JCloud Law‚ P.C. is a boutique Estate Planning and Asset Protection law practice located in Scottsdale‚ Arizona and San Diego, California. We develop customized estate and asset protection plans to effectively protect your legacy and wealth.

Jeffrey B. Cloud has extensive experience in estate planning and wealth protection‚ trust administration‚ special needs trusts‚ guardianships and fiduciary matters. In 2015, Mr. Cloud was a member of the small group committee that drafted the Arizona Achieving A Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act that was signed into legislation on May 12, 2016 (HB 2388).

Mr. Cloud received his Juris Doctor from California Western School of Law in San Diego in 2007. While attending California Western‚ Mr. Cloud was President of the Entertainment and Sports Law Society and received a Distinguished Advocated Award‚ an American Jurisprudence Award‚ and a Pro Bono services award. Mr. Cloud received his undergraduate degree in psychology from Purdue University in 2004. Following law school‚ he clerked for the Honorable Robert C. Naraja‚ Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Mr. Cloud is admitted to practice before the courts of Arizona‚ California‚ and the United States District Court for the Southern District of California and the District of Arizona. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Maricopa County Bar Association, Estate Planning, Probate, and Trust Section.

My statement to you:

Before deciding to start my own law firm, I interviewed with numerous law firms. I sat across the table from partners with 30 years experience and described estate planning techniques which I have utilized that they have never even heard of. I also reached out to several solo attorneys to get a feel for the landscape of running my own firm. I quickly became aware that many attorneys pay for the best website designs, top notch estate planning software, join the top legal associations, and run expensive marketing campaigns, yet they have no real experience and only a few clients.

I worked for a financial planning firm for more than five years. At one point there were ten financial advisors across three states for whom I prepared estate plans. We serviced hundreds of clients each year and I was involved with every client of the firm. I've coordinated estate planning for clients nationwide and with attorneys in their home estates. I have met with clients with estates of between $100 thousand and $100 million. I've written statutes in Arizona that were signed into law by the Arizona governor. I've written a legal opinion letter that a Canadian court and The Office of the Children's Lawyer (Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General) used to opt out of the statutorily required structure settlement annuity and to fund an American special needs trust instead, thereby preserving that client's eligibility for asset based American government entitlement programs. How many estate planning attorneys can say they have these experiences?

I also realized that most estate planning attorneys have no litigation experience, period. I've maintained a litigation practice for years, with experience in both civil and criminal law. I was a public defender for nearly five years, practicing in criminal, juvenile and dependency law. I've worked for a civil law firm and participated in civil litigation, resolving disputes in a wide array of subject matters. I've completed numerous trials and received several favorable verdicts, both in jury trials and bench trials. I have had two cases before the Arizona Supreme Court. I've filed over 300 guardianships over special needs children, so that their parents could continue to protect their futures by having decision making authority after the age of majority. Additionally, early in my legal career, I worked for a judge and wrote legal opinions for the court to resolve issues in criminal, civil, and probate litigation. Fiduciary crimes, elder abuse, and other financial crimes are very prominent in today's world. With my background in litigation, I truly feel that I can draft a better estate plan because I am aware of issues that can arise through criminal behavior, family disputes, breaches of fiduciary duties, or other civil actions.

Go talk to attorneys. Get a feel for them. Determine what you think their real experience is. If you are comfortable, move ahead with planning. If you think they are more marketing than knowledgeable and experienced, then call me. I will do my best to provide you with the service and estate plan that you deserve and expect.