AZ Specific

Trusts, Estates & Probate

Step-by-Step Guide to Drafting Wills and Trusts in Arizona

Credits Available
Credit Status Total
Arizona CLE Approved 6 Total
Oklahoma CLE Approved 7 Total
OnDemand
5 hours 54 minutes
Anya Witmer
Thomas Murphy
Lisa Cosper
Sarah Holcomb
With Anya M. Witmer from Dyer Bregman Ferris Wong & Carter, PLLC + 3 others
Recorded May 06, 2026.
Product ID 101795

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Overview

Complete With Essential Sample Forms, Tax Tactics, and Troubleshooting Solutions

Do you have all the information you need to draft customized testamentary documents for each of your clients? Don't spend years gathering precious bits of legal practice wisdom - our experienced attorney faculty are here to share their time-tested methods of identifying clients' needs and creating custom-tailored wills and trusts to fit each specific situation. This legal primer offers all the tools and sample forms to get you started. Get the fundamental skills you need to build your estate planning practice - register today!

  • Get practical will and trust drafting skills to speed up the process and give the testator's last wishes power.
  • Stave off conflicts of interest with a clear determination of who your client is from the start.
  • Learn how to deal with interested relatives who want to be present at all the planning meetings.
  • Explore the pros and cons of using a revocable living trust in the will's stead and find out when it's a better option.
  • Explore the functions and mechanics of major trust structures - and make certain you choose the right tool for each job.
  • Give each provision full power with precise word choices - get sample forms to speed up the process.
  • Make sure your remarried and unmarried clients know the default inheritance laws and help them make sure the right beneficiaries are assigned.
  • Anticipate key tax issues, including individual income tax planning and trust taxation.
  • Phrase the fiduciary and beneficiary designations to leave no room for misinterpretation.
  • Help your clients make the tough medical decisions regarding long-term care, end-of-life and organ donation.
  • Learn how to verify and document the testator's competency to close the door on any potential will contests.

Abbreviated Agenda

  1. Key Elements of Effective Wills
  2. Trusts as Alternatives to Wills
  3. Basic Tax Concerns
  4. Planning for Unmarried and Remarried Couples
  5. Ethics
  6. Documenting Long-Term Care, Incapacity, and End-of-Life Decisions
Product ID 101795

Credit Details

Credits Available
Credit Status Total
Arizona CLE Approved 6 Total
Oklahoma CLE Approved 7 Total
Select Jurisdiction
CLE

Agenda

All times are shown in
  1. Key Elements of Effective Wills

    1. Establishing Statutory Framework
    2. Types of Wills
    3. Verifying and Documenting the Testator's Competency
    4. Beneficiary Designations in Retirement Plans and Life Insurance
    5. Pension Distributions During and After Life
    6. Titling Assets
    7. Designating Fiduciaries
    8. Planning for Disabled Children
    9. Sample Will Verbiage
    10. Sample Forms
    11. Updating Will Documents
  2. Trusts as Alternatives to Wills

    1. When to Recommend a Trust Over a Will
    2. Types and Functions of Trusts
    3. Selecting Trustee(s)
    4. Choosing Trust Situs
    5. Trust Funding Basics
    6. Sample Forms
  3. Basic Tax Concerns

    1. Get Updated on Changing Legislation and Case Law
    2. Federal Estate and Gift Tax Update
    3. Assess the Impact of the State Estate Tax
    4. Individual Income Taxes - Issues You Need to Look At
    5. Generation Skipping Transfer Tax - Recent Changes
    6. Trust Taxation Basics
    7. Disclaimer Trusts
    8. Crummey Powers and the IRS
    9. Frequently Asked Questions About Fiduciary Taxes
    10. Tips for Calculating Tax Deductions
    11. Why a Comparison to Neighboring States' Taxes is Important
  4. Planning for Unmarried and Remarried Couples

    1. Pre- and Post-Marital Agreements
    2. Planning for Children From Previous Marriage(s)
    3. Estate Planning for Same Sex Couples
  5. Ethics

    1. Defining Who Your Client Is From the Start
    2. Handling Clients With Diminishing Mental Capacity
    3. Lawyers Acting as Fiduciaries
    4. Practicing Before the IRS
    5. Conflicts of Interest
  6. Documenting Long-Term Care, Incapacity, and End-of-Life Decisions

    1. Basic Medicaid Planning
    2. Long-Term Care Options and Planning in a Nutshell
    3. Advance Medical Directives
    4. Powers of Attorney
    5. DNR Orders and Organ Donation Considerations

Who Should Attend

This basic level online seminar offers foundational will and trust drafting skills that will benefit:

