Family Law

• Divorce
• Child Support
  Your family is of greater concern to you than any other facet of your life. The best thing you can do is to protect them and yourself. We have numerous experienced attorneys to guide you through the legal impact divorce, child custody, child support, division of assets, assignment of debts, and visitation with your minor children.
• Child Custody and Visitation
• Premarital Agreement
  Our attorneys will explain these matters as well as help prepare you for your life after divorce. We can give you guidance as to whether or not spousal maintenance is appropriate, the division of accumulated marital retirement funds and how your credit can be affected if your spouse files for bankruptcy. We also advise couples considering marriage and explain how certain kinds of assets and property can be protected or excluded from marital property by use of Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements.
• Guardianship
  Supporting individuals and families in their personal financial and estate planning, our professionals offer cost effective, quality, responsive and extraordinary representation in a comfortable environment. We handle issues that families encounter from birth to death including tax planning, estate planning, probate, pre- and post-nuptial negotiation and preparation of agreements, domestic partnership agreements, guardianship and conservatorships. We represent all types of families, and recognize that the term “family” does not have one definition. As a result, we keep abreast of evolving legal issues in a changing family environment. Our services often involve a multi-disciplinary approach, drawing on the expertise of attorneys in other practice areas when necessary. For example, the real estate and business services groups offer guidance on sophisticated estate planning that involves family partnerships or real estate ventures, and the tax group offers expertise in estate planning and probate issues.
• Spousal Support

Criminal Law

• Criminal Defense
  Senator Adam D. Driggs, has been practicing law since 1993 and joined the firm in 2014. He began his law career as a prosecutor for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. He then entered private practice and has successfully litigated several complex and high profile cases, both locally and internationally. His primary areas of expertise are federal immigration law, employment law, criminal law, and international sports law. He is fluent in Portuguese and proficient in Spanish.
• Wrongful Death
  When someone else’s negligent actions cause your injury or illness, the law entitles you to recover the resulting medical bills, lost wages, and other direct economic losses as well as compensation for your pain and suffering. If an incident claims the life of a loved one, families are suddenly faced with traumatic changes in their lives. Our attorneys are known for winning fair compensation for individuals and families who have suffered a personal injury or wrongful death, and making communities safer from dangerous and defective products, medical negligence, and workplace catastrophes.
• Misdemeanors
  In addition to felony and misdemeanor matters, our firm represents licensed professionals including physicians, dentists, airline pilots, and many other professionals in defending administrative and licensing actions.

Business and Corporate Law

• Corporate Law
  William G. Ridenour, an Arizona native, was born in Safford, Arizona and raised in Kingman, Arizona. Bill graduated from the University of Arizona (BA 1966, JD 1970) with a Masters Degree through the Eagleton Institute of Practical Politics. He is a former aide to Senators Goldwater and Fannin and is an avid Arizona history buff. He has an extensive collection of western and Native American art. His practice emphasizes banking, corporate law and commercial litigation.
• Mergers and Acquisitions
  Robert J. Hackett, is a member of the firm, whose practice focuses in the areas of corporate, securities and banking law, including public offerings, private placements, mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. He has represented issuers, underwriters, venture capital firms, financial institutions and purchasers of securities.
• Business Disputes
  Jeannette B. Cross joined the firm in 2012. She has practiced for over 25 years primarily in the areas of Real Estate, Banking and Business Law. In addition to private practice, Jeannette has served as in-house counsel for a major developer of master-planned communities in Arizona and Texas. She has served as vice president/counsel to a number of financial institutions including MeraBank, Security Pacific and Bank of America.
• Business Transactions
  As a certified tax specialist of the Arizona State Bar Association, Mr. Hienton works to structure business transactions in a most tax-effective manner. He has handled the acquisition and disposition of many different types of businesses, including auto dealerships, banks, radio stations and rental equipment companies.

Employment Law

• Employment Contract
  Our attorneys routinely collaborate with clients to safeguard their proprietary business information and resources by crafting customized employee confidentiality and restrictive covenant agreements. Our attorneys are also skilled in pursuing and defending claims arising out of employment agreements of all varieties.
• Employment Litigation
  Our attorneys have the knowledge and experience necessary to handle all aspects of employment litigation from the first notice of a complaint through trial and appeals. We also recognize that not every conflict or client is best served by litigation and, in such cases, we work with clients to evaluate alternative dispute resolution options and guide them through the process whether it be by arbitration, mediation or more informal settlement negotiations.

