Boland Law Group, PLLCPassionately Preserving Wealth™
Scottsdale, Arizona
Estate, trust and tax attorneys in Scottsdale
Boland Law Group is a private client law firm in the Scottsdale Airpark, at 15100 N. 78th Way, Suite 203. Two partners, each with an LL.M. and admission to the United States Tax Court, plan estates, design trusts, guide trustees and answer the IRS for Scottsdale families and the companies they own.
What makes a Scottsdale estate plan different
Arizona law, and the way Scottsdale families hold property, shape a plan more than any template does.
Scottsdale estates are rarely simple and rarely in one place. A typical file here holds a home worth far more than its purchase price, a second property in another state, retirement accounts, an interest in a closely held company, and a family spread across several time zones. Many clients arrived from somewhere else, carrying documents written under another state's law.
Arizona law does much of the shaping. It is a community property state, so what a married couple acquires here during the marriage generally belongs to both equally, and at the first death both halves of community property can take a new income tax basis. Arizona has no estate, inheritance or gift tax. And a Scottsdale home can pass outside probate through a funded trust or a recorded beneficiary deed. A plan drafted in a common law state was not written with any of that in mind.
Every plan we draw is built for the family in front of us, by the partner who will sign it. Our page for Scottsdale estate planning attorneys explains the instruments. This page is about the place: the neighborhoods, the property, the moves and the questions Scottsdale clients bring to us.
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New to Scottsdale, with documents from another state
Wills and trusts signed elsewhere usually remain valid here. Powers of attorney, deeds and beneficiary designations are where the gaps appear. See moving to Scottsdale.
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Splitting the year between Scottsdale and another home
Domicile decides which state's law governs the estate and which state taxes the income. We plan so the answer is clear on paper.
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A Scottsdale home that has climbed in value
How the house is titled, and whether the trust owns it, decides how much of that gain your family ever pays tax on. See Scottsdale property.
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An owner of a Scottsdale company
Entity structure, buy-sell terms and succession, drawn with the estate plan rather than after it. See estate planning for business owners.
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A rental, or a short-term rental, in the city
An LLC, the trust, the city license and the county registration, all kept in the same name.
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A trustee after a death in the family
Notices, inventory, accountings, the final returns and distribution. See trust administration.
One Airpark office, within 25 minutes of most of Scottsdale
Scottsdale runs about 31 miles from south to north, and our office sits in its middle third, beside the Scottsdale Airport runway. Each place on the compass is set at its true direction and straight-line distance from our door.
| From | Distance | Off-peak |
|---|---|---|
| Scottsdale | ||
| South Scottsdale | 14.5 mi | 25 min |
| Old Town | 10 mi | 20 min |
| McCormick Ranch | 5.5 mi | 15 min |
| Gainey Ranch | 5 mi | 15 min |
| Scottsdale Ranch | 7 mi | 15 min |
| McDowell Mountain Ranch | 4 mi | 10 min |
| North Scottsdale | ||
| Grayhawk | 4.5 mi | 10 min |
| DC Ranch | 5.5 mi | 15 min |
| Troon North | 11 mi | 25 min |
| Paradise Valley | ||
| Town of Paradise Valley | 9 mi | 20 min |
Road distance and time are routing estimates on OpenStreetMap data from each neighborhood to our office, with minutes rounded up to the next five. Rush hour on the Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road will add to them.
However you come, the last mile is the same: Hayden Road, then 82nd Street, then 78th Way.
Parking and access are covered on our offices and appointments page, or open the office in Google Maps. We also meet at your kitchen table anywhere in Scottsdale, or by secure video.
Six kinds of work, done in Scottsdale by the partners
Every matter below is scoped, drafted and signed by one of our two partners, from the Airpark office.
Wills, trusts and complete estate plans
A revocable living trust, pour-over will, durable and health care powers of attorney and a living will, with the Scottsdale home deeded into the trust so the plan works without a probate filing in Maricopa County.
Revocable, irrevocable and dynasty trusts
A revocable trust suits almost every household. Irrevocable trusts serve narrower purposes: moving growth out of a taxable estate, holding life insurance, or protecting an inheritance for generations.
