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Despite Guardianship, Ward May Have Capacity to Marry

MAY 2, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 16 We have written in previous installments about differing state laws regarding the ability of a guardian (of the person) or conservator (of the estate) to file a divorce proceeding “for” an incapacitated adult. The question that comes up more often from our clients is a little different, though. […]

Arizona Legislature Adopts Probate Changes

APRIL 25, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 15 Last week the Arizona Legislature adjourned for the year. Just before closing down the session legislators adopted a number of new measures dealing with probate court, trusts and especially guardianship and conservatorship matters. Most of the bills passed by the legislature are still awaiting the Governor’s signature, but […]

NAELA, NELF, CELA, ACTEC — What Does It All Mean?

Specialist

APRIL 18, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 14 All you want to do is to find a lawyer to draft a simple will and powers of attorney. You ask your friends, but no one has a referral they feel unequivocally good about. A little online searching reveals that there are any number of organizations, credentials and […]

Conservator’s Accounting Approved in Contentious Proceeding

APRIL 11, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 13 The Montana Supreme Court identifies him as “J.R.” to protect him from public identification, but it is possible to get quite a feeling for him, his family and the two different conservators appointed to handle his finances. In 2006, when the legal proceedings started, J.R. was 78 years […]

What Preparation Do I Need For My Son’s 18th Birthday?

Son turns 18

APRIL 4, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 12 My son will be 18 in a little more than a year. He is in high school, in the special education program. What do I need to do to prepare for his eighteenth birthday? Excellent question. Assuming it is limited to legal matters (those are the only ones […]

Consumer Alert: Watch Out for Pitchmen — Come Hear Our Pitch

MARCH 28, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 11 Are we just too cynical? Is it possible that the flyer we received in the mail last week is genuinely valuable and the company upstanding? Could it be that it is not an annuity sales pitch aimed at seniors? On one side we see a series of “Consumer […]

Ohio Lawyer Suspended From Practice Over Mishandling of Guardianship

MARCH 21, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 10 Rebecca Susan Blair had practiced law in Cleveland, Ohio, since 1986. When the local probate court appointed her to take over as a successor guardian (of the estate — what we in Arizona would call a conservator) early in 2005, she had a good reputation and seemed to […]

How To Revoke Your Revocable Living Trust. Not.

MARCH 14, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 9 Let us be clear right up front. The California Court of Appeals ultimately agreed that Steven Wayne Stoker had successfully revoked a will favoring a former girlfriend. He also successfully revoked the trust created at the same time as that original will. In a sense, our headline is […]

How Should Special Needs Trust Funds Be Invested?

Here’s a question that comes up frequently in our practice: how should the funds held in a special needs trust be invested? The answer should be obvious: a good investment plan for a special needs trust — just like a good investment plan for an individual — should consider the amount available to invest, the […]

Some More of Our Readers’ Questions Answered

MARCH 7, 2011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 8 Two weeks ago we answered some of our readers’ frequent questions, and we solicited more. We heard from several of you with good questions of general interest. Among those (with identifying information and some details stripped out): My wife and I do not have any obvious family member […]

Robert B. Fleming

Attorney

Robert Fleming is a Fellow of both the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He has been certified as a Specialist in Estate and Trust Law by the State Bar of Arizona‘s Board of Legal Specialization, and he is also a Certified Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation. Robert has a long history of involvement in local, state and national organizations. He is most proud of his instrumental involvement in the Special Needs Alliance, the premier national organization for lawyers dealing with special needs trusts and planning.

Robert has two adult children, two young grandchildren and a wife of over fifty years. He is devoted to all of them. He is also very fond of Rosalind Franklin (his office companion corgi), and his homebound cat Muninn. He just likes people, their pets and their stories.

Elizabeth N.R. Friman

Attorney

Elizabeth Noble Rollings Friman is a principal and licensed fiduciary at Fleming & Curti, PLC. Elizabeth enjoys estate planning and helping families navigate trust and probate administrations. She is passionate about the fiduciary work that she performs as a trustee, personal representative, guardian, and conservator. Elizabeth works with CPAs, financial professionals, case managers, and medical providers to tailor solutions to complex family challenges. Elizabeth is often called upon to serve as a neutral party so that families can avoid protracted legal conflict. Elizabeth relies on the expertise of her team at Fleming & Curti, and as the Firm approaches its third decade, she is proud of the culture of care and consideration that the Firm embodies. Finding workable solutions to sensitive and complex family challenges is something that Elizabeth and the Fleming & Curti team do well.

Amy F. Matheson

Attorney

Amy Farrell Matheson has worked as an attorney at Fleming & Curti since 2006. A member of the Southern Arizona Estate Planning Council, she is primarily responsible for estate planning and probate matters.

Amy graduated from Wellesley College with a double major in political science and English. She is an honors graduate of Suffolk University Law School and has been admitted to practice in Arizona, Massachusetts, New York, and the District of Columbia.

Prior to joining Fleming & Curti, Amy worked for American Public Television in Boston, and with the international trade group at White & Case, LLP, in Washington, D.C.

Amy’s husband, Tom, is an astronomer at NOIRLab and the Head of Time Domain Services, whose main project is ANTARES. Sadly, this does not involve actual time travel. Amy’s twin daughters are high school students; Finn, her Irish Red and White Setter, remains a puppy at heart.

Famous people's wills

Matthew M. Mansour

Attorney

Matthew is a law clerk who recently earned his law degree from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. His undergraduate degree is in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Matthew has had a passion for advocacy in the Tucson community since his time as a law student representative in the Workers’ Rights Clinic. He also has worked in both the Pima County Attorney’s Office and the Pima County Public Defender’s Office. He enjoys playing basketball, caring for his cat, and listening to audiobooks narrated by the authors.