Asset Protection Gilbert AZ — Skabelund PLLC, Award-Winning Asset Protection Attorney Serving Gilbert and the East Valley
Asset Protection
in Gilbert, AZ.
Built for East Valley Wealth.
Gilbert has grown from a small farming community into one of Arizona’s most prosperous cities — with high home values, significant real estate investment activity, a thriving business community, and a large concentration of medical and professional income. Attorney John Skabelund, Top 1% of U.S. Attorneys and Attorney of the Year for Trusts & Estates 2023, protects Gilbert residents with custom plans built to hold up when tested.
Gilbert Has Built Real Wealth. Here’s How to Protect It.
Gilbert, AZ has consistently ranked as one of the safest and most prosperous cities in the United States. Over two decades of rapid growth it has attracted a highly educated workforce, significant business ownership, and a large population of medical and financial professionals — all of whom have accumulated meaningful assets that deserve meaningful legal protection.
Gilbert’s residential real estate market has seen dramatic appreciation, with homes in Power Ranch, Val Vista Lakes, Whitewing at Whisper Ranch, and Seville regularly carrying equity well above Arizona’s $425,000 homestead exemption cap. Gilbert real estate investors, business owners along the Santan Freeway corridor, and medical professionals at Dignity Health and Banner Gateway all face distinct liability exposure that standard entity structures alone cannot fully address.
Skabelund PLLC’s Tempe office at 1400 E Southern Ave, Suite 1020 is the most convenient Phoenix-area location for Gilbert residents — accessible via the US-60 in approximately 15 minutes from most Gilbert neighborhoods.
Gilbert Real Estate Investors
Gilbert’s growth has created significant investment activity along the Power Road corridor and beyond. Each property is a separate liability — LLCs and trust structures isolate and protect every asset in your portfolio.
Medical & Healthcare Professionals
Gilbert’s growing medical district — Banner Gateway, Dignity Health, and numerous specialty practices along the 202 — creates a large concentration of professionals with outsized malpractice exposure where insurance is rarely the complete answer.
Gilbert Business Owners
Gilbert has one of the highest concentrations of small and mid-size businesses in the East Valley. Business owners face personal liability through personal guarantees and disputes that can reach personal assets without a proper second layer of protection.
High-Net-Worth Homeowners
Gilbert homeowners with equity above $425,000 are sitting on unprotected wealth above Arizona’s homestead cap. QPRTs and irrevocable trust structures can shield that excess equity before any creditor threat appears.
What Skabelund PLLC Does for Gilbert Clients
Every plan is custom-designed for your Gilbert assets, risk profile, tax situation, and goals. No templates — every structure built from scratch.
Domestic Asset Protection Trusts
Arizona’s QASP Trust Act allows Gilbert residents to create self-settled irrevocable trusts where they remain a discretionary beneficiary while shielding assets from future creditors. One of the most powerful structures available in U.S. asset protection law.
Learn More →LLC & Entity Structuring
Properly structured LLCs isolate each Gilbert property or business asset, activate Arizona’s charging order protection, and create a legal barrier between each asset and your personal wealth. The structuring details matter enormously.
Learn More →Trust & Estate Planning
Gilbert estates with real estate, business interests, and retirement assets benefit from integrated planning that simultaneously shields assets from creditors and minimizes estate tax — both goals served by one well-designed structure.
Learn More →Gilbert Homestead Protection
Arizona protects up to $425,000 of primary residence equity automatically under A.R.S. §33-1101. For Gilbert homeowners in Power Ranch, Val Vista Lakes, and Seville where values have risen, equity above the cap is exposed. QPRTs and irrevocable trusts close the gap.
Read Arizona Homestead Guide →Privacy & Asset Structuring
For Gilbert professionals and business owners, structuring LLCs and trusts to remove your name from public records is often the most effective first layer of defense — making you a difficult target before any claim is ever filed.
Learn More →Business Law & Succession
Gilbert business owners need plans that integrate asset protection with succession strategy — buy-sell agreements, entity restructuring, and ownership transfer structures that protect both the business and the owner simultaneously.
Learn More →Your Gilbert Home Has Some Protection. Is It Enough?
Arizona’s homestead exemption under A.R.S. §33-1101 automatically protects up to $425,000 of primary residence equity from most creditor claims — no filing required. For Gilbert homeowners in Power Ranch, Val Vista Lakes, and Seville where values have appreciated significantly, the equity above the cap sits fully exposed without additional legal structures.
A.R.S. §33-1101
Protected
Required
What It Does NOT Cover
- ✗Mortgage, deed of trust, HELOC — consensual liens are never shielded
- ✗Mechanic’s liens, child support liens, and spousal support liens
- ✗Equity above $425,000 — fully exposed to creditors
- ✗Investment, rental, or vacation properties — no homestead protection applies
Protecting Equity Above the Cap
- ✓Qualified Personal Residence Trust (QPRT) — Transfer your Gilbert home into trust, retain use for a term, protect equity above the cap and reduce estate taxes.
- ✓Irrevocable Asset Protection Trust — Assets placed in properly structured irrevocable trusts are generally beyond the reach of future creditors.
- ✓Domestic Asset Protection Trust (DAPT) — Arizona DAPTs shield equity above the homestead cap while you remain a discretionary beneficiary.
Guides & Insights for Gilbert Clients
Gilbert’s Wealth Deserves a Plan That Holds Up.
Skabelund PLLC was built by an attorney who spent a decade in trust and estate litigation — watching how protection structures are challenged in court and which ones actually survive. Every Gilbert client plan is designed from day one to withstand legal scrutiny. Not just to look good on paper, but to hold up when it matters most.
The Attorneys Serving Gilbert, Chandler & the East Valley
Know exactly who you’re working with before you engage any firm — their credentials, experience, and approach.
John Skabelund
Founder & Lead Asset Protection AttorneyJohn Skabelund spent a decade as a trust and estate litigator at one of Arizona’s largest law firms before founding Skabelund PLLC. He holds a J.D. from ASU Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and an MBA from W.P. Carey School of Business — bringing legal precision and financial fluency to every Gilbert protection plan he designs.
- Attorney of the Year — Trusts & Estates 2023, U.S. News & Best Lawyers
- Top 1% of U.S. Attorneys — America’s Most Honored Lawyers
- Best Lawyers in America
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent — Highest Possible Rating
- J.D. — ASU Sandra Day O’Connor · MBA — W.P. Carey School of Business
Logan Woodruff
Asset Protection & Estate Planning AttorneyLogan Woodruff holds a Series 65 Investment Adviser Representative license alongside his J.D. — meaning he genuinely understands the financial landscape Gilbert clients navigate. Licensed in four states and a Wealth Counsel member, he brings practical financial insight to every asset protection and estate planning engagement.
- Series 65 License — Investment Adviser Representative
- 10 Years in Asset Protection & Estate Planning
- Licensed in Arizona, Texas, Utah & Oklahoma
- Wealth Counsel Member
Serving Gilbert and Every Community Around It
Skabelund PLLC’s Tempe office is the most convenient Phoenix-area location for Gilbert residents — accessible in approximately 15 minutes via the US-60. All East Valley communities are served in-person, with virtual consultations available for all 50 states.
Tempe Office — Closest to Gilbert
1400 E Southern Ave, Suite 1020, Tempe, AZ 85282
~15 minutes from most Gilbert neighborhoods via the US-60.
Asset Protection Gilbert AZ — Frequently Asked Questions
Gilbert’s Premier Asset Protection Attorney.
~15 Minutes Away in Tempe.
Flat fees. Annual reviews. Custom plans — never templates. The protection that holds up when it needs to starts with one conversation.