Summit County Estate Planning Lawyers

Elliot P. Smith is a licensed attorney and a certified public accountant with the law firm Pearson, Butler, & Carson, PLLC. His legal practice includes business, estate planning, and taxation.

Hi! I have been an attorney for over 18 years and have practiced in a wide variety of areas. Now, I have narrowed down my areas of practice to help individuals with their estate planning to minimize conflict as the estate is administered as they want it done without any unnecessary expenses or hassle to their beneficiaries. I also offer business transaction services to individuals or businesses whether just starting out or well established. Find more at wattslawutah.com

Greg is the managing partner of Guardian Law, LLC. He has a national practice with prior and current cases in 17 states. In addition to Guardian Law’s main function assisting with estate planning and asset protection, Gregory’s practice centers on national and local Advertising and Marketing compliance and litigation. In particular, Gregory’s practice focuses on advising clients in all aspects of television advertisements, direct-to-consumer marketing, telemarketing, and e-commerce, including trial litigation, appellate litigation, alternate dispute resolution, and the assessment of potential Marketing opportunities or risks a client may face.

I have a diverse set of skills that will enable me to properly evaluate your claims. I have worked in the energy industry, insurance industry, and small business community. I am committed to providing the best legal advice possible and helping my clients achieve maximum results.

I am an attorney in private practice since 1983 specializing in transactional law, including asset protection, business, estate planning, real estate, and wills and trusts.

Scott Nickle taught English at Weber State University for four years before deciding to attend law school. He graduated from the Gonzaga University School of Law in 2006. He returned to Utah to work as an attorney for Helgesen, Houtz & Jones, the law firm he had interned for after his second year of law school. Scott Nickle specializes as a Family Law Attorney and Estate Planning Attorney. He deals will all types of family law such as Divorce, Child Custody, Surrogacy, etc. He has represented many clients with many different situations giving him the experience he needs to provide his...

Adam is a member of WealthCounsel, the Utah Valley Estate Planning Council, the Estate Planning Section of the Utah State Bar, and the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils which allows him to provide Utah families the best estate planning services. Adam received both his Juris Doctor and MBA degrees from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. Adam received a bachelor of arts in communication (emphasizing in public relations) from Brigham Young University-Idaho. His foremost desire with his profession and life is to make a difference in the lives of those with whom he comes in contact....

Will Fontenot is a results-oriented, client-focused attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Utah. His practice focuses on estate and trust drafting and litigation. Mr. Fontenot has over eleven years of experience strongly advocating for the client’s desired outcome, including document preparation and courtroom advocacy that has required innumerable hearings and trials. Mr. Fontenot has argued before the Utah Supreme Court. He has an extremely impressive track record of winning and being respected in the community by both lawyers and judges.
Mr. Fontenot’s academic and professional accomplishments include graduating in the top twenty percent of his law school class...

Mr. Geoff N. Germane earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University's nationally ranked School of Accountancy. During school and after graduation, Geoff gained valuable experience as a financial analyst and representative for Northwestern Mutual. While there, he ranked in the Top 10 of all College Agents in the USA for volume production, and was the top College Agent in the Western Region. Geoff then pursued a legal education at Brigham Young University's well respected J. Reuben Clark Law School. While in school he worked as a legal extern for the international law firm of Baker & McKenzie in...

Mr. Tueller graduated cum laude from the University of Utah in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics. He received his law degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1967. He practiced estate, trust, and tax law in New York City for eight years before moving to Utah, where—for another eight years—he was counsel to an organization now known as LDS Philanthropies of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is the author of five books about tax-exempt planning and charitable tax deductions published by the Taft Group of Kensington, MD...

Ben’s focus is on developing quality relationships with clients and providing them with dedicated and personalized service. Ben graduated cum laude from the S. J. Quinney College of Law, where he was a Leary Scholar. He received the top grade in his Lawyering Skills and Law & Literature courses and placed second in a regional ABA Negotiation Competition. He completed an internship with the Third District Office of the Guardian ad Litem, where he worked to represent the best interests of abused and neglected children in juvenile court. Prior to law school, Ben earned a dual Bachelor’s in...

Using Trusts (including Asset Protection Trusts), LLCs, and other legal tools I help people protect their assets from lawsuits, eliminate estate and capital gains taxes, avoid probate, and prevent family feuds that often arise when planning documents are not clear, concise, and thorough. Then, I help them identify the legacy they want to leave to their family and their community. My practice focuses exclusively on the following four areas: estate planning, asset-protection planning, business-succession planning, and elder law.

Deborah works with clients to craft estate plans to carry out their succession goals, while also protecting them in the event they lose capacity. She guides individuals through the probate and trust administration process. She is ready to assist in all disputes that arise in the context of estates and probate.   She is also an experienced appellate attorney.

Deborah graduated from the University of Utah College of Law in 2011, Order of the Coif.  She then served a clerkship for the Honorable Carolyn B. McHugh at the Utah Court of Appeals.  Before entering private practice, Deborah was an assistant attorney general in the...