  • Attorneys
  • Paralegals
  • Trust Officers and Personal Representatives
  • Estate Planners
  • Accountants and CPAs
  • Tax Professionals

Speakers

Anya M Witmer
Anya M.
Witmer
Dyer Bregman Ferris Wong & Carter, PLLC
Thomas J Murphy
Thomas J.
Murphy
Murphy Law Firm, Inc.
Lisa Cosper
Lisa
Cosper
Sutin Thayer & Browne
Sarah Holcomb
Sarah
Holcomb
The Law Offices of Sarah Holcomb PLLC
Speaker bio
Anya M Witmer

Anya M. Witmer

Dyer Bregman Ferris Wong & Carter, PLLC
Anya Witmer

is an attorney at Dyer Bregman Ferris Wong & Carter, PLLC, where she practices estate planning, probate administration, and trust formation and administration matters. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Arizona State University and was a NALA certified paralegal prior to law school. Ms. Witmer then received her Juris Doctor degree from California Western Law School in San Diego, California, where she graduated, cum laude, and received an Academic Excellence Award for her research and writing on cryptocurrency in estate planning and probate. She is a member of WealthCounsel, the State Bar of Arizona (Probate and Trust Section), Maricopa County Bar Association, and the American Bar Association (Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section). Ms. Witmer is admitted to practice law in Arizona and California.

Speaker bio
Thomas J Murphy

Thomas J. Murphy

Murphy Law Firm, Inc.
Thomas Murphy

is an attorney located in the Ahwatukee area of Phoenix. His practice emphasizes estate planning, elder law (including nursing home issues), all probate matters (including contested matters and guardianships), and tax controversies. Mr. Murphy has regularly appeared before the Arizona Court of Appeals, litigating many of the cutting-edge appellate cases in probate law. He has successfully litigated cases in the U.S. Tax Court, Arizona Tax Court, and the Arizona Board of Tax Appeals. Mr. Murphy is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, State Bar of Arizona (Tax Law, Probate and Trust Law, Mental Health and Elder Law sections), and Arizona Medicaid Planning Council. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Phoenix Tax Workshop and the Editorial Board of NAELA News. Mr. Murphy graduated from Tufts University, with honors, and earned his J.D. degree from Suffolk University Law School.

Speaker bio
Lisa Cosper

Lisa Cosper

Sutin Thayer & Browne
Lisa Cosper

is a member of Sutin, Thayer & Browne's Commercial Group, where she focuses her practice on estate planning, probate and trusts. She also works on corporate law matters, as well as liquor licensing. Ms. Cosper's practice involves helping clients protect their legacies by creating and implementing individualized estate plans. Additionally, she provides guidance to business owners in establishing and maintaining appropriate business structures. Ms. Cosper earned her B.A. degree in business law from Arizona State University W.P. Carey School of Business and her J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from Arizona Summit Law School. While in law school, she provided pro bono services including Community Legal Assistance and Wills for Heroes. Before joining the firm, Ms. Cosper worked as a paralegal at an Arizona-based law firm in 2014, focusing on estate planning and administration while pursuing her law degree full-time. Through her experience in estate planning and administration, she developed a strong foundation in writing, drafting, and managing trusts and estates. After becoming a licensed attorney, Ms. Cosper expanded her practice in estate planning and took on leadership responsibilities in the estate administration department, where she guided fellow attorneys on best practices and supervised the department's paralegals. She has been a highly sought after speaker for estate and probate conventions and festivals since 2019. Ms. Cosper has won several awards for her work including Top Corporate Attorney, Albuquerque Journal Readers' Choice Awards, 2023.

Speaker bio
Sarah Holcomb

Sarah Holcomb

The Law Offices of Sarah Holcomb PLLC
Sarah Holcomb

is a solo practitioner in The Law Offices of Sarah Holcomb PLLC. She practices in the areas of asset protection; estate planning; wills, trusts, and probate estates; business formation; guardianships and conservatorships; mediation; and elder law. Ms. Holcomb serves as a court-appointed mediator through the Coconino County Superior Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Program, and is a court-appointed investigator for private guardianship and conservatorship cases as well as adoption cases. She is a member of the State Bar of Arizona (Sections for Alternative Dispute Resolution, Mental Health and Elder Law, and Probate and Trust Law), the Coconino County Bar Association and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Ms. Holcomb is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Law, where she earned certificates in both tax law and elder law. Prior to opening her own firm, she acted as a supervising attorney of the Child Support Program for Southern Arizona Legal Aid in Tucson, and then an associate with a private firm in Flagstaff, Arizona. 

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