Meet Our Attorneys
A native of Arizona David graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University in 2004 and obtained his juris doctorate from the Oklahoma City School of Law in 2009. David was admitted to the Arizona State Bar in 2009 and since that time has represented builders, general contractors, developers, real estate agents, and owners in construction and real estate matters. David has significant experience in every phase of litigation, including motion practice, mediation, arbitration, and bench trials.
In addition, David has published extensively on real estate and electronic discovery topics, including over a dozen articles that have been cited, commented upon, and quoted at length by leading law reviews, text books, and trade publications. David’s oft-cited article, Accounting for the Costs of Electronic Discovery, was the first peer-reviewed publication to break down the costs of E-Discovery. The leading e-discovery text book reprinted four pages of that article as the introduction to chapter six.
David is also a sought-after speaker for civil procedure, evidence, real estate, and electronic discovery topics and has presented for the National Business Institute, the American Bar Association (Mid-year conference), the Scottsdale Bar Association and others. David has also prepared presentations on the above topics for real estate groups, banks, and other trade associations.
In his spare time, David can be found playing uber driver for his four growing children in local chapters of the Girl Scouts and pee-wee football!
Founding Partner
Mark Horne was named one of the top 100 lawyers in Arizona in 2021 by AZBig Media. Mark is a native of Phoenix, obtaining his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Northern Arizona University in 2004 and his juris doctorate from California Western, and was admitted to the Arizona State Bar in 2012. Mark is an experienced fierce litigator and trial attorney who has successfully argued before the Arizona Court of Appeals, the Arizona Supreme Court, The United States District Court for the District of Arizona, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mark’s practice is primarily related to litigation involving all aspects of residential and commercial real estate matters and medical malpractice.
Having successfully first-chaired multiple jury trials with a winning record, Mark is a preeminent trial attorney with extensive knowledge and experience. Mark is also one of Arizona’s preeminent attorneys with regards to emergency relief and provisional remedies such as preliminary injunctions, temporary restraining orders and receivership.
In his spare time Mark enjoys spending time playing with his two puppies Martie and Lis “Penny” Pendens and international travel.
Litigation Partner
Kristine Berry
Senior Litigation Paralegal
Kristine obtained her bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University in 2007 in Criminology. Kristine has over 23 years of experience in law firms as a legal assistant/paralegal, with an extensive background in civil litigation, commercial and consumer bankruptcy, bankruptcy adversary proceedings, commercial and consumer real estate matters, and foreclosures and trustee sales. Kristine grew up in FL, and moved to the valley of the Sun in 96, and in her spare time enjoys trying new places in the local ‘foodie’ scene with her husband and being the ‘cool aunt’ for all her nieces and nephews who buys them all the toys their parents don’t want them to have!
Sara Sanchez
Litigation Paralegal
Sara graduated with honors from the Academy of Business College in 1997 where her focus of studies were in Administrative, Secretarial/Paralegal Services, Law and Legal Studies. She worked at the Maricopa County Superior Court as a Bailiff and then as a Judicial Assistant. Since leaving the Superior Court she has worked as a Legal Assistant/Paralegal for over 23 years, with her background being in default services, foreclosures, trustee sales, residential and commercial real estate, construction, civil litigation and family law. A native to Arizona, in her spare time Sara enjoys chasing after her three growing children and spending time with her husband.
Mary Mundall
Litigation Paralegal
Mary has been working as a legal assistant/paralegal for more than 15 years, all of which were in the real estate and homeowner’s association practice with an extensive background in civil litigation, foreclosure, insurance defense and construction defect.
Justin Fouts, Esq.
Senior Associate
Justin Fouts is a senior associate attorney with the Degnan Law Group’s litigation practice section. Justin graduated from the University of New Mexico in 2011 with a Bachelor’s Degree in business administration. Following this, he attended the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, earning his Juris Doctorate in 2018. Justin is an accomplished litigator who has successfully handled multiple trials and arbitrations earning judgments in his clients favor. He prides himself in vigorously representing the interests of his clients in any legal challenges they may face, while also trying to find practical solutions to resolve their disputes. While Justin has successfully represented clients in a broad range of areas, his practice focuses on contractual disputes, real estate disputes, and personal injury.
