Trust and Estate Planning — Skabelund, PLLC: Nationwide Estate Planning Attorneys
Trust and Estate Planning That Protects Your Family for Generations
Skabelund, PLLC designs custom estate plans — revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts, wills, and more — for high-net-worth individuals and families across all 50 states. Your legacy deserves more than a template.
What Is Trust and Estate Planning — and Why Does It Matter?
Trust and estate planning is the process of creating a legal structure to manage your assets during your lifetime and transfer them to your chosen beneficiaries after your death. A well-crafted plan removes uncertainty, avoids probate, reduces estate taxes, and ensures your wishes are honored — exactly as you intended.
Without a plan, your estate passes through probate. Probate is a court-supervised process that is public, slow, and expensive. It can take months or years to resolve. It exposes your family's financial affairs to public record. And it distributes your assets according to state law — not your wishes. A revocable living trust bypasses all of that.
At Skabelund, PLLC, our attorneys design estate plans that reflect your family's unique goals. Whether you need a straightforward revocable living trust, an advanced domestic asset protection trust, or a multi-generational wealth transfer strategy, we build it from scratch — no templates, no shortcuts.
- Avoids probate and keeps your estate transfer private
- Reduces or eliminates federal and state estate taxes
- Names guardians for minor children and protects their inheritance
- Coordinates with asset protection planning to shield wealth from creditors
- Provides healthcare directives and powers of attorney for incapacity
- Preserves wealth across multiple generations through structured trusts
Comprehensive Trust and Estate Planning Services
Every service we offer is designed to work together as part of a coordinated plan — not as isolated documents.
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Revocable Living Trusts
The cornerstone of most estate plans. A revocable trust holds your assets during your lifetime and transfers them to beneficiaries at death — privately, without probate, and without court involvement. You remain in full control and can amend it at any time.
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Irrevocable Trusts
Irrevocable trusts permanently remove assets from your taxable estate. They are essential for estate tax reduction, Medicaid planning, and advanced asset protection. Once funded, the assets are shielded from future creditors.
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Domestic Asset Protection Trusts
A DAPT is a self-settled irrevocable trust that allows you to remain a discretionary beneficiary while protecting your assets from future creditors. Read our full guide on DAPT planning.
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Wills and Pour-Over Wills
A pour-over will works alongside your trust to capture any assets not transferred into the trust during your lifetime. Together they form a complete, coordinated estate plan that leaves nothing to chance.
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Powers of Attorney & Healthcare Directives
A durable power of attorney and healthcare directive ensure that your financial and medical decisions are handled according to your wishes if you become incapacitated. These documents are essential — and often overlooked in incomplete plans.
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Business Succession Planning
What happens to your business when you retire, become incapacitated, or pass away? We design buy-sell agreements, succession plans, and ownership transfer strategies that protect your business and your family's financial security.
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What a Complete Trust and Estate Plan Actually Looks Like
Most people hear "estate plan" and picture a basic will. A truly comprehensive trust and estate plan is much more. In this video, the attorneys at Skabelund, PLLC walk through what a full plan includes, how the documents work together, and why the details that most firms skip are often the ones that matter most.
Topics covered include the difference between a will and a trust, when an irrevocable trust makes sense, how asset protection integrates with estate planning, and what annual reviews accomplish over time.
If you are starting to think about your estate plan — or have one and are not sure it is still current — this is worth watching before your consultation.
Read more in our Insights library →
Trust and Estate Planning Attorneys You Can Trust
Two experienced attorneys. One focused mission. Every client receives direct access to a credentialed specialist — not a paralegal or a junior associate.
John Skabelund
Founder & Lead AttorneyJohn Skabelund is one of the most credentialed trust and estate planning attorneys in the United States. Before founding Skabelund, PLLC, he spent a decade in trust and estate litigation as a former equity partner at one of the largest law firms in Arizona. That courtroom experience shapes every estate plan he designs.
John has created estate plans for clients ranging from $500,000 to over $100 million — from real estate investors and business owners to executives, doctors, athletes, and crypto investors.
- 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
- Super Lawyers — Selected for Inclusion
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating (Highest Possible)
Logan Woodruff
Estate Planning & Business Law AttorneyLogan Woodruff brings ten years of experience in estate planning, estate tax planning, and business law. Raised in Arizona and licensed in four states, Logan is known for his ability to understand clients on a personal level and design plans that truly fit their family and financial goals.
Logan has helped families with assets ranging from $100,000 to over $50 million — from doctors and lawyers to construction professionals, real estate investors, and internet entrepreneurs. Before law, he worked as a project engineer in large commercial construction, giving him a practical business perspective that clients appreciate.
- 10 Years Experience in Estate Planning and Business Law
- Series 65 License — Investment Adviser Representative
- Wealth Counsel Member
- Moot Court & Mediation Clinic, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
How Trust and Estate Planning Works at Skabelund, PLLC
From your first conversation to a fully implemented, annually reviewed estate plan — this is what working with us looks like.
Free 90-Min Consultation
Your attorney prepares in advance. You arrive to a focused conversation about your assets, family, and goals. You leave with a clear strategy — no obligation.
Custom Plan Design
We draft your trust, will, powers of attorney, and supporting documents as a coordinated system — not a collection of isolated forms.
Implementation & Funding
We execute every document and guide you through funding your trust. An unfunded trust provides no protection. We make sure yours is complete.
Annual Reviews
Your plan evolves as your life does. Annual attorney reviews keep your estate plan current with your assets, relationships, and the latest tax law.
A Real Firm. Real Attorneys. Real Results.
Skabelund, PLLC operates from a full-service office at 1400 E Southern Ave, Suite 1020, Tempe, AZ 85282. We serve clients across all 50 states through secure virtual consultations and a 24/7 client document portal.
“I received excellent service from this company. They listened to what I had to say and followed through with my wishes. My trust turned out exactly how I wanted it. I am very pleased.”
Alison S. — Verified Client
Read more on our testimonials page, and see why clients choose Skabelund, PLLC.
Trust and Estate Planning Resources
Our attorneys publish in-depth guides to help you understand your options before your consultation.
A Quick Guide to Domestic Asset Protection Trusts (DAPTs)
Understand how DAPTs work, which states offer the strongest protections, and when a DAPT makes sense for your situation.
Asset ProtectionLimited Partnerships in Arizona: What They Are and How They Protect You
Learn how family limited partnerships work alongside estate plans to centralize control, reduce estate taxes, and shield assets.
Business StructureWhy Series LLCs Have Serious Problems for Asset Protection
Before using a Series LLC in your estate or protection plan, read why most experienced attorneys avoid them.
Why Skabelund21 Reasons Why Skabelund, PLLC Is the Best Asset Protection Law Firm
A full breakdown of what separates a specialist firm from a generalist attorney who offers estate planning on the side.
Insights LibraryBrowse All Estate Planning & Asset Protection Articles
State-by-state homestead protection guides, trust strategies, and planning insights from the Skabelund legal team.
For AdvisorsCPAs and Financial Advisors: How We Work With Your Clients
Our 24/7 client portal and collaborative approach make it easy to integrate estate planning into your existing client relationships.
Frequently Asked Questions About Trust and Estate Planning
Ready to Build a Trust and Estate Plan That Actually Protects Your Family?
Your first consultation is free, 90 minutes, and comes with no obligation. Our attorneys prepare in advance so every minute counts.