Asset Protection Attorney — Skabelund PLLC, Attorney of the Year Trusts and Estates 2023, Serving Arizona and All 50 States
Arizona’s Most Credentialed
Asset Protection Attorney.
Named by His Peers.
John Skabelund is the asset protection attorney named Attorney of the Year for Trusts & Estates 2023 by U.S. News & Best Lawyers, recognized in the Top 1% of U.S. Attorneys, and holding Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent status — all while running the only Arizona firm whose founding attorney spent a decade litigating these structures in court before designing them. Two offices. All 50 states. Flat fees.
What Is an Asset Protection Attorney?
And Why the Right One Matters
An asset protection attorney is a legal specialist who designs and implements structures that shield a client’s wealth from future creditors, civil judgments, malpractice claims, and litigation — before any threat exists. Unlike a general estate planning attorney who focuses on what happens to assets at death, an asset protection attorney focuses on protecting wealth throughout the client’s lifetime through proactive legal architecture: trusts, LLCs, QPRTs, buy-sell agreements, and privacy structures.
Authored by: John Skabelund, J.D., M.B.A. — Attorney of the Year, Trusts & Estates 2023
The distinction from a general estate planning attorney is meaningful. A standard estate plan — a revocable trust, a will, powers of attorney — does nothing to protect assets from creditors during your lifetime. A revocable trust is fully reachable by judgment creditors because the grantor retains complete control. Asset protection requires irrevocable structures, properly funded and properly timed.
The highest-value qualification an asset protection attorney can have is one that does not appear on any credential list: having litigated these structures in court. John Skabelund spent more than a decade as a trust and estate litigator at one of Arizona’s largest law firms before founding Skabelund PLLC. He has attacked and defended these plans in actual court proceedings — and knows exactly which designs hold up under legal challenge and which ones do not.
Named the Best. Verified by Peers.
The most credible professional recognition in law comes from other attorneys — not from marketing. Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent requires that a significant portion of attorneys in the practice area score you at the highest tier for legal knowledge, communication, and ethics. Best Lawyers in America is 100% peer-nominated. Attorney of the Year from U.S. News & Best Lawyers is awarded to one attorney per practice area per region per year. John Skabelund holds all three simultaneously. No other asset protection attorney in Arizona has the same combination.
What peer credentials cannot capture: John spent over a decade as a trust and estate litigator before founding Skabelund PLLC. He has challenged these structures as a creditor’s attorney and defended them as a protection attorney. He has watched which plans get unwound in court and which ones hold. Every structure Skabelund PLLC builds is designed by an attorney who has sat on both sides of that table — and that adversarial experience shapes every decision.
Trusts & Estates 2023 U.S. News & Best Lawyers
Highest Possible Rating Martindale-Hubbell
Peer-Nominated Best Lawyers
Most Honored Lawyers America’s Most Honored Lawyers
Arizona Super Lawyers
M&A Today Global View Award
Six Services the Asset Protection Attorneys
at Skabelund PLLC Provide
An asset protection attorney does not do one thing. A complete plan requires multiple coordinated structures, each closing a different gap in the client’s exposure. Here is what Skabelund PLLC delivers.
Domestic Asset Protection Trusts (DAPTs)
The most powerful personal asset protection structure available under U.S. law. Self-settled irrevocable spendthrift trusts where the grantor remains a discretionary beneficiary while investment accounts, cash, and business interests are shielded from future creditors. Available in Arizona (A.R.S. §14-10821), Nevada, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
Full DAPT GuideLLC & Series LLC Structuring
A properly structured LLC activates charging order protection — limiting a personal creditor’s remedy to passive distribution rights only. A Series LLC creates legally segregated asset cells so a lawsuit against one property cannot reach any other. Both require a properly drafted operating agreement; generic formations do not activate these protections.
Full Series LLC GuideQualified Personal Residence Trust (QPRT)
Arizona’s homestead exemption protects only $425,000 of primary residence equity. Homeowners in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, and throughout the Phoenix metro frequently carry equity of $2M–$10M+. A QPRT transfers the home into an irrevocable trust, protects equity above the cap, and reduces estate tax through discounted gift valuation — simultaneously.
Full QPRT GuideIrrevocable Trust & Estate Planning
Irrevocable trusts remove assets from the taxable estate and shield them from creditors in a single structure. Dynasty trusts hold wealth across generations with creditor protection at every level. ILITs exclude life insurance death benefits from the taxable estate. All coordinated with the 2026 estate tax cliff — the $13.61M per-person exemption that sunsets December 31, 2025.
Learn MoreBuy-Sell Agreements & Succession
A buy-sell agreement governs what happens when a business partner dies, becomes disabled, divorces, or faces a personal judgment — preventing an unwanted heir, ex-spouse, or creditor from becoming your business partner. Drafted in-house, funded with life insurance, and built alongside the personal asset protection architecture to create a coherent whole.
