Arizona Estate & Family Law Resource Center

Helping Arizona families find good estate, family, special needs, and elder law attorneys in the Scottsdale and greater Phoenix area. Free to use, no obligation. — (480) 725-2257

If you’re here, something significant is probably happening — a parent has died, a child needs lifelong care planning, an aging relative is struggling, a marriage is ending, an estate needs to be settled. Whatever brought you here, the goal of this site is to help you walk into your first conversation with an attorney already understanding what’s in front of you. Better information leads to better decisions.

How this site works

This is a referral service, not a law firm. When you tell me about your situation through the case evaluation form or by calling the number above, your information goes to a vetted network of Arizona attorneys who handle that kind of matter. If one of those attorneys is the right fit and you choose to work with them, I receive a referral fee from the attorney. You don’t pay extra — the attorney’s fees are the same as if you had found them yourself.

I’d rather connect a smaller number of people with attorneys who can really help them than route a large volume of leads to attorneys who just want billable hours. The model only works long-term if the referrals are good ones.

Estate Planning

A real estate plan does more than say who gets what. It protects your family while you’re still alive — if you become incapacitated, if you face a medical crisis, if business succession needs to be handled. For most Arizona families, a thorough plan includes a will, a durable financial power of attorney, a healthcare directive, and (in many cases) a revocable living trust that lets assets pass to beneficiaries without going through Maricopa County probate.

The difference between a box-checking template and a real estate plan is enormous, and it’s almost impossible to tell from outside a consultation. A good estate attorney spots issues you don’t know to ask about — the special-needs trust your grandchild will need, the beneficiary designation that contradicts your will, the business interest that’s not properly titled. Read more about Arizona estate planning.

Special Needs Trusts

If someone in your family has a disability and receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid, or other means-tested benefits, an inheritance or settlement structured the wrong way can wipe out those benefits. A properly drafted special needs trust (sometimes called a supplemental needs trust) lets a disabled person receive financial support without losing eligibility for the public programs they depend on for housing, healthcare, and daily care.

These trusts have to comply with both federal Social Security rules and Arizona state law. A small drafting error can disqualify a beneficiary from benefits that took years to qualify for. This is the kind of work where you want a specialist, not a generalist. Read more about special needs trusts in Arizona.

Elder Law and Medicaid Planning

Elder law covers the legal questions that come up as families navigate aging — nursing home costs, Medicaid eligibility, long-term care planning, guardianship when an aging parent can no longer make decisions safely. Arizona nursing home care commonly runs $7,000 to $10,000 a month. Without planning, a lifetime of savings can be consumed within a few years of someone entering long-term care.

Arizona’s long-term care Medicaid program (ALTCS) has eligibility rules that reward families who plan early and penalize families who try to qualify in a hurry. There’s a five-year lookback period on asset transfers. Doing this work well in advance — not waiting until a crisis — is the difference between protecting family wealth and watching it disappear. Read more about Arizona elder law and ALTCS.

Probate

When someone dies in Arizona with assets in their name alone — no trust, no joint owner, no beneficiary designation — those assets generally pass through Maricopa County Superior Court probate before they reach the heirs. Probate can take six months to over a year depending on the estate’s complexity and whether anyone contests the will. It’s also a matter of public record.

If you’re the personal representative of an estate, the legal duties you’ve taken on are real and personal. An attorney walks you through what has to happen, when, and how to protect yourself from claims. If you’re an heir who thinks something is wrong with how the estate is being handled, an attorney can tell you whether you have grounds to challenge. Read more about Arizona probate.

Guardianship and Conservatorship

When an adult becomes unable to make decisions safely — from dementia, brain injury, or developmental disability — and no powers of attorney are in place, the family may need to ask Maricopa County Superior Court to appoint a guardian (for personal and medical decisions) or conservator (for finances). These cases involve medical evidence, court hearings, and sometimes disagreements among family members about who should serve.

Guardianship proceedings are emotionally hard, even when everyone agrees. They’re harder when family members disagree. A good guardianship attorney can also tell you when guardianship isn’t the right answer and a less restrictive option would serve better. Read more about Arizona guardianship and conservatorship.

Family Law

Arizona is a community property state, which means assets and debts accumulated during a marriage are generally split equally in divorce. Cases involving children require a parenting plan addressing legal decision-making authority and parenting time, with the court focused on the best interests of the child.

Family law cases can be settled cooperatively or fought in court. A good family law attorney tells you honestly when settlement is the smarter path even if you’d rather fight, and when fighting is necessary even if you’d rather settle. The wrong attorney for a divorce can cost a family years and tens of thousands of dollars that should have stayed with the kids. Read more about Arizona family law.

Arizona Estate & Family Law Resource Center is an independent legal referral service, not a law firm. We do not provide legal advice and do not employ attorneys. No attorney-client relationship is created by contacting us. All attorneys in our referral network are independent licensed Arizona professionals. This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Kile & Kupiszewski Law Firm, LLC, Kile Law Group PC, or any of their former attorneys or staff. Verify attorney credentials through the State Bar of Arizona.