Estate Planning and Probate
Fennemore Craig has one of the largest estate planning and probate practices in the Southwest. Our attorneys represent individuals, business owners, nonprofit organizations, charitable foundations and trust companies in a range of trust, estate, probate, guardianship/conservatorship and taxation matters. The firm offers significant experience in related areas, including succession planning, partnerships and limited-liability companies, and executive compensation and employee benefits plans.The group consists of fifteen attorneys, four of whom are certified by the Arizona Board of Legal Specialization as specialists in tax law. Two senior attorneys are Fellows of the College of Trust and Estate Counsel and the American College of Tax Counsel. Members of the group have served as adjunct professors at universities throughout the United States and have lectured extensively on estate planning, taxation and related topics.
The firm's practice in working with charitable organizations is national in scope and includes providing counsel to and establishing charitable foundations, advising individual clients about charitable giving programs, and drafting charitable remainder and charitable lead trusts.
Our attorneys work closely with accountants, insurance professionals, and trust officers to develop coordinated estate plans. Estate planning services include drafting of wills, trusts (both revocable living trusts and irrevocable trusts), and other estate planning documents; creation and implementation of gifting programs; development of plans for the effective use of life insurance; integration of pension and profit-sharing plan benefits and individual retirement accounts with the estate plan; and preparation of prenuptial and other marital agreements.
Members of the practice group counsel business owners on estate planning issues and have significant experience in drafting buy-sell agreements, devising strategies for transferring interests in the business to children and grandchildren, and structuring the business so that the owner's estate will qualify for the deferred payment of estate tax. Attorneys from other practice areas, including corporate and employee benefits law, often assist the estate planning attorneys when designing a comprehensive program to meet specific business objectives.
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