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
  Mr. Hackett’s experience in corporate finance includes negotiating and drafting restructurings of corporate debt, venture capital transactions, tax exempt and taxable bond offerings, including industrial development bonds, project financing, leveraged leases, term loans, revolving credit agreements, interest rate swaps and repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements. He has been involved in several acquisitions of financial institutions. He has also structured, negotiated and drafted several joint ventures involving major international corporate interests. Several transactions have involved real estate law.
• Construction Litigation
  Ernest Calderón, a native of Morenci, Arizona and a sixth generation native of what was New Mexico Territory, has practiced law for over 30 years in Arizona’s state courts, Arizona’s U.S. District Court along with the U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals. He is an “AV Preeminent” rated lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell and is a member of the prestigious American Law Institute. He practices in the areas of education law, mediation law, employment law counseling & investigations, appellate law, commercial litigation, administrative law, public procurement law, construction law and professional licensing law. Ernest is a founding fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America and is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He served two terms on the Arizona Commission on Appellate Court Appointments and as a Delegate in the American Bar Association House of Delegates. He has served as a judge
• Real Estate Transactions
  Kurt A. Peterson, a member, joined the firm after graduating from the University of Iowa College of Law. Kurt’s practice emphasizes commercial transactions. He has extensive experience handling complex real estate transactions, including all aspects of acquisition, development, operation and disposition of real property for commercial, retail, residential and agricultural uses. Kurt’s commercial lending practice includes the representation of national, regional and community banks, asset-based lenders and agricultural and other specialty lenders in loan documentation, foreclosure, workout and regulatory matters and is a certified SBA 504 closing attorney. He also regularly represents landlords and tenants in connection with office, retail, industrial, agricultural and ground leases.
• Easement
• Land Use and Zoning
  Featured speaker, “Phoenix- Land Use Law: Current Issues in Subdivision, Annexation and Zoning: Environmental Due Diligence,” National Business Institute’s Continuing Legal Education seminars (May 2008, 2010)

Health Law

• Personal Injury
  We have built a reputation for thorough preparation, resourcefulness, and integrity in the courtroom. Although we have built our reputation on winning complex and difficult cases, RH&L takes pride in handling all types of personal injury and wrongful death cases. RH handles all types of personal injury and wrongful death claims, including...
• Medical Malpractice
  Maggi A. Lougee has been a paralegal with the firm since June, 1999. She started her career as a paralegal in 1991 and is versed in many areas of the law, having practiced in securities, corporate, estate planning, probate, bankruptcy, insurance defense, medical malpractice and commercial litigation. Ms. Lougee is actively involved in training, handling and showing dogs and travels to dog shows extensively in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  RH has served the agriculture community in Arizona and the Southwest for over thirty years. Farmers, ranchers, dairymen, and the businesses that support them, all benefit from our expertise and intimate knowledge and understanding of the agriculture industry. From advising families on estate planning and business succession, to documenting large transactions, our attorneys understand how to help our clients grow in Arizona’s unique climate.
• Probate

Finance Law

• Bankruptcy
• Foreclosure
  Our attorneys represent many financial institutions in the State of Arizona, as well as act as Arizona counsel for international and out-of-state institutions. Our firm also represents pension plans, such as the Arizona State Retirement System, in connection with its lending activities. Our attorneys handle loan transactions from their inception – the issuance of a commitment letter – to conclusion, either payoff or, in the worst case, foreclosure, workout or bankruptcy. This Group is involved in all aspects of financing, and has experience handling both small loans and large ones – including a $3.2 billion loan with over 80 participants. The Banking, Commercial Finance and Real Estate Finance Group handle transactions such as the following...
• Tax Law
  James R. Hienton, a member of the firm, has practiced commercial and tax law in Phoenix for over 35 years. His practice focuses on the merger, acquisition and disposition of businesses; the formation and structuring of business entities; commercial financing transactions; and rendering general corporate and business advice to clients.