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Find Best Asset Protection Attorneys & Lawyers Near You

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HouseCashin

National Directory of Asset Protection Attorneys & Lawyers

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National Directory of Asset Protection Attorneys & Lawyers

Losing property to a creditor or legal judgment is one of the scariest things that a residential property owner may face. Fortunately, you can protect your real estate and other assets from such creditors and judgments through careful asset protection planning. Real estate asset protection attorneys can guide you through this process and form the right type of trust to keep your property safe. Asset protection planning requires intricate knowledge of the law and tax code, as there are many legal mechanisms and intricacies involved. With so much at stake, it is crucial to hire only a reputable attorney or law firm to plan your asset protection and management. To help residential real estate owners and investors with this important task, HouseCashin provides a directory of top-rated asset protection attorneys and law offices in your area.

Frequently Asked Questions

Asset protection lawyers help you protect your assets—including residential property—from judgments and creditor claims. As law experts, they work with you to establish asset protection plans that meet your individualized needs. Asset management and protection planning may involve strategic selection of tools to utilize and trusts to form. The best asset protection lawyers will ensure this process is straightforward and customized to meet your needs.

Asset protection lawyers’ service fees vary depending on the complexity of the matter and region in which you live. On average, you can expect a quote of $2,000-$5,000 for an asset protection plan. Most lawyers will charge an hourly rate and bill for applicable filing fees; others may charge a flat service-based fee. Because asset protection planning does not normally involve unforeseeable expenses, the lawyer should feel confident giving you a relatively precise quote. Make sure you understand exactly what fees and costs are included in the estimate. The best way to estimate the cost of asset protection lawyers’ services in your location is to consult HouseCashin’s directory of top-rated local professionals. Any of the listed attorneys would be happy to give you a quote specific to your needs.

Although choosing an asset protection attorney may feel overwhelming, there are a number of ways to simplify the process and ensure you are making the right choice. First, you should make sure that the lawyer or law firm has years of experience in asset protection planning and federal tax compliance. Check that this experience is not just in representing creditors or serving as an expert witness. Second, you should choose a lawyer or law firm with a 100%, or near 100%, success rate. Third, make sure the lawyer or law firm has connections to important third parties in planning: an asset protection company, financial advisor, and CPA. Finally, you should check the lawyer’s reputation and expertise. You can ask the third parties they work with, check if they are rated by an attorney peer rating program like AV Preeminent7, and see if they have spoken or written as an expert on asset protection. Any attorneys on HouseCashin’s list are pre-screened for expertise and reputation, making this easier for you.

A simple internet search will turn up the names of real estate asset protection lawyers and law firms near you. However, because these results are unfiltered, you will need to do a lot of research to evaluate the expertise and reputation of each attorney. You could ask trusted colleagues, friends, or advisors for a recommendation, but they may not know any local asset protection lawyers. The best and easiest way is to choose an attorney on HouseCashin’s directory, as it features only the best, expert asset protection attorneys and law firms in your area.

Asset protection trusts are financial planning trust vehicles that can hold a variety of assets, including real estate, and safeguard them from creditors. In fact, they offer the strongest form of protection against creditors, lawsuits, or judgments against your estate. They provide significant home and property protection—stronger than a family or land trust. Because asset protection trusts are self-settled spendthrift trusts, you can retain access to the assets within as both the grantor and a beneficiary. Still, the trust is considered separate from you legally, and any assets it contains are in the trust’s name. This means that if you are sued, the party suing you cannot go after anything in the trust. In fact, the mere existence of an APT may sufficiently deter a lawsuit in the first place. There are two types of asset protection trusts: domestic and foreign. Domestic APTs are easy to set up, but, while becoming more common, are currently only recognized in 17 states: Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. You can save money by forming the trust in a state without state income tax. Although offering significant protection, ATPs remain at risk of U.S. legal judgment because they are within the U.S. legal system. Foreign or “offshore” APTs offer more protection than domestic APTs because they are insulated from the U.S. legal system. Further, the jurisdictions in which they are set up, like the Cook Islands, have stricter privacy requirements. However, they often are more costly to set up. A real estate trust attorney or asset protection trust lawyer can help you decide which APT is right for you. From there, they will help you form it in a strategic location and set up trust administration.

A living trust is trust that holds assets for your benefit during your lifetime, with you serving as the grantor, trustee, and beneficiary. A revocable living trust can help with estate planning primarily by saving your family from the significant costs, time, and administrative burden of probate after death. With one, your will can be more easily administered. Revocable trust lawyers can easily form one to meet these goals. However, a revocable living trust does not offer the best asset protection. Unlike with an asset protection trust, you remain the trustee of the assets in a living trust. At any time, you can revoke and return them to your name. If you are sued or sought out by a creditor, these assets are thus vulnerable because they remain in your ownership. A living trust attorney can advise you on how to better protect your assets in other ways, such as an asset protection trust.

Are You a Credible Asset Protection Attorney?

We are always looking for reputable asset protection lawyers for our national preferred vendor directory. If you own or work for a credible asset protection law firm that offers legal services to real estate investors, apply to get listed in our popular vendor directory!

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