Total Credits: 3.5 CLE, 3.5 Estate & Trust Law Specialization
This program will cover the following presentations:
Chairs:
Shawn Garner, Deason Garner & Hanson
Brent Nelson, Rimon, P.C.
Faculty:
Katie Callaway, Fennemore Craig PC
Samuel DiPietro CPA, Spencer Fane LLP
Brent Nelson, Rimon, P.C.
Mr. Shawn Garner is the managing partner of Deason Garner & Hansen Law Firm, where he focuses in Medicaid, Trusts, and Probate. He holds a BS, summa cum laude, from Colorado State University (2005) and a JD from the University of Kentucky Law School (2008). Mr. Garner has been licensed to practice law in Arizona state and federal courts since 2008 and holds several other professional licenses, including Financial Planning (Series 65, Series 66, Series 7, 2015), Life Insurance (Arizona, 2015), and Licensed Fiduciary (Arizona Supreme Court, 2016-2024). He also became a licensed Realtor in 2019. With extensive experience in Trust Administration, Probate, and ALTCS/Medicaid, Mr. Garner has drafted over 5000 Wills and Trusts. In addition to his legal practice, he serves as a partner at Deason Garner & Hansen since 2013, and a partner at DGH Realty (Real Estate Brokerage) since 2019. He was a Professional Alliance Partner with Ameriprise Financial from 2016-2024. Mr. Garner is actively involved in his community and profession, volunteering with Prison Ministries, hosting the weekly radio show and podcast "Life, Death, and the Law," and conducting over 100 seminars on elder law topics. He has served in various leadership roles with the Probate and Trust Executive Council (PATEC) for the Arizona State Bar, including Secretary in 2020 and Chair in 2024. Additionally, Mr. Garner has been a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) since 2013 and served on the Board of the Arizona Chapter of NAELA, where he was Secretary in 2022 and Chair in 2024. Raised in Sandpoint, Idaho, Mr. Garner is married with six children and enjoys spending time on his small family farm, camping, boating, and going on off-road adventures in the desert.
A select group of U.S. and international individuals, families and financial institutions work with Brent Nelson on their complex tax, estate planning, and family business matters. Collectively, Mr. Nelson's clients live, invest, or have family on every inhabitable continent in the world.
With significant experience representing high-net-worth individuals and families, Mr. Nelson is sensitive to the unique challenges and opportunities these clients face. He creates family organizations with an eye on multi-generational continuity. Mr. Nelson helps his clients understand, improve, and protect family structures that include trusts, business entities, private investments, charitable giving, and family governance. He is accustomed to working with high profile clients and understands that privacy and confidentiality are absolutely essential.
Brent is an established and respected thought leader in his field. He hosts the popular Wealth and Law Podcast, co-edits the Arizona Estate Planning and Probate Handbook (Thomson Reuters), drafts relevant legislation, and frequently speaks and writes on estate and tax developments. He has been elected to or served as:
Fellow, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC)
Chair of the Probate and Trust Section of the State Bar of Arizona
Trust and Estate Practitioner in the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners
Director of his local affiliate of the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils
Katie practices in the estate planning and probate area. Prior to joining Fennemore, she worked as Associate Editor for Wealth Strategies Journal where she drafted blog posts summarizing developments in tax and estate planning for the Journal’s website.
While in law school Katie served as a legal extern in the Phoenix, Arizona Juvenile Public Defender’s Office and the Crime Victims Legal Assistance Project in Phoenix, Arizona. She also served as a legal extern for The Honorable George Foster, Maricopa County Superior Court.
Samuel DiPietro, Senior Associate, SpencerFane. Samuel collaborates with families and their advisors to develop customized estate plans that promote financial literacy, preserve family history, and convey the deeper meaning behind family wealth.
Samuel develops and implements customized plans for clients at all wealth levels and life stages. He collaborates closely with each client’s team of advisors, accountants, and other professionals to craft comprehensive strategies that help clients achieve their goals, secure their futures, and protect their families and beneficiaries. Clients value his ability to simplify complex strategies and present them in a straightforward, easily understandable, “plain English” manner.
Samuel specializes in wealth, tax, trust, and estate planning; estate and trust administration; probate; privately held business and corporate planning; asset protection; and probate matters. He has designed and executed numerous strategies to minimize income, gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer taxes related to succession planning for individuals and privately held businesses.
Samuel’s background as a certified public accountant at a Big 4 accounting firm and two advanced degrees in tax law (both legal and accounting) equip him to provide clients with business-focused legal advice that rivals the prowess of in-house counsel.