More: revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts, SLATs, ILITs and dynasty trusts
High net worth estate planning
For estates at or growing toward the 2026 federal exemption of $15,000,000 per person and $30,000,000 per couple: lifetime gifts, grantor trusts, valuation and the returns that report them.
Trust administration
Counsel for Scottsdale trustees and beneficiaries through notices, inventory, accountings, tax returns and distribution, handled privately rather than in a court file.
Trust modification and decanting
Arizona allows many trusts, including irrevocable ones, to be changed by agreement, by decanting or by court order. We restate and repair plans that no longer fit the family or the law.
Tax controversy and litigation
Audits, appeals and United States Tax Court cases for Scottsdale individuals, partnerships and closely held companies, handled by attorneys who also draft the plans the IRS examines.
Who we serve in Scottsdale: business owners, owners approaching a sale, senior executives, family offices, families planning in retirement, multi-generational families and athletes and public figures. Financial advisors can bring us a matter directly.
Moving to Scottsdale, or here for the season
A move changes more than the address on a driver license. It can change the law that governs your estate.
Domicile, the place you intend as your permanent home, decides which state's law governs your estate and which state can tax your income. Arizona has no single form that makes you a resident. Domicile is shown by the pattern: where you vote, license your car, file your return, keep your doctors and spend most of your year.
For clients who keep a house in another state, that pattern should point clearly one way, because the other state may examine it too. We draft the plan around the answer and coordinate the tax side with your CPA.
Couples arriving from a common law state often sign a community property agreement, so the assets they choose can receive the full basis step-up at the first death. Couples arriving from California or another community property state generally keep that character.
Real estate you keep elsewhere is governed by that state's law. If your trust owns it, your family avoids a second probate in that state.
| Document | Valid in Arizona? | What we usually recommend |
|---|---|---|
| Will | Generally yes, if it met the law where it was signedA.R.S. § 14-2506 | A new Arizona pour-over will that matches the trust |
| Revocable trust | Generally yes, if validly created where it was signedA.R.S. § 14-10403 | A restatement under Arizona law, and a deed for the Scottsdale home |
| Financial power of attorney | Often, though banks and title companies may ask for an Arizona form | An Arizona durable power of attorney |
| Health care directives | Generally honored if valid where signed | Arizona forms, so local hospitals and doctors see what they expect |
| Beneficiary designations | Unaffected by the move | A review so each one matches the trust |
| Real estate in another state | Governed by that state's law | Title in the trust, so no second probate is needed there |
The house, the rental and the deed
Much of a Scottsdale estate is real estate, and how it is titled decides whether the plan works.
The trust must own the home
A trust avoids probate only for what it owns. Your Scottsdale home moves into the trust by a special warranty deed recorded with the Maricopa County Recorder. One deed is included in every core plan, and each additional Arizona deed is $350.
Or a beneficiary deed
Arizona lets an owner record a deed that passes the property at death without probate, and it can be revoked. It suits one property and a simple family, though it does nothing if the owner becomes incapacitated.
A.R.S. § 33-405
Community property, stepped up twice
When a spouse dies, community property generally takes a new basis on both halves, not one. A Scottsdale home held as community property can often be sold after the first death with little or no capital gain.
IRC § 1014(b)(6)
Short-term rentals
Scottsdale requires a city license for each short-term rental, and Arizona requires rental property to be registered with the Maricopa County Assessor. When a rental moves into an LLC or a trust, both records should follow it.
Scottsdale Ordinance 4566; A.R.S. § 33-1902
What an estate plan costs in Scottsdale
We publish our fees. A complete core plan is a fixed fee, set in writing before any work begins. The minimum depends on two things: the gross estate, meaning everything you own or control at death, and, for a married couple, the design of the plan.
Every core plan includes a revocable living trust, a pour-over will, a general durable power of attorney, health care and mental health care powers of attorney, a living will, a HIPAA authorization, a certificate of trust, age-gated shares for children and grandchildren, an assignment of personal property, a special warranty deed into the trust and written funding instructions.
