concentrates her practice in the areas of probate, trust and G/C administration and litigation. She is a certified specialist in estate and trust law and a licensed fiduciary. She is the 2007 Recipient of the Eleanor Ter Horst Distinguished Service Award given by the Probate & Trust Section of the State Bar for superior knowledge in probate and trust law; consultation to the bar, the courts and the public; participation in related committees and projects and enhancement of public awareness of trust and probate issues. She is rated AV-Pre-eminent (30+ years) and Top Rated Lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell and has been listed by SuperLawyers, Arizona’s Finest Lawyers and Best Lawyers of America (2023 & 2025 Best Lawyer of the Year, 2023 & 2025 Best Law Firm, Phoenix: Elder Law, Trusts & Estates, Litigation - Trusts Estates). She has served as a Judge Pro Tem for the Probate/Mental Health Division of the Maricopa County Superior Court since 1988; and is a certified arbitrator and settlement judge in the probate and civil divisions. She attended Northwestern University and Arizona State University College of Law (JD 1977). She is a former member (1988-92) and co chair (1990-91) of the Executive Council of the State Bar’s Probate & Trust Section, and the State Bar’s Continuing Legal Education Committee (1991-95). She served on the Advisory Commission on Estate and Trust Specialization (1991-98 and 2012-16, chair in 2016), the board of the Maricopa County Bar’s Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Section and the Arizona Supreme Court’s Probate Rules Committee. She was a Senior Editor of the Probate Practice Manual, 5th ed.2014 and 6th ed. 2022. She served on the 2014-15 Alternative Dispute Resolution Policy/Training Group which developed new policies, procedures and mandatory probate ADR training for the Maricopa County Superior Court. She was a member of the Arizona Supreme Court’s Task Force from 2017 through 2019, which re-wrote the Rules of Probate Procedure. She was a faculty member for the State Bar’s College of Trial Advocacy (2014-2018) and the Arizona Supreme Court’s mandatory training program for court appointed attorneys and guardians ad litem. She is a Fellow of the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel, and a member of the Sole Practitioner’s Probate Litigation Committee, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the Arizona Fiduciary Assn and the Arizona Assn of Women Lawyers. She is a volunteer with the MCBA Probate Lawyer Assistance Program. She is qualified as an expert witness, special master, GAL, litigation conservator, arbitrator and mediator; and is a frequent speaker on probate and trust administration, GCs, litigation and professional ethics.

is admitted to practice in the Arizona Supreme Court and all lower courts within the state. He has been admitted to practice law in Arizona since 1989. In 2008, Mr. Elwell was admitted to the United States Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States. He is also a member of the American Bar Association. Since 1989, Mr. Elwell has practiced law at Warner Angle Hallam Jackson & Formanek PLC. Mr. Elwell's law practice is devoted to elder law issues with specific focus on administration and litigation involving contested and uncontested decedent's estates, trusts, advanced directives, guardianships, and conservatorships. Much of Mr. Elwell's experience has focused on emergent circumstances where estates, trusts, or individuals are threatened with economic or medical harm unless prompt action is taken. He received his Bachelor of Science-General Business from The University of Arizona in 1986, and his Juris Doctorate from The University of Arizona College of Law in 1989. (5/2019)

Lynda C. Shely is a partner in the Phoenix, Arizona office of Rosing Pott & Strohbehn (in partnership with Zelms Erlich Lenkov) where she provides legal ethics, risk management, and ABS regulatory advice to lawyers, law firms, and law firm investors. She was the 2020-2023 chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility, an Arizona Delegate in the ABA House of Delegates, and currently volunteers with several other nonbillable entities involved in legal ethics matters, including as a member of the Arizona Supreme Court’s Alternative Business Structure Committee, the Arizona Supreme Court’s Committee on AI in the Courts, the ABA Standing Committee on Professional Regulation, and the State Bar of Arizona Ethics Advisory Group. She is a past president of the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, the Scottsdale Bar Association, and the National ABS Law Firm Association. She has been an adjunct professor at all Arizona law schools, teaching professional responsibility. Lynda has received several awards for her contributions to the legal community including the 2007 State Bar of Arizona Member of the Year Award, the 2022 Maricopa County Bar Member of the Year Award, the 2023 Maricopa County Bar Hall of Fame, and the 2024 Arizona Women Lawyers' Association Annual Sarah Herring Sorin Award. Lynda had her own law firm for 21 years before joining Rosing Pott & Strohbehn. Prior to opening her own firm, Lynda was the Director of Lawyer Ethics for the State Bar of Arizona. Before moving to Arizona, Lynda was an attorney with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in Washington, DC. Lynda received her BA from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA and her JD from Catholic University in Washington, DC.

