Cassandra Shelby Nelson

Cassandra S. Nelson, a shareholder in Nelson & Nelson, P.A., specializes in estate planning, asset protection, tax law, special needs trusts, guardianships, and probate administration. She holds a B.A. from the University of Miami, a J.D. from Emory University School of Law, and an Executive LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law.

Cassandra has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® in the practice area of Tax Law and Trusts and Estates (since 2026); as an “Up and Coming” by Chambers USA High Net Worth Guide 2026 in Private Wealth Law Florida; and as a Class IV graduate of the Florida Fellows Institute of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC).

Cassandra is an active contributor to legal scholarship and was a second-place winner of The ACTEC Foundation’s 2026 Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition for her paper, “The Repeal of IRC Section 68(e), Preservation of IRC Section 67(e), and Implications for Trust & Estate Taxation After 2026.” She has also co-authored numerous articles and chapters in respected publications, including Trust & Estates, ActionLine (Florida Bar), and Leimberg Information Services. She co-authored Chapter 5: Homestead: Creditor Issues, Asset Protection in Florida (The Florida Bar, 8th Edition, 2022), and has been a co-contributor on several chapters published in Barry A. Nelson’s treatise, Estate Planning and Asset Protection in Florida: A Plan to Survive Unexpected Financial Threats.

Cassandra’s dedication to the legal profession is paralleled by her passion for special needs advocacy. Her personal experience as the sister of an adult brother with severe autism drives her involvement with The Victory Center for Children with Autism and Related Disabilities (a not-for-profit corporation), and her commitment to helping families with children who have disabilities by providing counsel on creating special needs trusts and establishing guardianships.