Superior Court Division 8
Honorable Debra R. Phelan - Bio
Honorable Debra R. Phelan
Judge for Division 8
Appointed 2019
Judge Phelan began serving as a full-time judge pro tem in the Yavapai County Superior Court on January 7, 2019. She was appointed to Division 8 of the Superior Court on June 29, 2023. During her time on the bench, she has handled domestic relations, civil, probate, juvenile, and criminal matters. She has also presided over the therapeutic courts in Yavapai County, including Adult Recovery Court, Veterans’ Court, and Mental Health Court in both the Prescott and Verde Valley Judicial Districts. Currently, Judge Phelan is assigned to the adult criminal trial calendar at the Yavapai County Criminal Justice Center in beautiful Prescott, Arizona.
Judge Phelan is a native Arizonan and lifetime resident; born, raised, and educated in Arizona. Judge Phelan obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice, with a minor in Psychology, from Northern Arizona University. She received her law degree from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University in 2002. She moved to Yavapai County in 2006 with her husband and young family. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Phelan worked as a solo practitioner in her own law firm focusing on juvenile and family law.
Judge Phelan is committed to public service. In law school she served as an intern at the Arizona Supreme Court, the Arizona Legislature in the House Rules Committee, and clerked for the federal court. Additionally, she completed over 100 hours of pro bono work as a law student, including working as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). After moving to Yavapai County, she continued to serve the public as an elder law attorney assisting veterans and elderly or disabled members of the community in securing public benefits.
In 2010, Judge Phelan formed her law firm, The Law Office of Debra R. Phelan. She specialized in juvenile and family law cases, representing parents and children involved in the foster care system in juvenile court. The family court often appointed her as a best interest attorney for a child or children, a family court advisor, or a parent coordinator in high-conflict domestic relations cases. She frequently served as a court-appointed attorney for wards in probate matters. She also provided low-cost or pro bono legal services to victims of domestic violence through the Yavapai Family Advocacy Center (YFAC).
The Arizona State Bar named Judge Phelan the Top Pro Bono Attorney in June of 2017.
Judge Phelan’s community service extends beyond representing clients. In 2014, Judge Phelan became the Arizona High School Mock Trial Regional Coordinator for the Arizona Bar Foundation. She volunteered as a Board Member of Yavapai County CASA for Kids Foundation, taught Parent Education for the Yavapai County Superior Court, and taught Parent Representation in Dependency Actions for the Arizona Supreme Court throughout the state.
As a Judge, Judge Phelan served on the Arizona Supreme Court Committee on the Impact of Domestic Violence and the Courts (CIDVC) from 2019 to 2023 and currently is on the Arizona Supreme Court Committee on Probation Education (COPE).
The Yavapai County Bar Association awarded Judge Phelan the Jack L. Ogg Award in 2020 for exemplary community service.
She is a proud Arizonan and member of Daughters of the American Revolution.