John Ambrecht ’66, MBA ’68

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John Ambrecht ’66, MBA ’68, one of the region’s leading estate planning attorneys, and his accomplished associate attorney, Elizabeth Mackey-Sall, will join the Santa Barbara law firm DT Law Partners.

Ambrecht, who joins the downtown law firm as a partner, has more than 30 years of experience in estate planning and estate tax law and is founder of the boutique law firm Ambrecht & Associates in Montecito. The two attorneys’ move to DT Law Partners places them in the heart of the city and adds to a powerhouse team of business, estate and trust planning lawyers.

Founded this year, DT Law Partners specializes in business and corporate matters; trust and estate planning; and trust, estate and business litigation.

Ambrecht is a certified specialist in estate planning, trust and probate law by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. He’s lectured throughout the United States on complex estate planning matters, written articles for numerous business and law publications, and is author of the book "For Love & Money: Protecting Family & Wealth in Estate & Succession Planning."

Adept at handling sophisticated estate planning needs, Ambrecht assists clients at risk for higher estate taxes, and those with specialized requirements for family business succession planning, property tax planning, or estate and gift tax appeals and IRS litigation. His practice includes multi-state domestic trusts and estate planning, national and international asset protection, and tax controversies. His goal is always to help families protect their wealth and minimize intergenerational conflict around inheritance.

Widely recognized as a leader in his field, Ambrecht has been named a Super Lawyer for the Southern California region every year since 2007. He is also a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), a national organization of lawyers elected to membership by their peers for demonstrating the highest level of integrity, competence, and commitment to their profession. Additionally, he is chair of the Business Families Special Interest Group for the USA for STEP World Wide, an international organization based in London with 20,000 professionals around the world who incorporate an international tax and family perspective. He counts angel investors, investment companies, funds and family offices among his clients.

Ambrecht earned his bachelor's degree in zoology.