ABOUT ILYA

About The Law Office Of Ilya E. Lerma LLC

Experienced attorney Ilya E. Lerma represents plaintiffs in complex personal injury cases in Greater Phoenix and throughout Arizona, including:

• Those who sustain serious injuries in drunk driving accidents when the driver has been over-served alcohol in licensed liquor establishments (such as bars and restaurants) in violation of the law

• Persons suffering catastrophic injuries in collisions between commercial carriers and conventionally sized cars and trucks

• Victims of accidents caused by auto defects and malfunctioning consumer products

• Families whose elderly loved ones have been injured and exploited by physical, verbal, and financial abuse or neglect in nursing homes

• Insurance policyholders whose company has wrongfully denied claims or failed to live up to their obligations under their policy for life, disability, or casualty insurance, and the company has committed bad faith

• Victims harmed through professional negligence, such as financial and insurance producers, or real estate agents who breached fiduciary obligations, breached a contract, or committed other acts of negligence or fraud

The Law Office of Ilya E. Lerma LLC offers free initial consultations. Home and hospital visits can be arranged for those who are too injured to travel. The contingency fee basis for Ms. Lerma's legal services means that no attorney fees are owed unless your case is won. Call today. We welcome email messages and reply to them promptly.

Bar Admissions

• Arizona, 1999

• U.S. District Court District of Arizona, 1999

Education

• The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, Tucson, Arizona

  • J.D. - 1998

• Northern Arizona University

  • B.A. cum laude - 1995

  • Major: Philosophy

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

• Past President of the Arizona Association for Justice - 2022

• Executive Board, Arizona Association for Justice - 2018-2022

• Board Member, Arizona Association for Justice - 2012-2018

• Arizona Supreme Court Task Force on Alternative Business Structures - 2024

• Los Abogados, Arizona - 2024 -present

• American Association for Justice - 2017-present

• Arizona Trial Lawyers/Arizona Association for Justice - present

• National Trial Lawyer Member - 2021-present

• Society of Women Trial Lawyers - 2021-present

Honors and Awards

• Arizona Trial Lawyer-Volunteer Lawyer of the Year, 2014

• Featured Speaker Arizona Association for Justice, Trial Advocacy Conference, 2014

• Arizona Latina Women in Business- featured panelist 2012

• Clean Technologies, "Fresh-Faces" Presenter and Award Recipient (non-legal), 2010

Past Employment Positions

• Tidmore & Lerma, LLC 2002-2011

• Tidmore Law Offices 1999-2002

• Pima County Public Defender 38(e) Felony Division, 1998

• Federal Public Defender (research volunteer), 1998

Nationally Renowned Speaker

• South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association: Pt. I -Exposing the Defense in Opening and Pt. II Witness Prep Skills for the Killer Direct Examination, South Dakota - 2024

• Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles; AI & Litigation Technology (panel), Nevada - 2024

• Colorado Trial Lawyers Association; Disrupting Defense Fallacies in Trial, Colorado - 2024

• Connectionology; Flipping the Script: Exposing the Defense Fallacies in Trial and Litigation, Tennessee - 2024

• Justice HQ; Using Opening and Voir Dire to Expose Defense Narratives, Webinar - 2024

• SeminarWeb; Opening Statement, Webinar - 2024

• Society of Women Trial Lawyers; Jiu Jitsu Voir Dire and Opening, Arizona - 2024

• State Bar of Arizona; Voir Dire SKills & Drills, Arizona Connectionology; Advances in TBI Medicine (moderator), Webinar 2024

• Arizona Association for Justice; Hot Wheels and Big Wheels, Arizona - 2024

• Arizona Association for Justice; Liens Week: Third Party Lending, Webinar - 2024

• Florida Justice Association; John Romano's Workhorse; Undercover Witness Prep: Dossier Secrets for Killer Testimony, Florida - 2024

• Society of Women Trial - 2024

• Florida Justice Association; John Romano's Workhorse; The Alchemy of Witness Prep: Frogs into Princes, Florida - 2023

