When I headed off to college in 1962, I had every intention of completing my four years and then becoming a teacher. But it seems life had a very different plan for me. My vision for the future started to change during my junior year at Arizona State. It was then that I married my high school sweetheart. To build up our savings, I began working full-time and attending school part-time, which put me behind schedule from my original plan. I was alright with the change, though, because working ensured that my lovely new bride could still graduate on time. After my wife graduated, I went back to school full-time. But just as everything seemed to be getting back on track, another wrench was thrown into the works — I was drafted into the Vietnam War. I had never envisioned myself joining the armed forces, but I chose to embrace the idea by applying to Officer Candidate School for the U.S. Air Force. Unfortunately, though, my military examiner deemed that I had “bad feet,” which led to my exclusion from the war. It was only after my military career was denied that I realized I hadn’t made any backup plans for the future. Fortunately, an opportunity presented itself in the form of Arizona State’s new law school. It was scheduled to open just as I was debating what to do next. With my father’s encouragement, I decided to apply. The rest, as they say, is history. The journey that brought me into the work world was nothing like what I had imagined for my future. Still, the experience taught me a lot about life and, later, law. My biggest takeaway from the whole endeavor, though, was that life is unpredictable. Luckily for me, the surprises dropped in my path led me to one that was even more fitting in the long run. In my role as an attorney — whether I’m practicing estate planning, probate law, or criminal defense — I get to put my skills and interests to use in a way that can change my clients’ lives for the better. Each day, I have the opportunity to educate, console, and guide real people facing real dilemmas. On the best of days, those same people who came to me with concerns leave feeling heard, understood, and in an overall better place. It would be unrealistic for me to say that every possibility in life can be planned for — that’s simply not true. But after more than 45 years in the legal profession, I can safely declare three truths: 1) thorough planning goes a long way, 2) with a strong support system, you can make it through even the toughest of times, and 3) getting the right kind of help can make all the difference in protecting what matters most to you. If you’d like to learn more about how I could help ease your legal burden, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Hello! I’m John Hilton, your neighborhood Personal Family Lawyer™. My goal is to be your trusted advisor who helps you make the very best personal, financial, legal, and business decisions for your family and your business throughout your lifetime. I want to help you and your business not just now, but also when you can’t be there so that I can help guide your loved ones and colleagues through a difficult process. In short, my sole focus is to help families and businesses avoid collapse after the death or disability of a loved one or business owner. I want you to know you’ve made a big step toward peace of mind simply by reading this. We have many resources for you so you can ensure your family, friends, and business partners stay out of court and out of conflict, if and when something happens to you. I'd love to share some of these resources with you ​going forward. Browse around, see what we have, and feel free to request any of the resources we have for you, complimentary. A​s your Family Business Lawyer​™ I’d love to start protecting the people and business you love and everything else you care about today. I look forward to meeting you!