Estate planning attorney software can have a transformative effect on your practice on a couple of different levels. First, you can manage your existing workflows more effectively and efficiently, and this will enable you to maintain a high client satisfaction rate.
Secondly, bandwidth expands when your team can complete their existing tasks in a more time-efficient manner. As a result, they can devote more hours to expansion efforts, and you have the infrastructure in place to handle a larger workload.
The trick is to find the right estate planning attorney software because there are multiple options out there. Let’s take a look at the features that you will find in the best software platforms for legal practices.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
You need to know where you stand at all times as you progress toward your goals. The top software for attorneys will allow you to measure key performance indicators across the board.
In this manner, you can recognize what is working, and you will immediately see areas that can use improvement. The highly regarded programs make it easy to run reports for specified time periods, so you can drill down to garner additional insight.
Personnel Management
Some estate planning software for attorneys will include personnel management features. When you have this capability in place, you don’t have to toggle between different systems.
You can take advantage of timekeeping features for your employees, and email management will be part of the package as well. The best platforms will also include project management functionality, so you can assign tasks and monitor progress along the way.
Document Assembly
At the end of the day, estate planning revolves around the creation of legally binding documents. Without question, the document assembly capability of the system you choose will be a top priority.
Low-end options will cover the basics like wills and powers of attorney, but this is unnecessarily limiting. There are estate planning software programs out there that will produce more complex documents like Medicaid trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts, charitable trusts, and more.
There is an important consideration when you are thinking about document assembly. State specificity is key because of the differences that we see state-by-state. Top-notch software for estate planning law firms will have multi-state capabilities.
If you practice in a particular state, all of your documents will conform to the laws of that state. Firms that have locations in multiple states will have the ability to use their software to produce documents that are in line with the nuances of each jurisdiction.
Trust Administration
A lot of firms miss an opportunity to provide ongoing trust administration assistance for clients. There are multiple reasons for this, and one of them is a lack of the proper software underpinning.
This gap is bridged when you obtain the right estate planning attorney software platform. Advances have been made, and you can now purchase software that will include a trust administration module.
Client Intake Software for Lawyers
Managing your client information has traditionally been challenging and time-consuming. There are sensitivity issues, and when different people are touching the data, there are security issues and potential duplications of effort.
These challenges have been addressed by the designers of the legal practice software programs that are most widely embraced. There are integrated workflows and security features like multifactor authentication, so there are no risks or inefficiencies.
You will also find secure client information portals that enable document sharing in a completely safe environment. This includes complicated asset inventories that can be updated as things change over time.
Marketing and Client Maintenance
Aside from the nuts and bolts of law firm practice management, there are client communication tasks that must be completed on an ongoing basis to maintain relationships. Leading software for attorneys will have this base covered, so your communications will be automated.
There is also the matter of marketing. This is often done through the utilization of seminars, webinars, reports, checklists, and other lead magnets. The more effective estate planning software solutions will manage event enrollment and lead progress through the sales funnel.
Future-Proof Legal Practice Software
The only constant is change, and this certainly applies to the laws that impact estate planning and elder law matters. This is relevant on the federal level, and state laws are subject to change as well.
With this in mind, you have to be sure that your software program does not become obsolete over time as the landscape evolves. The preferred estate planning attorney software platforms are future-proof because they are updated on an ongoing basis in the cloud.
Summing It Up
If you are managing an estate planning legal practice, you can modernize your firm overnight when you deploy a cutting-edge legal software platform. All workflows will become more efficient, and they will come together seamlessly to provide endless possibilities.
Do the necessary research, conduct a value comparison, and make an informed decision. When your new platform is up and running, your firm will be equipped to realize its full potential.
Donna Hooper
Academy Software Training Manager
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (858) 453-2128
www.aaepa.com
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