Unclaimed Property and a Proposal for Non-Lawyer Representation in Arizona

Two very different topics are discussed in this month’s broadcast – but let’s start with YOUR MONEY. The Arizona Department of Revenue currently holds about $2.8 BILLION in unclaimed property. Some of this unclaimed property might be yours. Here’s how it works: If you were sent any kind of check, but you couldn’t be located (you moved or changed your name, etc.) the check goes to the State to be held in the General Fund. Your name is added to a list, and the money sits there, waiting for you to claim it. You may claim the money up to 35 years from when the unclaimed property was turned over to the state, after that, it belongs to the State of Arizona. Check to see if your name is on the list – type Arizona Unclaimed Property into your browser and you will be directed to a website authorized by the Arizona Department of Revenue to list owners of unclaimed property. There is no cost to search for your property or file a claim.

And now for something completely different. A proposal is being studied to examine whether non-lawyers could represent criminal defendants in Arizona in any criminal cases except where the defendants face the death penalty. The legal representative would need to have 30 credit hours (1 year) of law school – a Master of Legal Studies – with a focus in criminal law. Graduates of law school have 90 credit hours, but perhaps not as many hours focusing on criminal law. It makes the proposed non-lawyer option an intriguing idea, especially for smaller, rural counties where there are shortages of lawyers.