JOHN R. FITZPATRICK is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and has more than 35 years of legal experience, the last 32 of which have been with the Phoenix law firm Frazer, Ryan, Goldberg & Arnold, LLP, where he is a senior partner, member of its management committee, and the senior litigator in its significant and growing trust and estate litigation department. John's state-wide trust and probate litigation practice covers a wide variety of topics, including validity contests, interpretation disputes, beneficiary rights and fiduciary duties, appointment, removal and priority disputes, creditor controversies, financial exploitation claims, forfeiture controversies, as well as accounting, fee and surcharge disputes. John received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Notre Dame after graduating with honors from Arizona State University. He has served the judiciary as a Judge Pro Tempore of the Superior Court and of the Justice Courts. He is the former Chairman (2018-2019), Chair-Elect (2017-2018) and Secretary (2015-2017) of the Executive Council of the State Bar’s Probate and Trust Section. John enjoys a long-standing AV Preeminent®* rating from his peers and is named a "Top Rated Lawyer in Trusts & Estates" by Martindale-Hubbell and American Lawyer Media. He was also named among "Arizona's Finest Lawyers," "Southwest Super Lawyers," and "The Best Lawyers in America" in the field of Trust & Estate Litigation, where he was chosen for this year’s “Lawyer of the Year” award. Also a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, John is a frequent speaker at professional education seminars in his field, including CLE by the Sea, the State Bar Convention, and the State Bar's annual Advanced Probate presentation. John can be reached at jfitzpatrick@frgalaw.com or (602) 277-2010.

John H. Barron, III is a member of Barron & Associates, P.C., Of Counsel to DeConcini McDonald Yetwin & Lacy, PC, and is the managing partner of the Phoenix office. He received
his B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Arizona, and is admitted to the State Bar of Arizona (May, 1990) and the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, as well as the State Bar of Georgia. John has served as co-chair and secretary for the Mental Health, Elder Law and Special Needs Section of the State Bar of Arizona multiple times, served on the Mental Health Legislation sub-committee, and completed his tenure on the Arizona Supreme Court Probate Rules Task Force which drafted the new Arizona Rules of Probate Procedure, effective January 1, 2020. He is an associate editor of the 4th, 5th, and 6th editions (6th edition released 2022) of the Arizona Probate Code Practice Manual.
Early in his probate practice, as a private practitioner in Tucson, John was a special deputy Pima County attorney handling mental health litigation for Pima, Pinal, Yuma, and La Paz counties. He subsequently served as a deputy Maricopa County attorney representing the Maricopa County Medical Center Psychiatric Annex with respect to court-ordered behavioral health treatment and later, representing the Maricopa County Public Fiduciary in the administration and litigation of estate, guardianship, conservatorship and mental health matters.
Returning to private practice in 1997, John established himself as a litigator of matters relating to estates, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, exploitation and/or abuse of vulnerable or incapacitated adults, Adult Protective Services actions, eligibility for persons entitled to mental health, developmental disability, and ALTCS related assistance - practicing in the trial, appellate, and administrative courts. In addition to the specific practice of law, he has also been a presenter and keynote speaker at seminars related to probate and mental health law such as the annual “Advanced Issues in Probate and Estate Planning” seminar, as well as in-service training programs related to probate, guardianship, and mental health law for medical personnel. John was the instructor for the Arizona Supreme Court Fiduciary Training Program, Decision Marking module, and continues to participate in the drafting of guardianship, conservatorship, surrogacy, and mental health statutes through legislative committees and on behalf of stakeholders. Barron & Associates, PC of Counsel to
DeConcini McDonald Yetwin & Lacy, PC | 602.252.8100 | www.azprobatelawyers.com