Lifetime strategies such as SLATs, ILITs and dynasty trusts are priced on the advanced schedule. Contested and open-ended matters, including tax controversy, are billed hourly at published rates.
| Gross estate | One client | Married couple |
|---|---|---|
| Up to $5 million | $5,000 | $5,500 to $6,500 |
| Over $5 million to $15 million | $6,000 | $6,500 to $12,750 |
| Over $15 million to $30 million | $6,000 | From $12,750 |
| Over $30 million to $45 million | From $10,000 | From $18,750 |
| Above $45 million | From $15,000 | From $25,000 |
Married figures vary with the plan's design. Each additional Arizona deed is $350. All figures are minimums from the published 2026 core schedule.
Questions Scottsdale clients ask us
How far is your office from Old Town Scottsdale?
About 10 miles and 20 minutes by road outside rush hour, most of it on Hayden Road. The office is at 15100 N. 78th Way, Suite 203, in the Scottsdale Airpark beside the Scottsdale Airport. From McCormick Ranch or Gainey Ranch it is about 15 minutes, and from McDowell Mountain Ranch about 10.
Will you come to our Scottsdale home to sign the documents?
Yes, by arrangement, anywhere in Scottsdale. Home signings are common when a spouse has limited mobility or the family papers live in a home office. Arizona wills and powers of attorney carry witnessing and notary requirements, so we confirm in advance what your signing needs.
We just moved to Scottsdale. Is our old will or trust still valid?
Usually. Arizona generally honors a will that met the law where it was signed, and a trust validly created in another state. Validity is rarely the real problem. An out-of-state plan was not written for Arizona community property, Arizona deeds or Arizona fiduciary law, and its powers of attorney may not be accepted readily here. Most new residents restate the trust and sign Arizona documents.
How do we make Scottsdale our legal home if we keep a house in another state?
By making the facts point one way, because Arizona has no single form for it. Register to vote here, get an Arizona driver license and vehicle registration, file your income tax return as an Arizona resident, move your doctors and advisors, and spend more of the year here than anywhere else. Your estate plan should describe you as an Arizona resident, and your CPA should confirm the tax side.
Does our Scottsdale home need a new deed when we sign a trust?
Yes. A trust controls only what it owns, so the home is deeded to the trust by a special warranty deed recorded with the Maricopa County Recorder. One Arizona deed is included in every core plan, and each additional Arizona deed is $350. Property in another state is deeded under that state's law.
Can our Scottsdale short-term rental be held in our trust?
Yes. Many owners hold the rental in an LLC and have the trust own the LLC, which helps keep rental liability away from the rest of the estate. When ownership changes, the county rental registration and the Scottsdale short-term rental license should be updated to the new owner, and the insurance and any HOA rules checked.
Is a beneficiary deed enough for a Scottsdale condo?
Sometimes. For one property and a simple family, a beneficiary deed under A.R.S. § 33-405 passes the condo at death without probate. It does nothing if you become incapacitated, a minor beneficiary may need a court-appointed conservator, and it does not coordinate with the rest of your assets. A funded revocable trust handles all three.
How much does a will and trust cost in Scottsdale?
At Boland Law Group, a complete core plan for an estate up to $5 million starts at a fixed $5,000 for one client and $5,500 for a married couple, set in writing before work begins. Larger estates and more protective designs cost more, and every figure is on our published 2026 schedule.
Which court would handle a Scottsdale probate?
Scottsdale is in Maricopa County, so a Scottsdale probate is filed with the Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County, not with a city court. A funded revocable trust keeps most families out of that process entirely.
Can you represent our Scottsdale business in an IRS audit?
Yes. Both partners are admitted to the United States Tax Court, and the firm handles audits, appeals and Tax Court cases for individuals, partnerships and closely held companies. We work alongside your CPA throughout.
Start with a conversation.
Call the office and tell us what you own and who it is for. We will tell you what your plan should include and what it costs, before you decide anything. The partner who drafts it is the one who would answer an IRS notice about it.
Boland Law Group, PLLC
15100 N. 78th Way, Suite 203
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
Open in Google Maps
Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm
Saturdays by appointment
Secure video and telephone
Parking and access
General information about federal and Arizona law as of September 2026, not legal or tax advice for any particular person, and no attorney-client relationship is formed until a written engagement letter is signed. Best Lawyers recognition is awarded by Best Lawyers and is not a promise of any result. Distances and drive times are routing estimates, not a representation about any particular trip. Fee figures are minimums from the firm's published 2026 schedule. Passionately Preserving Wealth is a trademark of Boland Law Group, PLLC.