Like many states, Arizona has included a statutory health care power of attorney in its law. That means the legislature has written a power of attorney form for you. You can fill it out, sign it and have it witnessed, and you have a completely valid document. The Arizona Attorney General’s office has even made the Arizona form fillable, included instructions and put the whole package online. You won’t pay a penny for legal…

October is just around the corner, which means it’s time for our end-of-the-month collection of elder law news items. Some of the September roundup items challenge conventional assumptions about watchdogs, death at home, wealth taxes, and obituaries: Do Watchdog Agencies Protect Us? Many believe that if you lodge a complaint with a state agency about a safety issue, something will be done. A report out this month indicates that’s not the case with many nursing…

From the client’s perspective, the initial estate planning interview might seem unsettling, confusing — even a little bit frightening. How often, after all, do you settle in for a long discussion about mortality, disability and family dynamics? Our job (well, one of our jobs) is to make the interview helpful, productive and even relaxing. When clients say (as they often do) “that wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected” we feel gratified. We really do…

What is the difference between a third-party special needs trust and a self-settled trust? The distinction can be way more confusing than it ought to be. The trusts are similar in a number of ways, but there are important differences. A few months ago, we explained self-settled special needs trusts in this space. Those are the kind of trust one might set up for a beneficiary who just settled a lawsuit, or received an (unrestricted)…

The initial client interview with your new lawyer can be a daunting experience. We are not actually very intimidating, but clients often feel a little overwhelmed by that first interview. We’d like to put you at ease. Want to know what we’re looking for in the interview? We want to get to know you a little bit, find out what concerns motivate you, what you hope to accomplish. We’d like to understand your family dynamics,…

Let’s say you’ve discovered that a recently deceased loved one named you successor trustee. We have a message for you: You are not a dictator, you are not royalty, you do not have a license to torment the relatives who are beneficiaries, and you don’t have to accept. You will be governed by some trustee’s rules, and they are important to understand and follow. This comes to mind because we recently have sued trustees who…

Good for you! You signed your will and powers of attorney! Maybe you even finalized your living trust, and transferred all (or most) of your assets into the trust’s name. You’re done, right? You never have to update your estate plan again, right? Wrong. Of course. But how soon do we want to see you back in our office? Every year? Once every two or three years? On a five-year cycle? Join us for our…