Desmond Law, PLLC

Desmond Law, PLLC I am an attorney who specializes in estate planning. I help you avoid probate and family conflict. Don't wait too long!

I handle complex planning for blended families, traditional families, individuals and high net worth couples. I provide a custom and thoughtful estate plan just right for you and your family. I also make sure you have decision-makers in place should you become incapacitated. Make sure you have a plan so you're in charge of your future and can plan to avoid family conflict and court!

Most fathers have thought about what would happen if something happened to them. Maybe during a long drive home. Maybe a...
06/08/2026

Most fathers have thought about what would happen if something happened to them. Maybe during a long drive home. Maybe after a close call. Maybe in a quiet moment, watching their kids sleep.

They think about it. And then the day moves on, and they move with it.
Here is what most of them don't know: the answer they have in their head doesn't exist in the eyes of the law. If something happened tonight, the question of who raises their children wouldn't belong to them. It would belong to a court that has never met their family.

This week's article is about the question every father thinks he's answered. And why most of them haven't. Not really.

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Working with us gave this family something priceless: peace of mind.They left knowing their children, assets, and wishes...
06/07/2026

Working with us gave this family something priceless: peace of mind.

They left knowing their children, assets, and wishes were protected with a plan built specifically for their family.

There’s no better feeling than helping clients create certainty for the people they love most.

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Most parents think the conversation counts. It doesn't.An agreement in your head has no legal weight. If something happe...
06/06/2026

Most parents think the conversation counts. It doesn't.

An agreement in your head has no legal weight. If something happened tonight, the people you trust most have no automatic right to step in. The decision goes to a court that has never met your family.

I close that gap. Not with a conversation. With a plan that actually works when your family needs it most.

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Did you know? A godparent has no automatic legal authority to care for your children.Naming someone as a godparent is a ...
06/05/2026

Did you know? A godparent has no automatic legal authority to care for your children.

Naming someone as a godparent is a meaningful personal and sometimes religious designation. But it creates no guardianship rights. If something happened to both parents tonight, a godparent would have exactly the same legal authority to take custody as anyone else with no relationship to the child: none.

And here is something else most parents don't know: even a guardian named in a will must be formally appointed by a court before they can take legal custody. That process takes weeks, sometimes months. A complete plan closes that gap, naming both who will raise your children long-term and who has legal authority to care for them immediately while that process unfolds.

This week's article walks through exactly what a complete plan looks like.

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In case you missed it: this week's blog is about a question most parents think they've answered, but haven't.When there ...
06/04/2026

In case you missed it: this week's blog is about a question most parents think they've answered, but haven't.

When there is no named guardian, a judge appoints one. That judge has never met your children. They don't know your family's values, your relationships, or who your kids would feel safest with. What they see is a petition from one family member and a competing petition from another, each certain they are the right choice.

Family conflict over guardianship is one of the most painful things that can happen to a family already in grief. The people you trust most have no automatic legal standing to step in, no matter how obvious the choice seems to everyone who loves your children.

Naming a guardian is a decision you can revisit and update. Not naming one is a decision you cannot take back.

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There is a question I ask when parents tell me they've already thought about who would raise their children: What happen...
06/03/2026

There is a question I ask when parents tell me they've already thought about who would raise their children: What happens in the first 72 hours?

Most have never thought about it. They've planned for the long-term, the question of who would raise their children through childhood, and that is the right question to ask. But almost none have planned for the immediate question: who has legal authority to pick your children up from school tonight? Who can authorize emergency medical care before any court process has begun?

A complete plan addresses both. A plan that only names a long-term guardian leaves a gap. And gaps are where already hard situations get much harder. If you are a parent and you haven't addressed both pieces, that is the conversation I want to have with you.

And that conversation doesn't end at signing. I stay in a relationship with the families I work with, so that when something happens, your family has someone to call who already knows the plan and can help them activate it. That is the part no document, on its own, can do.

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Most parents have had the conversation. Some have even reached a clear agreement. But an agreement that lives in your he...
06/02/2026

Most parents have had the conversation. Some have even reached a clear agreement. But an agreement that lives in your heads and nowhere in a legal document carries no weight in a courtroom.

If something happened to both of you tonight, the people you trust most (the grandparents who live 20 minutes away, the sibling who already loves your children like their own) have no automatic legal authority to take custody. Even a godparent has no automatic legal authority to step in.

This week's article covers the question I hear most often: Does talking about it count?

Here’s the answer.

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Most parents have thought about who would raise their children if something happened to them. Maybe during a long drive....
06/01/2026

Most parents have thought about who would raise their children if something happened to them. Maybe during a long drive. Maybe in a conversation with a partner that reached an agreement in your heads, but never made it onto paper.

Here is what most parents don't realize: that agreement doesn't exist in the eyes of the law. If something happened to you tonight, the decision about who raises your children wouldn't belong to you anymore. It would belong to a court.

And there is a second question almost no one plans for: what happens in the first 72 hours? Who has the legal authority to pick up your children from school if you were hospitalized tonight? Who can authorize emergency care? Even the people who love your children most have no automatic right to step in.

This week's blog is about both questions and what it takes to actually have an answer to each.

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Nothing means more than hearing our clients feel confident, cared for, and protected for the future. 💙Helping families c...
05/31/2026

Nothing means more than hearing our clients feel confident, cared for, and protected for the future. 💙

Helping families create plans that truly work for them is why we do what we do. Thank you for your kind words and trust in our team!

Ready to create or update your estate plan? DM us or visit the link in bio to get started.

Most estate plans cover what happens to your assets when you die. Very few cover what happens to your surviving spouse's...
05/30/2026

Most estate plans cover what happens to your assets when you die. Very few cover what happens to your surviving spouse's tax bill the year after.

The widow penalty is one of the first things I raise when I sit down with couples, because by the time most surviving spouses find out about it, it is too late to plan around it.

That conversation belongs in the plan. Not on April 15th.

Address

10565 N 114th Street Suite 113
Scottsdale, AZ
85259

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+14808489550

Website

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