Craig A. Morgan

Summary

Craig has a significant practice representing parties in all aspects of complex litigation (from trial through appeal), business disputes, dispute resolution, crisis management, and internal investigations. He currently serves as partner-in-charge of Taft’s Phoenix office.

With years of hands-on trial and appellate litigation experience, he also helps Arizona businesses — including financial institutions, healthcare and medical providers, entrepreneurs, lenders, and businesses of all sizes — resolve commercial disputes through negotiation and when necessary, by litigating in state or federal court at the trial and appellate levels. He represents clients on a range of issues including general business disputes, business divorce, contract disputes, defamation claims, real estate disputes, lender liability, post-judgment enforcement, non-compete issues, creditor’s rights, receiverships, bankruptcy-related litigation, employment-related litigation, administrative matters and appeals, and injunctive relief. Craig has handled a variety of matters, including election challenges, administrative actions, internal investigations, ethics investigations, constitutional issues, and emergency matters litigated in a very truncated timeframe.

He also has a crisis management practice and is sought after to help people and companies of all sizes manage matters of significant importance that receive substantial public attention and scrutiny.

In addition, Craig has become a leading election and political lawyer. He has represented legislative bodies, political candidates, elected officials, and public bodies in a variety of political and election-related matters in both state and federal trial and appellate courts.

Clients value Craig’s strategic yet practical approach to legal representation. He is known for going out of his way for his clients, his empathy and humanity when helping clients navigate the uncertainties inherent to legal system, being available and easily accessible around the clock, and helping his clients set realistic expectations.

Awards

  • Honoree, Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation (2025)

  • Honoree, Best Lawyers in America, Litigation: Banking and Finance (2025)

  • Honoree, Southwest Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Business Litigation (2014 – 2018)

All Service Areas

All Practices

All Industries

Education

  • Syracuse University College of Law (2004)

    J.D., magna cum laude
    Order of the Coif
    Order of the Barristers
    Justinian Honorary Law Society

  • Marshall University (2001)

Admissions

  • State - Arizona
  • Federal - U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona
  • Federal - 9th Circuit Court of Appeals

Notable Matters

Political Law

  • Retained as special counsel on multiple occasions for Arizona’s House of Representatives to investigate and report on allegations of misconduct.
  • Retained as special counsel to the Arizona House of Representatives to investigate whether sitting Representatives had violated the House’s Policy on Workplace Harassment.
  • Successfully obtained judgment preventing candidate for state office from appearing on the ballot by establishing that candidate did not actually reside within the legislative district in which the candidate sought election.
  • Counsel in case involving attempt to recruit individuals to run for political office as members of a political party for purposes of taking votes from another political party.
  • Counsel for Arizona State Senator in elections case that sought to invalidate signatures of hundreds of registered voters who listed post office box numbers as their addresses on Hale’s candidate nomination petitions. Many of the petition signers lived in rural areas of the Navajo Reservation and did not have residential addresses. The Arizona Supreme Court upheld trial court’s ruling that Apache County properly counted the signatures of those people who listed P.O. Boxes, which gave Hale a sufficient number of signatures to qualify for the ballot. 218 Ariz. 561, 190 P.3d 175 (2008).
  • Counsel for persons running for state and federal public office in connection with election challenges.
  • Counsel for Arizona Secretary of State’s Office in various election-related matters.

Media Law

  • Counsel for a newspaper and its publisher in a libel and invasion of privacy case brought by former Congressman Gary Condit. Obtained summary judgment and dismissal of case. Court found that Condit had filed his case in bad faith and awarded the client its full attorneys’ fees and costs for defending the case.
  • Defended a newspaper in a defamation lawsuit. Obtained summary judgment dismissing the case with prejudice. Court awarded the client its full attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses for defending the case, along with the maximum amount of statutory damages, against the plaintiffs and their attorney, jointly and severally, for filing and maintaining a lawsuit in bad faith.
  • Represented a newspaper in special action for access to public records. Court ordered access to self-evaluation of city manager and awarded attorneys’ fees and costs.
  • Counsel for a newspaper publisher in a public records case seeking access to city records concerning inappropriate activity among city employees, including sexual harassment and misuse of city equipment. Court granted client all the relief sought, including an award of its attorneys’ fees and costs.
  • Counsel for plaintiff in a special action for access to public records. Court ordered state to conduct full and complete search for, and production of, public records at issue and awarded plaintiff his attorneys’ fees and costs.
  • Counsel in various public records disputes, from pre-filing records requests to special action litigation.
  • Defended state agency in connection with public records lawsuit. Court sided with state agency’s interpretation of Arizona law pertaining to confidentiality of certain information.

Appellate

  • Defended, briefed, and secured affirmation of trial court judgment concerning the priority of a lawyer’s lien on funds related to a perfected secured interest in general intangibles.
  • Defended, briefed, and argued against an appeal from a judgment dismissing an action and awarding attorneys’ fees and costs because of the appellant’s failure to substantially comply with Arizona’s contractor licensing statutes. WB, The Building Company, LLC v. El Destino, 257 P.3d 1182 (2011).
  • Prosecuted appeal under the Arizona Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act.
  • Defended judgment related to the enforceability of a right of first refusal in a complex commercial lease.
  • Defended judgment on appeal for sanctions against opposing party pursuant to A.R.S. § 12-349.
  • Defended judgment on appeal dismissing various tort, contract, and statutory claims.
  • Counsel for Arizona State Senator in elections case that sought to invalidate signatures of hundreds of registered voters who listed post office box numbers as their addresses on Hale’s candidate nomination petitions. Many of the petition signers lived in rural areas of the Navajo Reservation and did not have residential addresses. The Arizona Supreme Court upheld trial court’s ruling that Apache County properly counted the signatures of those people who listed P.O. Boxes, which gave Hale a sufficient number of signatures to qualify for the ballot. 218 Ariz. 561, 190 P.3d 175 (2008).
  • Represented large concession company in bid protest related to airport concession contract.
  • Counsel for state agencies in connection with COVID-19-related matters.
  • Counsel for Arizona Secretary of State in various election-related matters.
  • Represented successful political candidate in defense of election challenges.

Commercial Litigation

  • Counsel for clients in connection with non-competition, non-solicitation, and other employment-related restrictive covenants.
  • Counsel for client in connection with one of thousands of serial American and Arizonans With Disabilities Act lawsuits, resulting in sanctions and an award of attorneys’ fees and costs.
  • Counsel for large semiconductor company in anti-trust litigation.
  • Counsel for securities company in action seeking to vacate multimillion-dollar arbitration award. Court ruled in securities company favor, and plaintiffs opted not to appeal.
  • Counsel for a plaintiff in multiple breach of contract actions. Obtained summary judgment in each action, resulting in a cumulative amount of more than $52 million.
  • Defended client in case involving construction of a submarine in England. Court granted motion to dismiss a breach of contract suit for lack of personal jurisdiction and forum nonconveniens.
  • Counsel for plaintiff in multiple breach of contract actions. Obtained summary judgment in each action, resulting in a cumulative amount of more than $20 million.
  • Counsel for state agencies in connection with COVID-19-related matters.
  • Counsel for state agency in connection with defending actions related to the implementation of a citizen-passed initiative.

Speeches and Publications

Press Coverage

News

Past Events

Professional Affiliations

  • American Diabetes Association

    Former Board Member and Board Chair, Valley of the Sun Community Leadership Board
    Former Chair, Legal Advocacy Subcommittee

  • Holocaust Survivors Justice Network

    Former Coordinator

  • State Bar of Arizona

    Fee Arbitrator

  • Arizona Equal Justice Challenge Advisory Board

    Representative

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