and holds memberships in the American Association for Justice, the State Bar of Arizona, the Pima County Bar Association and the Arizona Association for Justice.
In addition to several five-star reviews from his satisfied clients, Mr. Leader has secured a perfect 10/10 rating on Avvo for his accomplishments and excellent client services. Additionally, he has been recognized by Lawyers of Distinction and listed among the Top Lawyers in Arizona by The Legal Network. Furthermore, some of his verdicts have been featured in the Arizona Attorney magazine and TopVerdict.com, and he has been rated Distinguished* through Martindale-Hubbell.
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ falls into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
Practice areas
Personal Injury - General: PlaintiffFocus areas
Brain Injury, Dram Shop Laws, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury - Plaintiff, Trucking Accidents, Wrongful Death
- 100% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
First Admitted: 1989, Arizona
Professional Webpage: https://www.leaderlawaz.com/about-leader-law-firm/
- Student Bar Association’s Board of Governors, 1987-1988
- Member, Pima County Bar Association, 2017
- U.S. District Court of Arizona
- Board Member, Western Trial Lawyers Association, a frequent speaker at the group's national convention, 2017
- Member, State Bar of Arizona, 2017
- U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
- Member, Arizona Association for Justice, September 1999 to present
- Member, American Association for Justice, September 1999 to present
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- Member, U.S. Supreme Court
- $47 million dollar wrongful death jury verdict against the State of Arizona, 2015
- Isbell v. State, 198 Ariz. 291 (2000)
- Norfolk Southern R. Co. v. Shanklin, 529 U.S. 344 (2000)
- Wrongful Death Settlement: 2.5 Million dollars, 2017
- MVA, Wrongful Death Settlement, $2.2 Million, 2015
- MVA, Wrongful Death Settlement, $2.5 Million, 2016
- $7.8 million dollar wrongful death jury verdict against the State of Arizona, 2012
- Wrongful Death Settlement, $550,000.00, 2017
- MVA, Wrongful Death Settlement, $2 Million, 2015
- John Leader discusses his professional experience and background, Leader Law Firm Introduction, 2016
- John Leader discusses why it's critical to act quickly after a trucking accident. John has successfully tried several trucking accident cases, with multi-million dollar verdicts, Why You Need to Act Quickly After a Trucking Accident, 2016
- John Leader discusses the facts about Brain Injury Lawsuits, with both professional and personal experience, Brain Injury Lawsuits-Get the Facts, 2016
- Glazer v. the State of Arizona. Jury verdict, Maricopa County, Arizona, $7.8 Million In 2007, the driver of a vehicle heading eastbound on Interstate 10 lost control of her vehicle, which crossed through a dirt median into the westbound lanes, and crashed into Plaintiff’s vehicle, killing Plaintiff’s husband and daughter and severely injuring Plaintiff. Plaintiff sued the State for failing to install a median barrier in the area of the accident. The State moved for summary judgment based on Ariz. Rev. Stat. 12-820.03, which provides public entities a “state of the art” affirmative defense against claims for injuries arising out of a plan or design for construction of a roadway. The trial court denied the motion, ruling that section 12-820.03 did not apply because Plaintiff did not allege that I-10 was unsafe when it was designed in 1967 but that the circumstances in 2007 rendered this portion of the interstate unreasonably unsafe. The court subsequently denied the State’s motion for judgment as a matter of law, which again asserted section 12-820.03’s affirmative defense. The jury found in favor of Plaintiff. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the affirmative defense in section 12-820.03 remains available even if material changes to travel have rendered the roadway The court subsequently denied the State’s motion for judgment as a matter of law, which again asserted section 12-820.03’s affirmative defense. The jury found in favor of Plaintiff. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the affirmative defense in section 12-820.03 remains available even if material changes to travel have rendered the roadway substandard; but (2) the State failed to establish every element of the defense in this case, 2012
- Humphrey v. State of Arizona. Wrongful Death case against the State of Arizona, resulting in a 47 million dollar jury verdict. The verdict was the second largest civil verdict in Arizona for 2015 and was the 39th largest verdict in the country. The crash occurred at the same milepost, nine months after a similar crash that killed two people in another crossover collision on Interstate 10 in Arizona, 2015
- Member-Arizona Law Review while attending the James E. Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona, Member-Arizona Law Review, 1988
