I’m hoping to try to find someone who has expertise in dealing with properties that need to be raised per FEMA’s significant damage/improvement rule.

You may receive better options due to his/her capital markets expertise and connections that they've built up over time.

Renting an illegal unit does not offer you the protections a traditional rental would.

If this is an off market deal however and you're already going to be working with a wholesaler (who had the original assignable contract you're simply, using the realtor to help facilitate- which can make sense to do if you've never done before to protect EMD, etc. ) you're already paying the wholesaler as it's built into the asking price. 

They don’t have to negotiate it for the client but they can certainly pass along the information and protect the rest of the transaction.

"For liability protection" isn't enough  - all LLCs provide separation from your personal assets. 

Sounds like they want to play the game, "Watch the Market Cycle" and buy another place if things cool down.Unless you have tons of assets to protect I wouldn't worry about renting to a lawyer.

We have others investors that are licensed electricians, or plumbers, or excavators, so they look for properties where they can leverage their expertise to beat the competition. 

Where is the fiduciary protection for their client?      

You can easily transfer title to your LLC shortly after purchase.From what I've heard, land trusts don't provide any asset protection or tax benefits as an LLC would so DEFINITELY speak with an attorney before going down that road.