Lucas Frei is an attorney with Dayes Law Firm with experience in many areas of law, including tax controversy and litigation, tax planning, estate planning, probate, immigration, business law, and personal injury.

Lucas was born and raised in Gilbert, Arizona and earned his Bachelor of Science from Northern Arizona University. He went on to earn his Juris Doctorate degree from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University before pursuing his LL.M – Master of Laws Degree (Taxation) from the University of Denver.

Licensed in both Arizona and Colorado, Lucas prides himself on client service and on being available to his clients and getting them the results they deserve.

Lucas is married to his wife, Michelle, who is also an Arizona native, and they share two spoiled black labs who are both rescues. He is a big fan of all things Arizona sports, and cheers for the Cardinals, Suns, Diamondbacks, Coyotes, Phoenix Rising, and more.

In his free time, Lucas enjoys traveling – particularly in his home state and in the southwest as a whole – and takes frequent day trips with his wife. He also loves to cook.

Why did you decide to become an attorney?

There are unfortunately a lot of unsavory businesses and individuals out there that will take advantage of people when they are at their most vulnerable. Personally, I was the passenger in a car accident when I was younger and dealing with the insurance company was a nightmare. I didn’t use an attorney, and I settled with them, but found out later that the insurance company should have paid me substantially more than they did.

I became an attorney to protect myself, my family, and my clients because they could end up in similar positions where the government, big businesses, or other individuals with bad motives may try to take advantage of them.

Further, I recognize that people often make mistakes, and sometimes they just need a bit of help to get back on their feet. No matter what the circumstances, an attorney can help with legal matters. I found this out the hard way and want to make sure that others know what their rights are so it doesn’t happen to them, too.

What motivates you from day to day as an attorney?

My family is my main motivation, day in and day out. I also want to be the best I can be for my clients. I want to make sure that everyone who trusts me to get a job done receives excellent service and top notch legal representation and would feel comfortable sending their friends and families my way if need be.

What inspires you about tax law?

When most people think of taxes, they think of the amount of money that comes out of their paycheck, or the refund or tax bill they get each year during tax time.

The truth is that taxation is far bigger than that. Taxes are everywhere. Taxation touches every type of legal matter. When you do estate planning, for instance, you have to plan for death taxes. When you receive a tort settlement, you need to decide if it is taxable or not. If you get divorced, taxes and child tax credits and the like need to be planned for. What type of business entity you choose, such as a corporation or a partnership, greatly affects the amount and how you pay taxes. The list goes on.

There are somewhere around 100 different taxes that we pay each year. Taxes touch everything we do in life, and even determine certain actions and behaviors we take. We provide tax incentives for behaviors that we like, and we heavily tax items or services that we want to inhibit. If you want to know what the government approves of or disapproves of, it starts with the tax code.

You really can’t do anything in life without it being taxed. From sales tax, to property tax, to income tax, to taxes and fees you pay on everyday items like a driver’s license, to city taxes, county taxes, state taxes, etc. Taxes are everywhere. I am fortunate that, with my skills and education, I can assist people with maximizing their tax situation, and I can help those that have potentially found themselves in trouble with one of the many tax authorities out there.