Craig S. Redler helps high-net-worth individuals, business owners, physicians, and families protect everything they've built — from litigation, creditors, and uncertainty — using the strongest legal structures available, including Cook Islands trusts.
No single structure protects every client. We design layered strategies across offshore and domestic tools — built around your specific assets, risk exposure, and goals.
The strongest creditor protection available anywhere in the world. The Cook Islands pioneered offshore trust law and maintains a sovereign legal framework that places assets beyond the reach of most U.S. court orders. Craig has worked inside this system — not just drafted documents referencing it.
Learn about Cook Islands trustsDomestic asset protection trusts (DAPTs), family limited partnerships, and layered LLC structures for clients where domestic planning is appropriate — or as a complement to offshore structures. We operate in every DAPT-friendly jurisdiction and coordinate with your existing advisors.
Discuss your situationWills, revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, advance directives, and HIPAA authorizations — designed in coordination with your asset protection strategy so your estate plan and your creditor protection plan work together, not at cross-purposes.
Schedule a consultation"Most attorneys who draft Cook Islands trusts have read about them.
Craig Redler administered them."
While holding positions at Amicorp and Southpac Trust International — with offices in the Cook Islands, Auckland, and Miami — Craig served as trustee for offshore trusts settled by high-net-worth clients, structured banking arrangements across Europe and Asia, and operated inside the Cook Islands legal framework directly.
That experience translates to structures that are designed to actually work when challenged — not just look correct on paper.
Offshore planning done correctly carries no greater legal risk than domestic planning. With proper IRS compliance — which we build into every engagement — a Cook Islands trust is a legitimate, fully disclosed structure with superior creditor protection.
We work closely with CPAs, estate planning attorneys, financial advisors, and wealth managers. If your client needs asset protection planning, we welcome co-referrals and provide a seamless experience for advisor-introduced clients.
Contact us about a client referralCraig S. Redler brings more than three decades of experience in asset protection and estate planning — along with a credential that no other U.S. attorney holds. While working at Southpac Trust International in the Cook Islands and at Amicorp in Auckland and Miami, he served as trustee for offshore trusts settled by high-net-worth clients, structuring accounts across Europe and Asia and operating inside the Cook Islands legal framework firsthand.
Before his offshore career, Craig was a litigator — which gives him a perspective most asset protection attorneys lack: he understands how creditors build their cases, and he designs structures accordingly.
He holds the Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) designation from the Society of Trust and Estate Planners (STEP) and serves as Chairman of the Board for the STEP Orange County chapter. He earned his J.D. from Washington University School of Law and is licensed in California and Illinois.
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A Cook Islands trust is an offshore asset protection trust governed by the laws of the Cook Islands — a jurisdiction with some of the strongest creditor protection statutes in the world. Creditors must bring their claims in Cook Islands courts, under Cook Islands law, within a strict statute of limitations, making it exceptionally difficult and expensive to reach trust assets. Unlike U.S.-based trusts, a Cook Islands trust operates outside the full faith and credit clause, and its assets sit beyond the reach of most U.S. court orders.
Yes. Cook Islands trusts are entirely legal when properly structured and maintained with full IRS compliance. They require specific annual reporting — including FBAR filings and Form 3520 — and we build all compliance requirements into every offshore engagement from day one. Proper disclosure is non-negotiable and is fundamental to how we practice.
Domestic asset protection trusts (DAPTs) are available in certain U.S. states and offer meaningful protection in many scenarios. However, they remain subject to U.S. court jurisdiction, the full faith and credit clause, and federal bankruptcy law. Cook Islands trusts operate under a separate sovereign legal system, creating a significantly higher barrier for creditors. For clients with meaningful exposure, offshore structures frequently provide superior protection — and with proper compliance, carry no greater legal risk than domestic planning.
Not necessarily. A Cook Islands trust can hold a variety of assets, and the structure of the trust itself — not merely the location of assets — provides much of its protective value. We design every structure around your specific assets, risk profile, and goals rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach.
The right time is before a claim arises. Transfers made after a creditor's claim exists — or even after a situation emerges that could give rise to a claim — may be challenged as fraudulent conveyances. Planning done proactively, when there is no foreseeable threat, is far more durable and gives you access to the full range of available structures.
We begin with a confidential consultation to understand your assets, liabilities, risk profile, and goals. From there, we design a customized structure — which may include a Cook Islands trust, domestic trust, LLC, or layered combination — and guide you through implementation and ongoing compliance. Most clients have an initial structure in place within 60 to 90 days of engagement. Craig handles every client personally; there are no associates or hand-offs.
There is no obligation. A 30-minute call is enough to understand your situation and tell you whether — and how — we can help. The sooner a plan is in place, the more options you have.
Clients located outside Southern California are welcome. Craig works with clients nationally and internationally and is available via phone, video, and in-person consultation.
All inquiries are held in strict confidence.
