This is the first in a series of blogs on How to Practice in Estate Planning. I’ll sprinkle this series in among my typical timely blogs. This series is designed for attorneys who are currently practicing in another field and wish to transition to Estate Planning and Elder Law. However, many of the suggestions in this series will be equally applicable to a new attorney who is not transitioning from another area.
Step One
You will want to learn how to approach the practice of law as a business, not just an academic pursuit. As estate planning attorneys, our goal is to i) know what we need to know about estate planning so that, ii) we can effectively and efficiently provide assistance and advice to our clients, and iii) make a living doing so. An essential resource for this is the The E-Myth Attorney: Why Most Legal Practices Don’t Work and What to Do About It. The E-Myth Attorney shows a prospective estate planner how to transition to an entrepreneurial mindset that attorneys often lack. This can be a difficult step for many attorneys. Sometimes, we can be great at learning information, but not so good at learning how to apply that in an effective, efficient, profitable manner.
As part of this process, you’ll want to decide on the systems to put in place in your new business. The best resource for this is: 11 Essential Systems: A Guide to Creating a Thriving Law Firm and a Satisfying Life.
As a special for blog readers, if you would like a copy of either The E-Myth Attorney or 11 Essential System, please contact info@aaepa.com.
This first step will put you on the path to the practice of law as an efficient business model.
In my next blog in the series, I will look at Step Two, which is how to best learn the basic substantive knowledge you need to practice in the estate planning area. It’s important to remember that there is a near-infinite amount of knowledge which comes to play in estate planning. However, there is some core information which is a logical starting point. I will discuss that in the next blog in the series.
Stephen C. Hartnett, J.D., LL.M.
Associate Director of Education
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (800) 846-1555
www.aaepa.com
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