Judge Dean M. Fink is the Presiding Judge of the Probate and Mental Health Department of the Maricopa County Superior Court. He has been on the Superior Court bench since June 2004. He began his judicial career as a commissioner. In August 2007, Governor Janet Napolitano appointed him as a judge. In addition to Probate/Mental Health, Judge Fink has served in the Family, Civil and Criminal departments of the Superior Court. He was also the Presiding Judge of the Arizona Tax Court from 2009 to 2014. Judge Fink currently serves on the Judicial Performance Review Commission of the Arizona Supreme Court. He previously served on the State Bar of Arizona’s Civil Practice and Procedure Committee, the Arizona Supreme Court’s Fiduciary Board, the Board of Directors of the Arts & Business Council of Greater Phoenix, the University of Arizona Student Life National Leadership Board, and the State Bar of Arizona’s Communications Advisory Committee. Judge Fink received his undergraduate degree in 1990 from the University of Arizona, where he served as the student body president. He received his law degree from the Columbia University School of Law in 1993. Prior to joining the bench, he worked at the law firms of Fennemore Craig, Kirkland and Ellis, and Lewis and Roca.

is certified as a specialist in Estate and Probate Law with the State Bar of Arizona. Hillary has been licensed to practice law in Arizona since 1998. Her practice has focused primarily on estate planning, guardianships, conservatorships, protection of incapacitated and vulnerable adults, probate administration, trust administration, and litigation in contested probate and trust administration matters since 2006.

Hillary's estate planning practice consists of assisting clients develop and prepare a personalized estate plan appropriate for their individual and family needs. An estate plan may include, among other things a will, revocable living trust, special needs trust for a disabled family member, irrevocable trust, life insurance trust, estate tax planning, power of attorney, health care power of attorney, and living will. She also works with small business owners to prepare a succession plan and buy-sell agreements.

She is skilled in handling a variety of contested and uncontested probate and post death administration matters including, but not limited to:

Assisting families and individuals establish guardianships and conservatorships for a disabled or incapacitated family member;
Representing disabled and incapacitated adults in guardianship and conservatorship proceedings;
Representing private fiduciaries in guardianships, conservatorships, trust administration and probate estate administration;
Advising Trustees in the administration of a trust;
Representing personal representatives in the probate of a will or intestate estate;
Representing trust beneficiaries or estate heirs in the protection of their rights as a beneficiary or heir; and
Litigation and trials in contested probate matters.

