Larry Lazzara, a Scottsdale personal injury attorney and founding partner of Lazzara Law Firm, rescued seven drowning swimmers in two days this past summer while serving a two-week stint with the Belmar Beach Patrol in Belmar, New Jersey. The rescues occurred during the most aggressive rip currents of the season, just two days into Lazzara's first real vacation in years. Alongside fellow lifeguards, he helped bring thirteen victims to safety, seven of whom he pulled directly from the water.
Lazzara, who has since been nicknamed "The Lifeguard Lawyer," was recognized in his late teenage years and early twenties as one of the top rescue swimmers along the Jersey shore. He stepped away from the Belmar Beach Patrol in 2004 after graduating from law school to begin his legal career. Over the past two decades, he has earned multiple "Attorney of the Year" awards and was recently featured in the Washington Post as one of the most influential attorneys in the country. Twenty-one years after leaving the beach patrol, Lazzara returned to the lifeguard stand during his vacation.
The rescue required the kind of composed decision-making under pressure that defines not only emergency situations but also the daily demands of a personal injury attorney. "When you see someone in danger, you act - there is no calculation, no delay," Lazzara said. "That same urgency is what I bring to every client who walks through the door after suffering a serious injury."
Lazzara Law Firm represents individuals harmed through accidents, negligence, and the failures of others throughout Arizona. The firm's approach centers on removing burdens from clients - such as medical bills, lost income, and legal complexity - and carrying them as an advocate. For those interested in the firm's practice areas, more information is available at Learn more. Images from the rescue can be viewed at this link and this link.
The incident has prompted discussion in legal and community circles about the relationship between a professional's personal character and the values they bring to their work. Lazzara's swift response serves as an authentic demonstration of what his firm represents: protecting people who cannot fully protect themselves. Many of his clients have been in accidents they did not see coming, left to manage medical bills and a legal system they were never prepared to navigate. The same instinct that drove Lazzara into the water is the one that drives his legal practice, giving injured Arizonans a fighting chance when the stakes are highest.