• Connectionology; Trial Structure Master Strategies, Hawai'i Connectionology; Advanced Witness Preparation, Texas - 2023

• Ohio Association for Justice; The Alchemy of Witness Prep: Frogs into Princes, Ohio - 2023

• Florida Justice Association; John Romano's Workhorse; Witness Testimony: Supporting Pain, Suffering & Non-Economic Damages Case, Florida - 2023

• Connectionology; Advanced Voir Dire Techniques & Strategies, Webinar Society of Women Trial Lawyers; Structuring TBI Cases for Trial, Webinar Synergy; Advanced Witness Preparation, Webinar - 2023

• Trial Structure; Mastering Opening Statement, Florida - 2023

• South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association; Exposing Defense Use of Psychological Warfare at Trial, South Dakota - 2023

• LawDiGras; Proving Non-Economic Damages in Trial, California - 2023

• Florida Justice Association; Preparing the TBI Client for Deposition and Trial Testimony, Colorado - 2023

• Trial Structure; Crafting a Killer Direct Examination, Webinar - 2023

• ASU Law School (Trial Advocacy); Storytelling for Lawyers, Arizona Society of Women Trial Lawyers; Alchemy of Witness Preparation, Arizona - 2023

• Arizona Association for Justice; Advanced Witness Preparation, Arizona - 2023

• Connectionology; Witness Preparation: Frogs into Princes - 2023

• National Trial Lawyers Association; Courtroom Playbook:  Trial Structure for your Next Case - 2022 

• Florida of Justice 2022, TBI Med School: Preparing the Brain Injured Client for Testimony - 2022

• Texas Trial Lawyers Association - Mind, Body, Trial: Advanced Witness Preparation - 2022

• Arizona Association for Justice Trial Advocacy Conference Ordinary Cases and Extraordinary Results, 2021; Into the Abyss: Exposing Defense Fallacies at Trial - 2022

• Dallas Trial Lawyers Association and El Paso County Trial Lawyers Association, Advanced Witness Preparation - 2022

• New Jersey Association for Justice, Advanced Witness Preparation - 2022

• Connectionology 2022, Advanced Witness Preparation, 2022; Structuring your Traumatic Brain Damage Case - 2022

• Society of Women Trial Lawyers, Advanced Witness Preparation - 2022; Structuring Your Traumatic Brain Damage Case - 2022; The Heart of Law (podcast) - 2021

• Celesq Attorneys Ed Center - 2021, Weaponizing Lead Witnesses for Killer Testimony

• Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Trial Advocacy Program, Skills and Trial Practice - 2021

• "Weaponizing Lead Witnesses for Killer Testimony" - 2021 - LegalEdcenter/Thomson Reuters

• Arizona State University Trial Advocacy Presenter - 2019, 2020

• Litigating Brain Injuries against Huge Insurance Companies (LST-I AM the LAW podcast, 2020)

• Trial Structure Method, Connectionology - 2020

• “Identifying and Understanding TBI” Trial Structure Webcast - 2020

• TBI Med Legal, Brain Injury Association of California - 2019

• “Making Time and Putting Yourself First” - Dominate Law Podcast - 2019

• Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles Women’s Trial Skills Conference - 2019

• Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles - 2019

• New Jersey Association for Justice - 2019

• Western States Association for Justice - 2019

• Alliance of Women Trial Lawyers, Trial Skills Annual Conference - 2019

• "Auto Injury Claims” National Business Institute - 2019

• “Identifying Bad Faith Conduct in Auto Accident Claims” National Business Institute - 2019

• “Business Risk & Liability” (webcast) National Business Institute - 2018

• American Association for Justice - Weekend with the Stars - 2018

• State Bar of Arizona Trial College, Opening Statement-presenter - 2018

• Arizona Trial Lawyers Association and Arizona Association for Justice Trial Advocacy Conference - 2016

Ancillary Businesses

• GREENFREAK, LLC 2008-2016 (plastics recycling), CEO

Languages

• Spanish

• English