Outside of his law practice, you can find Justin spending time with his wife and two dogs on a walk around town or hiking one of Phoenix’s beautiful mountains. When Justin happens to find a weekend day to himself, you’re likely to find him enjoying one of Phoenix’s many premier golf courses.
Casey Dempsey, Esq.
Senior Associate
An Arizona native, Casey graduated in 2011 with degrees in Philosophy and Criminology/Criminal Justice from Northern Arizona University. She also minored in Spanish. In 2016, Casey obtained her law degree, magna cum laude, from Charlotte School of Law in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Law is a thinking profession, not just a doing job. Casey became a lawyer because it gives her the opportunity to be of service to her community. She loves the creativity involved with handling virtually every case. Casey believes strongly in the power of people to do the right thing—even in the adversarial litigation process. When she can help solve a problem for her clients, or make their lives better for having worked with her, Casey feels a strong sense of purpose.
Reciprocal trust, courtesy, and respect are the hallmarks of the attorney-client relationship. Casey strives to ensure not only that her clients are listened to, but also that they feel heard by crafting legal solutions that take each client’s unique needs and goals into consideration and Casey tailors those solutions to better serve her clients. The most rewarding part of practicing civil litigation is giving people a fair fight; win or lose—Casey feels a sense of accomplishment when her clients thank her for giving them a voice.
John “Jay” Schuyler Arnold IV
Law Clerk
Jay has been licensed to practice in New York since 2003. Jay has extensive experience with Real Estate law, contract law, indigent defense, campaign finance regulations, literary intellectual property, and general litigation. Jay takes particular pride and satisfaction in helping clients with title issues regarding their property. Jay is currently a law clerk at Degnan Law Group assisting other Degnan Law Group attorneys while waiting on his Arizona license. Jay has also written several award winning feature films for Netflix and is an avid Philadelphia sports fan.
Sarah Langtry, Esq.
Associate
Sarah Langtry is an associate attorney who joined Degnan Law Group in November 2023. Sarah received her J.D. in 2020 from the University of Tulsa College of Law, where she served as the president of Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity, Student Bar Association delegate, and staff editor of the Tulsa Law Review.
Sarah was admitted to the Kansas Bar in 2020, and gained experience as an associate attorney in Kansas at a title insurance defense firm, where she represented clients in various residential real estate matters. Sarah has been a member of the Arizona Bar since May of 2023 and has worked in Arizona on various insurance defense litigation in the areas or personal injury and construction defect.
In her spare time, Sarah enjoys playing tennis, walking her two dogs, and watching the Chiefs.
Aaron Peterson, Esq.
Associate
Born in Omaha, Nebraska but a native of Arizona since infancy, Aaron graduated from the University of Arizona summa cum laude in 1999 with degrees in history and political science. Aaron received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 2003. He is a litigation specialist with experience in several areas of law including products liability defense, insurance, and construction. He is currently a member of our real estate law group. More than “attorney”, Aaron would, first and foremost, describe himself as a “problem solver” who strives to not only “work the problem,” but to bring parties together and resolve conflicts. He believes the adversarial nature of litigation is a last resort and most issues can be resolved amicably, and to the benefit of all parties. His goal is to serve a client’s needs, obtain a successful result and have a client feel the process was professional, positive and relatively painless.
Cassandra Marquez
Receptionist/Legal Assistant
Cassandra Marquez is our fantastic receptionist/legal assistant since 2021. It is Cassandras friendly voice and warm demeanor that greets anyone who calls Degnan Law Group. Cassandra thrives in a high demand, fast-paced litigation firm, has an incredible knack for learning, and is an integral part of what keeps our firm running so smoothly. In her spare time Cassandra enjoys experimenting with new culinary baking delights and home-made crafts, and playing with her two quickly growing-puppies!
