The Four-Month Filing Window
Arizona imposes a firm deadline on professionals seeking payment from a ward or protected person's estate. Unless a court grants an extension in advance, attorneys and guardians ad litem must submit their compensation claims to the fiduciary in writing within four months. The clock starts from the later of several possible dates: when the service was performed, when the cost was incurred, or when the fiduciary was first appointed.
A claim for compensation by attorneys or guardians ad litem who intend to be paid by the ward or protected person's estate is waived if not submitted to the fiduciary in writing within four months after either rendering the service, incurring the cost, initial appointment of the fiduciary or the effective date of this section, whichever is later.
A.R.S. § 14-5110(A)A claim counts as submitted when it is delivered, mailed, or transmitted electronically to the fiduciary. If a substitute fiduciary is appointed later, that new appointment does not restart the four-month period. The deadline runs from the original triggering event.
What This Deadline Does Not Cover
This statute specifically excludes attorneys working under contingency fee agreements. In those arrangements, the attorney collects a percentage of a recovery rather than billing hourly, so the four-month claim window does not apply.
The term "compensation" covers more than just fees. It includes costs and reimbursable expenses. And the "estate" referenced here includes any estate established under Title 14, except for trusts, unless the trust is court-supervised and the ward is a beneficiary. For families navigating guardianship or conservatorship, this deadline creates an important safeguard: professionals cannot sit on unpaid invoices indefinitely and then present a large bill months or years later.