Jay M. Polk is a judge in the Juvenile Department of the Superior Court of Arizona for Maricopa County. From June 27, 2020 through July 2, 2023, he served as the Presiding Judge of the Probate and Mental Health Department, which since 2012 has experienced the greatest caseload growth of all the departments of that court. He served as the Associate Presiding Judge of that department from April 10, 2017, through June 26, 2020. From November 21, 2011, to April 7, 2017, Judge Polk was assigned to the Family Law Department and served as the Associate Presiding Judge of the Family Law Department for the Northeast Regional Court Center for approximately two of those years. He is the recipient of the Maricopa County Bar Association’s 2022 Judicial Officer of the Year Award. For nearly 20 years prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Polk limited his practice of law to contested and uncontested matters relating to guardianships, conservatorships, decedents’ estates, the abuse or exploitation of vulnerable adults, and estate planning for modest estates. In addition, he served as a mediator and arbitrator, as a guardian ad litem for minor children and incapacitated adults, and as judge pro tempore. Between 1999 and 2011, Judge Polk was an Arizona Licensed Fiduciary and, as such, served as a personal representative or special administrator for several estates, as well as the special conservator for an attorney. Before starting private practice, Judge Polk served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable E. G. Noyes, Jr., of the Arizona Court of Appeals (1993-94) and a law-trained bailiff for the Honorable Robert D. Myers of the Superior Court of Arizona for Maricopa County (1992-93). Throughout his career, Judge Polk has helped draft numerous legislative bills in areas including probate, mental health, criminal, and family law. In addition, he has been involved in drafting court rules and rule amendments in the Rules of the Arizona Supreme Court, the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure, the Arizona Family Law Rules, the Arizona Rules of Probate Procedure and rules of procedure for court-ordered mental health evaluation and treatment cases and rules of procedure for sexually violent persons cases. He also has been a frequent speaker on probate, mental health, and family law matters. He is an editor of the 2022 and 2014 editions of the Arizona Probate Code Practice Manual, was an associate editor of the 2000 edition of that publication, and has been a regular contributor to the Judicial College of Arizona’s Probate Benchbook. Judge Polk currently is serving his second term on the Judicial Executive Committee of the Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County. In addition, he is a member of the Strategic Planning Committee of the Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County. During his tenure on the family law bench, Judge Polk served as a co-chair of the Family Law Department’s Initiatives Committee and a member of that department’s Behavioral Health Committee. Between 2014 and 2015, Judge Polk assisted in creating the Superior Court of Arizona for Maricopa County’s intelligent probate forms, and he presently is in the process of updating all of that court’s Self- Service Center probate forms. Judge Polk also has served on several Arizona Supreme Court committees, including the Steering Committee on Arizona Case Processing Standards (2018 – 2019), the Probate Rules Committee (2006 – 2008), the Committee on Improving Judicial Oversight and Processing of Probate Court Matters (2010 – 2011), the Task Force on the Arizona Rules of Probate Procedure (2017 – 2019), and the Electronic Signatures Workgroup (2022 – present). While serving on those committees, he often chaired subcommittees or workgroups. From July 2018 to June 2019, Judge Polk served as President of the Arizona Judges Association, and he was a member of the Executive Board from June 2014 until June 2020. Since November 2016, Judge Polk has been a member of the Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System Advisory Committee, and, since 2011, he has been a member of the Fiduciary Board, which regulates Arizona professional fiduciaries. Judge Polk has served as the Judicial Liaison to the Estate Planning, Probate, and Trust Law Section of the Maricopa County Bar Association since May 2017, and he has served as the Judicial Liaison to the Elder Law, Mental Health, and Special Needs Planning Section of the State of Bar of Arizona since September 2018. Since June 2019, he also has been the Judicial Liaison to the Probate and Trust Law Section of the State Bar of Arizona. While he was private practice, Judge Polk was actively involved in the Arizona Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the Probate and Trust Law and the Mental Health and Elder Law Sections of the State Bar of Arizona, and he served on countless committees of those organizations. Judge Polk received his juris doctorate degree from Arizona State University in 1992. He received his bachelor’s degree in political science, with honors, from the University of Chicago in 1989. Since 2016, Judge Polk has participated in the Latina Mentoring Project, which provides mentoring relationships for Latina undergraduate and law students. Since June 2021, Judge Polk and his wife have been members of the West Point Parents Club of Arizona, which is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to promoting the well-being and continued success of the United States Service Academies. From 2004 to 2006, Judge Polk served as President of The Council For Jews With Special Needs (now known as Gesher Disability Resources). In addition, he was a member of that organization’s Board of Directors from 1998 through 2007. Since 2006, Judge Polk has been a manager of Council Properties, L.L.C., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gesher Disability Resources that owns two other limited liability companies that manage group homes for persons with disabilities. When he was in private practice, Judge Polk volunteered for the Maricopa County Volunteer Lawyers Program. For two decades, he and his wife co-chaired the University of Chicago Alumni Club of Phoenix and the University of Chicago Alumni Schools committee. Judge Polk has been the recipient of numerous professional awards, including the following:
• Judicial Officer of the Year Award, Maricopa County Bar Association 2022,
• Bridging the Gap Award, Maricopa County Bar Association Family Law Section 2017,
• Craig C. Gordon Outstanding Arizona Chapter Member Award, Arizona Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Attorneys 2011,
• Leadership Award, Arizona Fiduciaries Association 2009,
• Eleanor ter Horst Distinguished Service Award, State Bar of Arizona Probate and Trust Law Section 2008,
• Selected for inclusion in 2011 Southwest Super Lawyers and Arizona’s Finest Lawyers, and
• Martindale-Hubbell AV-rated while in private practice.

Mark E. House is a partner at Becker & House, PLLC. Mark’s primary focus is on trust and estate litigation. His litigation background includes will contests, financial exploitation, fiduciary litigation and most other contested matters involving an estate or trust. Additionally, Mark has the expertise to represent fiduciaries administering an estate or trust involved in litigation. Mark has an excellent background in estate planning and all aspects of estate, gift and income taxes and tax planning. Because of his experience with complicated estate tax issues, Mark is often retained to provide guidance in estate litigation where tax problems are likely to arise. Mark speaks regularly on topics ranging from drafting to avoid litigation to the income tax issues of trust funding and has been an Adjunct Professor at Arizona State University School of Law, where he teaches Trusts and Decedents Estates. He formerly taught at Arizona Summit Law School from 2009 - 2018, where he taught Trusts and Estates, Estate and Gift Tax, Estate Planning, Federal Income Taxation, and Remedies. Mark also serves as a Judge Pro Tempore for the Maricopa County Superior Court. Mark is a Fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. Mark received his B.S.B.A. degree in Business Economics from Northern Arizona University in 1995 and received his J.D. degree, with distinction, in 1998 from Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the lead author and editor of House, Barney, O’Neill & Jones, Arizona Probate and Trust Administration and Litigation with Forms (Matthew Bender 2025).

