Arizona Laws 14-5652. Attorneys; fiduciary duties
A. Except as prescribed pursuant to section 14-1104 and absent an express agreement to the contrary, the performance by an attorney of legal services for a fiduciary, settlor or testator does not by itself establish a duty in contract or tort or otherwise to any third party. For the purposes of this subsection, third party does not apply to the personal representative, settlor or testator.
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 14-5652
- Adult: means a person who has attained eighteen years of age. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Estate: includes the property of the decedent, trust or other person whose affairs are subject to this title as originally constituted and as it exists from time to time during administration. See Arizona Laws 14-1201
- Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
- Fiduciary: includes a personal representative, guardian, conservator and trustee. See Arizona Laws 14-1201
- Interested person: includes any trustee, heir, devisee, child, spouse, creditor, beneficiary, person holding a power of appointment and other person who has a property right in or claim against a trust estate or the estate of a decedent, ward or protected person. See Arizona Laws 14-1201
- Person: means an individual or an organization. See Arizona Laws 14-1201
- Personal representative: includes an executor, an administrator, a successor personal representative, a special administrator and persons who perform substantially the same function under the law governing their status. See Arizona Laws 14-1201
- Testator: A male person who leaves a will at death.
- Testator: includes a person of either sex. See Arizona Laws 14-1201
- Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
- Trust: includes an express trust, private or charitable, with any additions, wherever and however created. See Arizona Laws 14-1201
- Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
- Trustee: includes an original, additional or successor trustee, whether or not appointed or confirmed by the court. See Arizona Laws 14-1201
- Writing: includes printing. See Arizona Laws 1-215
B. An attorney who acts as a personal representative or trustee shall disclose to all adult persons who have an interest in the estate or trust the names of any person who has an interest in that estate or trust to whom the attorney is currently rendering or has in the past rendered legal services. The attorney must make this disclosure in writing within a reasonable time after learning that a client or former client has an interest in the estate or trust. The representation of an interested person by that attorney is not grounds for removing the attorney as the personal representative or trustee unless the attorney is unable to perform the fiduciary duties as personal representative or trustee without violating the attorney’s ethical responsibilities to the client or former client.