Spencer Fane LLP is pleased to welcome Riley L. Arter to the firm’s Phoenix office as an associate in the Tax, Trusts, & Estates Practice Group.
With a focus on clients’ long-term succession goals, Riley develops and implements comprehensive estate plans designed to preserve wealth, minimize tax exposure, and distribute assets accordingly. One of her primary focus areas is charitable planning, in which she assists clients in their lifetimes as well as with post-mortem gifting transactions.
To strengthen this specialty service area, Riley obtained her Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy designation from the American College of Financial Services. In her practice, she implements key insights gained from the college’s multidisciplinary curriculum spanning taxation, finance, fundraising, psychology, and family and business dynamics to offer clients fully integrated estate and charitable planning services.
“We quickly identified that Riley aligns with our national estate planning team’s commitment to robust, client-centered strategies for tailored wealth preservation, transfer, and legacy planning,” said David E. Funkhouser III, office managing partner for Spencer Fane in Phoenix. “Her specialized understanding of charitable planning will be a valuable tool as Spencer Fane continues to deepen and expand service offerings in core and emerging markets.”
Riley is a proactive member and leader within several industry-specific groups. These involvements include her role as the Central Arizona Estate Planning Council’s (CAEPC) Emerging Professionals Group Director; seats on the boards of the CAEPC, Arizona Charitable Gift Planners, and the Maricopa County Bar Association’s Estate Planning, Probate, and Trust Section; and membership within the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners.
Riley regularly speaks on both broad and niche estate planning topics, including charitable giving, at regional and national industry forums and has published related articles in multiple legal journals. She received both her bachelor’s degree magna cum laude and her Juris Doctor from the University of Arizona.