Search
Close this search box.

Special Needs Trust Can Receive Child Support Payments

VOLUME 24 NUMBER 19 A divorced couple has a child with a disability, and one spouse is paying child support to the other. But what happens when the child turns 18? Does anyone still pay child support? If so, to whom? And what effect does any child support have on the (now adult) child’s eligibility […]

What “Elder Law” Means to Us at Fleming & Curti, PLC

Elder Law

VOLUME 24 NUMBER 11 At Fleming & Curti, PLC, we practice elder law. But what does that term mean? Our practice is focused on typical legal problems faced by older individuals. We also regularly work in the field of special needs planning for individuals with disabilities. Because the people coming to see us are often […]

Do You Have a Child with a Disability? Let’s Talk

Do you have a child with a disability

MARCH 6, 2017 VOLUME 24 NUMBER 10 If you are parent to a child with a disability, you need to make sure your own estate plan deals with that status. Will your child be able to handle an inheritance? Will an inheritance disrupt his or her Social Security, medical care or other benefits? Most importantly, […]

Trust Lawyer’s Fees Reduced by Over $110,000

Trust lawyer's fees reduced by over $110,000

FEBRUARY 27, 2017 VOLUME 24 NUMBER 9 General rule: a trust lawyer’s fees can be charged to the trust, at least where the trustee has not misbehaved. Significant exception: courts can reduce fees for a variety of reasons, and “misbehaved” may have different meanings. The story Patricia Campbell was trustee of a special needs trust […]

Why We Do What We Do

Why we do what we do

JANUARY 9, 2017 VOLUME 24 NUMBER 2 At Fleming & Curti, PLC, we represent seniors, people with disabilities and the family members who work with and support them. We also frequently act as trustee, agent, conservator or guardian for that population. It’s hard to capsulize exactly what we do, but if you ask any of […]

Two Words (“The Individual”) Make a Big Difference

DECEMBER 12, 2016 VOLUME 23 NUMBER 46 Congress may be in a historic post-election lull, but the end of the year can sometimes see surprising, bipartisan progress. With passage by the U.S. Senate of the Special Needs Trust Fairness Act (a very small part of the 21st Century Cures Act) a significant change has been […]

Trust Decanting Used to Implement Special Needs Provisions

Decant

OCTOBER 10, 2016 VOLUME 23 NUMBER 38 Let’s say that your mother wants to leave an inheritance for your son (let’s call him Daniel), but that Daniel is a minor. How can she arrange his inheritance? By putting it in trust, of course. Pretty commonly, Daniel’s trust might continue until he is 21, or 25, […]

Special Needs Trust Pays Substantial Legal Fees in Dispute

SEPTEMBER 26, 2016 VOLUME 23 NUMBER 36 Questions often arise about what kinds of payments may, or should, be made from a trust. When the trust is a “special needs” trust, the questions sometimes can be even more pointed — the purpose of a special needs trust, after all, is usually to provide for supplemental […]

When You Might Want to Open an ABLE Act Account

SEPTEMBER 13, 2016 VOLUME 23 NUMBER 34 Now that ABLE Act programs have been set up in several states, you might wonder if it’s time for you to set up an account for yourself or a family member with a disability. How can you figure out whether ABLE is right for you? We’ll try to […]

Section 8 Housing Participant Permitted to Receive Special Needs Trust Benefits

JUNE 27, 2016 VOLUME 23 NUMBER 24 When an individual is receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, or Medicaid (AHCCCS, in Arizona) benefits, he or she may have benefits reduced or eliminated if he or she receives a lump-sum settlement of a personal injury lawsuit or periodic payments from such a lawsuit. That is the […]

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.