Ephraim Olson is a Harvard Law School graduate and an admitted NYU LL.M candidate. Ephraim has been practicing tax law since graduating.

Eric lives and works in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, where he focuses his practice on Estate Planning, Bankruptcy, Business Planning and Formation, and Real Estate Law. Eric also contracts with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to provide representation in Juvenile Court matters in the Western Service Area.

Ryan E. Simpson is a partner with Ascent Law. He’s a native of Utah, and he’s licensed to practice law in both State and Federal Courts in Utah. Ryan graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from University of Utah. After completing his undergraduate studies, he went on to obtain his Juris Doctorate from Gonzaga University School of Law. Ryan’s area of expertise is in bankruptcy, asset protection, real estate transactions, construction law, collection law, and estate planning. He has helped thousands of Utah residents obtain debt relief through Bankruptcy.

Bruce Nelson
Principal Attorney

Bruce Nelson is the founder and principal attorney of The Nelson Law Firm, PLLC. Bruce focuses his practice on business & civil litigation, family law, alternative dispute resolution, business and corporate matters, personal injury and many others.

Bruce works closely with clients to achieve their desired legal solutions. Such results are frequently obtained through negotiation as opposed to litigation although each matter has its own unique characteristics.

Before founding Nelson Law in 2004, Bruce utilized his extensive business and corporate experience in new product and new business development, training, along with conducting needful discovery for mergers and...

I began practicing law in Utah County in 1982, shortly after passing the bar. I worked with McCullough, Jones & Ivins for 16 years. After the firm broke up, I opened my own practice, and focused on estate planning, asset protection planning, probate, and elder law and medicaid planning. I am originally from Pocatello, Idaho, obtained my B.A. in history from BYU, and received my J.D. degree from BYU's law school in 1982. I am married, have four children, and live in American Fork, Utah.

Geniel M. Ashcraft has helped hundreds of clients complete their estates and assist in probate administration. Ms. Ashcraft is known for her service, attention to detail, and down to earth manner. Ms. Ashcraft mainly conducts her business through house calls. Her clients find they appreciate the convenience, her easy-to-understand approach, and personal attention. Geniel started her law practice in 2002. Geniel is admitted to practice in both Washington and Utah. She is also admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Western Washington District and the United States District Court of Utah. She...

Trent V. Cahill offers 15 years of legal experience to his clients and is licensed in both Michigan and Utah. Trent has an extensive knowledge of and background in a variety of legal areas-specifically that of business law, family law, and estate planning. Among other accomplishments, he has assisted clients as they wade through a messy divorce, directed the drafting of the documents necessary to restructure multi-million dollar corporations, overseen the documentation of annual minutes for over 300 entities, and provided in-house counsel type services to multiple organizations.

Mr. Turner has over 22 years of experience in asset protection, risk management, estate planning, business entity formation and estate tax law. He graduated in 1998 from the University of Tulsa College of Law, and spent a semester abroad in London, England,studying at the London Law Consortium. Prior to obtaining his law degree, Chris studied at Weber State University, in Ogden, Utah, where he received his B.S.in Political Science and Business in 1994.Prior to joining Scott Soelberg's practice, Chris had worked for the law firmsof Mitton & Burningham and Asset Protection Legal Group, LLP, both in Salt Lake City, Utah where he...

JEFF D. RIFLEMAN, Attorney at Law, Mediator Mr. Rifleman holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree (J.D.) from St. Mary's University School of Law of San Antonio, Texas. Mr. Rifleman completed his undergraduate work by earning his Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.) in Consumer and Community Studies from the University of Utah. Additionally, Mr. Rifleman received training and certificates in Mediation and is qualified as a court appointed mediator in Texas courts, trained in peer-school mediation, family dispute/divorce mediation, domestic violence, and has volunteered time mediating small claims cases in Utah courts. Admitted: Utah Supreme Court U.S. District Court for the District of...

Mr. Utley interned at several Utah law firms and the Utah Fourth District Court before joining a Northern Utah Law Office. After relocating from Cache Valley, Mike opened Utley Law Office PLLC in Utah County where he currently practices in the areas of Water Law, Environmental Law, and Estate Planning. Mike graduated from BYU’s Law School where he was an Editor for the Journal of Public Law and was Vice President of the Natural Resources Law Society. He went on to get a Master of Laws degree in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School. Mike graduated from...

Daren J. Harris is a Utah-located lawyer practicing in trademarks with an emphasis on business development and contract law. A member of the Arizona, Oregon, and Utah Bar Associations, he’s facilitated in the protection of thousands of brands since his 2011 graduation from Gonzaga University School of Law. Daren has managed the trademark crew at Northwest’s law firm, Law on Call, since its 2021 formation. When away from work, he enjoys reading, playing sports, and perfecting his craft as an amateur woodworker.