Dana Law Firm > Employees > Matthew S. Dana

Arizona Attorney

Matt Dana, Attorney
mdana@danafirm.com

 

Matthew S. Dana, J.D., CPA, CLU, Certified Specialist in Trusts and Estates, is the founding attorney of Dana Law Firm which was established in 1989. His commitment to his clients is demonstrated not only through his words, but also through his actions. Matt practices exclusively in the areas of estate and asset protection planning. In order to remain on the cutting edge of estate planning, Matt constantly is studying recent developments, Tax Court Cases and attends numerous national estate planning conferences on an annual basis. He has developed relationships with other professionals through out the country which gives him the insight as to the strategies that will be most beneficial to his clients. Matt has counseled hundreds, if not thousands, of clients who have sought estate planning and asset protection advice. His clients range from modest estates to the extremely wealthy. Many of his clients are multi-millionaires and some of them have a net worth in excess of $50,000,000. He believes that all clients are entitled to the best estate planning strategies used across the country and at legal fees that are fair and reasonable to the client.

Professional Affiliations
Matt is one of only a few lawyers in Arizona that is an Attorney, CPA and Certified Specialist in Trusts and Estates (certified by the Arizona Bar) . He is a member of the Trust and Estate Section of the Arizona Bar. He is also admitted to practice before the United States Tax Court. Matt has been active in various tax and estate planning organizations including Central Arizona Estate Planners and East Valley Estate Planners and is a frequent speaker for various organizations and professional groups.

Education and Personal Background
Matt attended his first year of Law School at Gonzaga University School of Law where he was 5th in his class. He later transferred to Arizona where he earned his law degree from Arizona State University School of Law (J.D., Cum Laude, 1984). His honors included the American Jurisprudence Award (highest grade in his class in 4 of his classes).

Matt received his undergraduate degree from Arizona State University (B.A. Accounting, 1981). While working on his law degree, Matt sat for the CPA exam passing all 4 parts in one sitting. He became a CPA the same year he graduated from Law School in 1984.

While working on his undergraduate and graduate degrees, Matt was a College Agent for Northwestern Mutual Life where he was in the top 10 of College Agents 3 years in a row. He also received the highest degree possible to life insurance agents when he became a Chartered Life Underwriter in 1985.

In his spare time, Matt enjoys his family wherein he and his wife Nancy have raised 5 beautiful children and he recently became a grandfather. He loves going to his cabin on the Mogollon Rim on weekends, and if you do find him there, he probably will be on the back of one of his horses enjoying the outdoors.