- Chain Gang Award recipient, 1984
- Super Lawyer, 2020-2022
- John received a Special Achievement Award for Sustained Superior Performance of Duty from the U.S. Department of Justice. As a federal prosecutor, John litigated approximately fifty federal jury trials in the U.S. District Court. He also presented 15 oral arguments before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, September 20, 1992, Special Achievement Award, U.S. Department of Justice
- Top Lawyers in Arizona, The Legal Network, 2017
- John Leader had a legal internship for a semester for Senator Dennis DeConcini of Arizona in Washington D.C., Legal Internship, 1987
- Arizona Attorney Magazine recognizes the top ten civil verdicts every year. In 2015, the Leader Law Firm received the 2nd highest civil verdict in the state of Arizona. A Maricopa County jury returned a civil verdict of 47 million dollars in a case against the State of Arizona, 2nd Highest Civil Verdict in Arizona, Arizona Attorney Magazine, 2016
- Recipient, Arizona Attorney Magazine recognizes the top ten civil verdicts every year. In 2012, the Leader Law Firm received the 3rd highest civil verdict in the state of Arizona. A Maricopa County jury returned a civil verdict of $7.8 million dollars in a case
- Named as a Board Member for the Western Trial Lawyers Association, Board Member-WTLA, 2018
- John Leader was selected for a federal judicial court clerkship. He worked under the Honorable Judge Alfredo C. Marquez, March 1989-August 1990, Federal Judicial Court Clerkship
- TopVerdict records the highest civil verdicts throughout the U.S. every year. In 2015, the Leader Law Firm received the 39th highest civil verdict in the country with a $47 million dollar jury verdict. https://topverdict.com/lists/2015/united-states/100, TopVerdict, 2015
- Bachelor of Arts, With Distinction General Studies [emphasis in English, Spanish, and Economics], University of Arizona, Class of 1985; Dean’s List, 1985
- John Leader was a featured conference speaker at the 2016 Western Trial Lawyers Association annual meeting in June 2016. He made a presentation regarding the Humphrey/Quinn v. State of Arizona case that resulted in a $47 million dollar verdict. This decision followed a $7.8 million verdict in Glazer v. Arizona. Glazer was a similar road barrier type case that concerned the wrongful death of a father and his six-year-old daughter. The Leader Law Firm has had two significant verdicts against the State of Arizona, Conference Speaker, Western Trial Lawyer's Association, 2016
- John was again a featured speaker at the annual Western Trial Lawyer's convention in Maui, Hawaii. John's presentation was called "Should I Be Appealing". As a trial lawyer, John tries cases and also handles appeals. The presentation discussed procedures for appeals, Appellate Standards of Review and other issues, 2017, Conference Speaker, Should I Be Appealing?, Western Trial Lawyers Association
- John was a featured conference speaker at the 2015 annual meeting of the Western Trial Lawyers Association. His presentation was entitled "Whistleblower Cases-An Overview." As a plaintiff's trial lawyer, John is currently litigating several whistleblower cases, Conference Speaker, Whistleblower Cases-An Overview, Western Trial Lawyers Association, 2016
- John was a conference speaker at the annual Western Trial Lawyers Association meeting. John presented a paper about the Federal Tort Claims Act. The presentation outlined tips for filing federal tort claims, 2014, Conference Speaker, Suing Uncle Sam-Practice Tips re: the Federal Tort Claims, Western Trial Lawyers Association
- John Leader has had two significant jury verdicts against the State of Arizona regarding crossover accidents in Arizona. In 2012, a jury returned a verdict of $7.8 million dollars in a wrongful death case. The second jury verdict in 2015, Humphrey/Quinn v. State of Arizona, resulted in a $47 million dollar verdict, the second highest civil verdict of 2015. This presentation discusses median barriers and the need for them on many highways across the United States. He discusses median barrier standards, types of median barriers and performance requirements, 2013, Conference Speaker, Crossover Accidents: Barriers to Recovery, Western Trial Lawyer's Association
- John Leader was a featured speaker at the spring conference for the Arizona Section of Institute of Transportation Engineers in Phoenix, Arizona on February 27, 2018. Mr. Leader has had several large jury verdicts against the State of Arizona and the Arizona Department of Transportation. Due to his extensive experience in transportation litigation, the AZ-ITE asked him to speak at the conference, 2018, Featured Speaker, Litigation in Transportation, AZ ITE-IMSA Spring Conference
- John Leader was a featured speaker at the annual 2018 Western Trial Lawyers Association conference in Hawaii, 2018, Featured Speaker, Social Media Discovery, Western Trial Lawyers Association
- Personal Injury
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