James W. Ryan
Phoenix Estate Planning and Estate Administration Attorney
Jim Ryan is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a Certified Specialist in Estate & Trust Law, and an inducted member of the Iowa Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.
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For nearly 50 years, Phoenix estate planning attorney Jim Ryan has helped high net worth Arizona families and business owners create and enjoy financial legacies. A Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and a Certified Specialist in Estate and Trust Law, Jim Ryan is a widely acknowledged leader in Phoenix-Scottsdale legal and business circles for complex estate and business planning and estate administration.
Professional Leadership in Estate Planning and Administration
In addition to estate planning, Jim Ryan's law practice encompasses tax planning, estate administration and business transactions.
He has been certified as a specialist in Estate & Trust Law since the inception of certification of this specialty in Arizona. He is a past chairman of the Estate and Trust Advisory Commission for the State Bar of Arizona, which administers the annual certification test for applicants in the Estate and Trust Law specialty, and served on the Commission for seven years.
Jim also chaired the Arizona Trust Code subcommittee to the Probate and Trust Section of the State Bar of Arizona for four years and is a member and past chairman of the Probate and Trust Section Executive Council. The Arizona Trust Code project successfully concluded with its passage into law effective January 1, 2009.
He is the 2016 recipient of the State Bar of Arizona's Eleanor ter Horst Distinguished Service Award, made annually to an attorney who has “demonstrated superior knowledge of the law of probate and trusts and the willingness to share his knowledge with the bar, the bench and the public.”
Jim has lectured on numerous occasions for the State Bar of Arizona, Maricopa County Bar Association, Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants, Arizona Community Foundation, Phoenix Tax Workshop, Arizona State University Alumni Association, National Business Institute, State Bar of Arizona Annual Convention and numerous estate planning study groups.
Personal
Jim has a passion for law, golf and music. The rural Iowa native is a 2010 inductee in the Iowa Rock ’n Roll Hall of Fame.
Videos
Trusts
With the Estate Tax Exemption So High, Do I Still Need a Trust? (1:02)
Creating an Arizona Trust to Protect Assets from Future Creditors (1:09)
If I Set Up a Trust, Do I Have to Name a Bank as Trustee? (1:08)
With a Revocable Living Trust, Do I Need to File a Tax Return? (0:51)
Should I Name My Trust as the Beneficiary of My IRA? (1:12)
What Is an Irrevocable Trust? (1:16)
When Should I Set Up an Irrevocable Trust? (1:07)
Advance Directives
What Is a Living Will? (0:52)
Should I Give Someone a Power of Attorney? (0:47)
Inheritance Planning
What Is the Best Way to Distribute My Property to My Children? (1:32)
Do I Have to Leave My Estate Equally to My Children? (1:02)
What Is the Best Way to Fund College Education for My Children and Grandchildren? (1:22)
How Do I Protect the Inheritance of a Disabled Child? (0:54)
Should I Include My Children’s Spouses as Beneficiaries of My Estate Plan? (1:10)
How Do I Protect My Children’s Inheritance from Their Divorcing Spouses? (1:00)
Can I Keep the Size and Nature of My Estate a Secret from My Children? (1:20)
How Do I Disinherit a Child? (1:16)
Probate
Can I Avoid Probate by Putting My Assets in Joint Tenancy? (1:14)
What Is So Bad About Probate? (0:55)
Other Property and Planning Issues
Should I Agree to Be Trustee of My Relatives’ Trust for Their Kids? (1:04)
Does Property I Inherit Automatically Become Community Property? (1:11)
What Are Digital Assets? (0:50)
If I Own Real Estate, Should I Put It in an LLC? (0:54)
Can I Set Up a Trust to Make Our Vacation Home Available to Our Children? (0:52)
Practice Areas
Probate, Estate Administration and Trust Administration
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Certifications
Certified Specialist in Estate and Trust Law, Arizona Board of Legal Specialization
Honors and Awards
Fellow, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC)
Phoenix “Lawyer of the Year” (Trusts and Estates) 2013: The Best Lawyers in America®
The Best Lawyers in America® (Trusts and Estates), 2007-present
Super Lawyers, 2009-present
AV Preeminent® Rating, Martindale-Hubbell®
“Top 100 Lawyers,” AzBusiness Magazine, 2016
AzBusiness Leaders (Law: Estate Planning & Probate), AzBusiness Magazine, 2015-2020
Eleanor ter Horst Distinguished Service Award, State Bar of Arizona, 2016
Community Leadership
Bankers Trust Company of Phoenix: Community Board of Directors
Susan L. Drescher-Mulzet Foundation: Board of Directors
Christian Care Companies: Board Member Emeritus
Arizona Community Foundation: Past Member, Board of Directors; Past Chairman, Gift Acceptance Committee; Former Member, Special Assets Committee
100 Club of Arizona: Past Member, Board of Directors
First Christian Church of Phoenix: Past Chairman, Board of Trustees; Past Chairman, Board of Elders
Phoenix Country Club: Past Member, Board of Directors; Past Chair, Membership Committee
Phoenix Country Club Foundation: Past Member, Board of Directors
Moon Valley Country Club: Past President
Davidson Family Foundation: Past Member, Board of Directors
Ellis Center for Educational Excellence: Past Member, Board of Directors
Professional Memberships
State Bar of Arizona: Past Chair, Estate and Trust Advisory Commission; Past Chair, Arizona Trust Code Subcommittee, Probate and Trust Section; Member and Past Chair, Probate and Trust Section Executive Council
Maricopa County Bar Association
Publications
Arizona Probate Code Practice Manual, 5th ed., 2014 (co-author), State Bar of Arizona
Court Admissions
Arizona, 1974
U.S. District Court, District of Arizona, 1974
Education
J.D., Arizona State University, 1974
B.B.A., University of Iowa, 1971
Birthplace
Grinnell, Iowa