Full GuidePrivacy Structures & Asset Layering
The most effective asset protection is the plan creditors never know to challenge. Privacy-based planning removes the client’s name from publicly searchable ownership records — property filings, business registrations, court-accessible databases — reducing the likelihood that a would-be plaintiff identifies significant assets to pursue.
Learn MoreWhat Separates the Best Asset Protection Attorney
from a Generalist with Asset Protection on the Menu
Most firms that list “asset protection” as a service treat it as one of twenty practice areas. Here is what makes Skabelund PLLC — and specifically what makes John Skabelund — different.
Litigation Experience — Both Sides of the Table
John spent 10+ years as a trust and estate litigator before founding Skabelund PLLC. He has challenged asset protection plans as a creditor’s attorney and defended them as a protection attorney. He knows which arguments succeed in court, which designs get unwound, and which structures hold. No credential substitutes for that experience.
Custom Plans — No Templates
Every client at Skabelund PLLC receives a plan designed from scratch for their specific assets, risk profile, tax situation, family structure, and goals. Template operating agreements and boilerplate trust documents create exploitable gaps. Every structure the firm builds is custom-drafted by the attorney who designed it.
J.D. + MBA — Legal and Financial Fluency
John holds a J.D. from ASU Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and an MBA from W.P. Carey School of Business. Asset protection structures interact with tax plans, investment accounts, and business valuations simultaneously. The J.D.+MBA combination means John designs at the intersection of both disciplines from a single seat at the table.
Flat Fees — Aligned Incentives
Every engagement at Skabelund PLLC is billed at a flat fee agreed upfront. No hourly billing, ever. Hourly billing incentivizes time; flat fees incentivize thoroughness and efficiency. The fee is known before any work begins. Annual reviews and ongoing question-answering are included at no extra charge.
CPA Coordination — Standard, Not Optional
Every asset protection structure has tax consequences: gift tax on trust transfers, income tax on grantor trusts, capital gains on appreciated asset transfers, LLC tax elections. Skabelund PLLC communicates directly with the client’s CPA before designing any structure so that every legal tool is built within the existing tax plan — not around it.
Annual Reviews — Plans Stay Current
Laws change, assets grow, family circumstances evolve, and plans that are not maintained become underfunded and outdated. The 2026 estate tax cliff alone has made every pre-existing estate plan worth reviewing immediately. Annual reviews are included in every Skabelund PLLC engagement as standard practice, not an add-on.
| Credential / Capability | Skabelund PLLC | Typical Arizona Firm |
|---|---|---|
| Attorney of the Year — Trusts & Estates | Yes — 2023, U.S. News + Best Lawyers | Rarely or never |
| Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent | Yes | Some attorneys |
| Best Lawyers in America (peer-nominated) | Yes | Some firms |
| Super Lawyers | Yes | Some attorneys |
| 10+ Yrs Trust & Estate Litigation | Yes — founding attorney | Rarely |
| J.D. + MBA Combined | Yes — John Skabelund | Rare |
| Series 65 License (Attorney) | Yes — Logan Woodruff | Extremely rare |
| Flat-Fee Billing (no hourly) | Always | Usually hourly |
| Annual Reviews Included | Standard in every engagement | Usually extra fee |
| CPA Coordination — Every Engagement | Yes | Sometimes |
| Two Arizona Offices | Tempe & Scottsdale | Varies |
| All 50 States Virtual | Yes | Some firms |
| Custom Plans — No Templates | Every client from scratch | Templates common |
| 5.0 Rating — All Verified Platforms | 15 verified reviews | Varies |
Meet Both Asset Protection Attorneys
Who Design and Implement Every Plan
Know exactly who you are working with. These are the two asset protection attorneys who design, implement, and annually review every plan at Skabelund PLLC.
John Skabelund, J.D., M.B.A.
Founder & Lead Asset Protection AttorneyJohn Skabelund is an asset protection attorney who spent more than a decade as a trust and estate litigator at one of Arizona’s largest law firms before founding Skabelund PLLC. He has designed, challenged, and defended asset protection structures in actual court proceedings. He holds a J.D. from ASU Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and an MBA from W.P. Carey School of Business — enabling integrated legal and financial planning from a single seat at the table.
- 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 — Peer-Nominated
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent — Highest Possible Peer Rating
- Super Lawyers
- M&A Today Global Best Law Practice 2026
- Avvo 10.0 Superb Rating
- J.D. — ASU Sandra Day O’Connor · MBA — W.P. Carey School of Business
- 10+ Years Trust & Estate Litigation Before Founding Skabelund PLLC
- Yahoo Finance Feature · Legal Reader Author
Logan Woodruff, J.D., Series 65
Asset Protection & Estate Planning AttorneyLogan Woodruff is an asset protection attorney who holds a Series 65 Investment Adviser Representative license alongside his J.D. — one of the rarest professional credential combinations in the legal industry. This dual fluency enables him to understand both the legal structures he drafts and the financial instruments inside them: investment accounts, retirement assets, business interests, and insurance policies. Licensed in Arizona, Texas, Utah, and Oklahoma. Wealth Counsel member.