T. J. Ryan is a senior partner with the law firm of Frazer Ryan Goldberg & Arnold, LLP, in Phoenix. T.J.'s practice encompasses virtually all aspects of estates and trusts, including estate and business planning, probate and trust administration, and litigating contested issues related to estates and trusts. An AV Preeminent rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell, Best Lawyers in America selected T.J. as "Lawyer of the Year" in Trust Litigation for 2015. In 2017, the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) named T.J. as a Fellow of the college. T.J. received his law degree from the James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona in 2002, after graduating with a BBA from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Along with colleagues Darren Case and Brent Nelson, T.J. is the co-author of the Arizona Estate Planning and Probate Handbook, published by Thompson Reuters as a part of the Arizona Practice Series. T.J. has assisted with the editing of the Arizona Probate Practice Manual and the Arizona Attorneys’ Fees Manual (both publications of the Arizona State Bar) and served on the Task Force which revised the Arizona Rules of Probate Procedure in 2017-2019. T.J. served as the President of the Maricopa County Bar Association in 2015. T.J. is a native of Phoenix, Arizona who enjoys golf, Crossfit™, baseball, and spending time with his wife and two sons.

ASHLEY L. CASE is a dedicated estate planning attorney who approaches the typically somber topics of death and taxes with a unique blend of expertise and humor. Specializing in estate planning, tax, probate, and trust administration, Ashley focuses on empowering her clients through education and clarity. Her ability to demystify legal complexities and make documents accessible has earned her a reputation for easing the concerns of clients, whether they are navigating family dynamics, wealth preservation, or succession planning issues.

Beyond her legal practice, Ashley is an accomplished writer and speaker in her field. She has authored a book on estate planning (Arizona Estate Planning and Will Drafting with Forms, published by Matthew Bender through LexisNexis) and regularly contributes articles to Forbes.com, sharing her insights on tax and estate planning strategies. Ashley also contributes to legal education through presentations at various legal associations and universities, including the State Bar of Arizona, Maricopa County Bar Association, and Boston University School of Law.

Ashley’s professional achievements, including certifications as a Board-Certified Specialist in Estate and Trust Law and an Accredited Estate Planner® by the NAEPC, underscore her expertise and commitment to her field. She is a Fellow with the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel (ACTEC). She is also actively involved in her community and serves on several boards, including the Central Arizona Estate Planning Council, the Maricopa County Bar Association, and Ballet Arizona. Ashley earned her undergraduate degree from Arizona State University and is an obnoxiously enthusiastic Sun Devil fan (yes, it was targeting). She graduated with her Juris Doctor from Chapman University School of Law and earned her LL.M. in Taxation from Boston University School of Law with a concentration on estate planning.

In her personal life, Ashley balances her professional achievements with a passion for adventure, often pursuing activities like mountain hiking and extreme sports. Her dedication to both her career and personal interests reflects her philosophy of living life to its fullest, a lesson she continues to learn from her clients and experiences.

Dr. Michelle James is a licensed clinical neuropsychologist with Behavioral Health Solutions
and a supervising neuropsychologist with Copa Health. She specializes in neuropsychological
evaluations for long-term care facilities across Arizona and oversees a doctoral psychology
intern in Copa Health’s APA-accredited training program.
Dr. James completed her postdoctoral training in neuropsychology at Alameda Healthcare
System (Oakland, CA) and the Arizona Psychology Training Consortium, working with Arizona
Neuropsychological Services and Desert Vista Neuropsychological Specialists. She gained
extensive experience during her internship at the Arizona State Hospital, where she focused on
neuropsychology, forensic psychology, and sex offender treatment.
She holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Midwestern University (Glendale, AZ), a
Master’s in Mental Health Counseling from Argosy University (Phoenix), and a Bachelor’s in
Behavioral Neuroscience from Laurentian University (Sudbury, Ontario, Canada).
Dr. James is passionate about serving vulnerable populations, including older adults and
individuals with serious mental illness. She is dedicated to expanding access to
neuropsychological evaluations for those who need them most.