A guardianship proceeding allows a person the legal authority to care for another. A conservatorship proceeding concerns the legal authority to manage another’s financial affairs. These Guardianship and Conservatorship matters, which are many times joint proceedings, can be for an incapacitated person, or for a minor. These proceedings constitute the majority of our practice. Paul Theut has litigated and resolved more Guardianship and Conservatorship matters than any active attorney in Maricopa County, and has litigated and won these matters at the appellate level. 

The transfer of wealth that occurs with the loss of a loved one can be a difficult transition. This is especially true when there are disputes over the decedent’s estate planning, finances or the succession of a business. Trust and estate disputes often involve a combination of business litigation, real estate transactions, and trust and estate law. 

The “real” purpose of estate planning is to show love and respect for the people you care about. Upon your death, you don’t want to compel your family, friends and business partners who are involved with your estate to deal with a complicated, expensive and time consuming mess in administrating your estate. To the contrary, good estate planning creates a roadmap to ease the burden of estate administration. We will listen to your needs and goals, make recommendations based upon your individual circumstances, and prepare documents.

Probate in Arizona is the administration of a person’s assets and liabilities upon death. As probate attorneys, we offer experienced representation of clients in both routine and difficult probates. We represent both heirs and personal representatives before the Superior Court in order to initiate probate proceedings and ensure that matters proceed as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

A guardian ad litem (GAL) is an attorney who is appointed by the court to represent the best interests of an individual for a specific purpose for a specific period of time. Under the direction of the court, a GAL performs an investigation and prepares a report for the court of the GAL's findings and recommendations.