- Series 65 — Investment Adviser Representative (Exceptionally Rare in Legal Practice)
- 10 Years in Asset Protection & Estate Planning
- Licensed in Arizona, Texas, Utah & Oklahoma
- Wealth Counsel Member
- J.D. — ASU Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
The Client Profiles Where an Asset Protection
Attorney Is Most Urgently Needed
Asset protection attorneys serve clients across professional backgrounds and wealth levels. At Skabelund PLLC, clients range from $500,000 in assets to $100 million and beyond. The common thread: they have accumulated meaningful wealth and understand that protecting it requires proactive legal planning, not reactive crisis management.
- Physicians and Medical Professionals — High-risk specialists with malpractice exposure and personal wealth beyond their malpractice policy ceiling. A verdict above the policy ceiling pursues personal assets directly. The solution requires a personal protection layer above the insurance layer.
- Business Owners and Entrepreneurs — Owners who have accumulated personal wealth alongside business equity, with exposure from personal guarantees, officer liability, and employment claims that can reach personal assets despite an LLC or corporation.
- Real Estate Investors — Multi-property owners who need entity structures that isolate each asset and activate charging order protection across an entire portfolio without creating the cross-property liability of a single-LLC structure.
- High-Net-Worth Homeowners — Homeowners in Scottsdale, Phoenix, Paradise Valley, and other high-value markets with equity well above Arizona’s $425,000 homestead exemption. The unprotected gap can exceed $5 million in a single primary residence.
- Executives and High-Income Professionals — C-suite executives, attorneys, financial advisors, and other high-income individuals with significant personal wealth and professional liability exposure beyond what their employer’s coverage addresses.
- Estates Approaching the 2026 Tax Cliff — Individuals and couples with estates above $7 million for whom the December 31, 2025 sunset of the TCJA exemption creates a time-limited planning window that cannot be recovered after it closes.
- Out-of-State Clients Nationwide — Clients in California, Texas, Florida, Nevada, and all 50 states who need the most credentialed asset protection attorney available regardless of geography. All 50 states served via secure virtual consultation.
What Clients Say About
This Asset Protection Attorney
“John Skabelund was highly recommended to me by my accountant and I could not be more pleased. They coordinated together to set up my relevant entities in a professional way that I feel confident moving forward. Very responsive and diligent.”
Brian L. — SolarBee
Business Owner — Verified
“John breaks down asset protection in simple terms. He is the legal quarterback for any business owner looking to protect and grow their wealth with peace of mind. His long-term strategy game and client-first approach are simply unmatched.”
Bryan L. Ramirez
CPA — Verified
“John and his firm are top notch in both knowledge and service excellence. His process is straightforward and transparent. What he is doing for the industry is simply a breath of fresh air.”
Adam Ripperdan
CPA — Phoenix Metro
“John Skabelund and his team are absolutely wonderful. He is extremely knowledgeable in asset protection and estate planning. I feel very safe with him on my team.”
Phillips Pool Service
Business Owner — Verified
Two Arizona Offices. All 50 States Virtually.
Same-Week Appointments Available.
The asset protection attorneys at Skabelund PLLC are based in the Phoenix metro area with offices in Tempe and Scottsdale, serving the entire Phoenix metropolitan area in person and all 50 states via secure virtual consultation. Same-week appointments are frequently available at both offices and for virtual consultations.
1400 E Southern Ave, Suite 1020
Tempe, AZ 85282 — Off the US-60. Convenient for Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Phoenix, and the South and East Valley.
17015 N Scottsdale Rd, Suite 235
Scottsdale, AZ 85255 — Near Loop 101. Convenient for Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, DC Ranch, Troon, Fountain Hills, and North Phoenix.
Guides Written by These Asset Protection Attorneys
This Firm Was Built by a Litigator.
That Changes How Every Plan Is Designed.
Most asset protection attorneys draft plans they have never seen challenged. John Skabelund spent a decade as a trust and estate litigator watching how creditors attack these structures, which arguments courts accept, and which designs survive intact. He then founded Skabelund PLLC to build the plans that survive — not just the plans that look complete on paper. Every structure the firm builds is designed by an attorney who has been on both sides of that table.
Asset Protection Attorney —
The Most Common Questions Answered
The Asset Protection Attorney Named Best
by the Attorneys Who Know the Field Best.
Available to You This Week.
Attorney of the Year — Trusts & Estates 2023. Top 1% of U.S. Attorneys. AV Preeminent. Best Lawyers in America. 10+ years trust litigation. J.D. + MBA. Two Arizona offices. All 50 states. Flat fees. Annual reviews included. One conversation starts it all.