Transactional attorneys spend important quantities of time working with paperwork. When drafting authorized paperwork, precision issues; and making certain that statutory and technical necessities are happy is important.
Shoppers depend on their attorneys to cross the T’s and dot the I’s, each actually and figuratively, and a variety of instruments can be found to assist doc creation and associated workflows. Whereas general-purpose drafting instruments could also be adequate in some contexts, practice-specific software program typically turns into essential to enhance effectivity and scale back threat in additional complicated and extremely regulated areas of legislation, together with belief and estates planning.
For belief and property legislation corporations, there are various drafting software program instruments designed for his or her distinctive wants. However each agency is ready up otherwise, and doc drafting processes fluctuate. Not all instruments will work for each agency, so understanding your choices could make all of the distinction.
Selecting trusts and estates drafting instruments
Within the part under, you’ll discover an outline of most of the drafting instruments out there to trusts and estates legislation corporations. Earlier than reviewing your choices, it’s essential to notice that the software program mentioned under is cloud-based. Which means that your agency’s knowledge will likely be saved on third-party servers.
As a part of your ethical duty of technology competence, you may have an obligation to fastidiously vet all know-how suppliers with entry to your agency’s confidential knowledge, together with cloud-computing suppliers. This course of consists of asking questions on the place the information will likely be saved, who may have entry to it, how often will probably be backed up, and the steps that will likely be taken to guard the information.
Moreover, if a platform consists of AI-driven options, further due diligence is critical. This consists of understanding accuracy metrics, how shopper and agency knowledge is protected, and whether or not any info entered into the system will likely be used for AI mannequin coaching.
With that in thoughts, under you’ll discover many cloud-based belief and estates drafting software program instruments developed for legislation corporations. Pricing will likely be listed whether it is out there on the corporate’s web site. The listing isn’t complete, nevertheless it gives an outline of the principle options and differentiators, permitting you to decide on the correct software to your agency.
Software program choices
Now, let’s think about your choices, beginning with WealthCounsel, which gives a cloud-based drafting answer for property planning, elder legislation and enterprise legislation practitioners. It depends on guided interviews and automatic logic to create each easy and sophisticated property planning paperwork. The platform is designed to assist each easy and extremely custom-made plans by a big, commonly up to date varieties library. Pricing just isn’t publicly out there on-line.
An alternative choice is Lawyers With Purpose’s STEPS (Strategic Trust and Estate Planning Software), a doc drafting software program designed for property planning and elder legislation attorneys who search a structured, repeatable strategy to doc creation. This software program depends on the “client-centered software program” workflow, which is a selected methodology for elder legislation. The system makes use of centralized shopper knowledge entry to populate paperwork and scale back drafting errors throughout associated planning supplies. Pricing just isn’t out there on the web site.
The American Academy of Property Planning Attorneys additionally offers estate planning and drafting tools. This software program just isn’t out there as a stand-alone product. As a substitute, it’s included as a part of its broader membership choices and assists with creating property planning paperwork and belief funding. It integrates immediately with the academy’s training, coaching and observe growth assets. Pricing just isn’t out there on-line.
Subsequent is InterActive Legal, a cloud-based drafting answer that helps attorneys with property planning, elder legislation and associated paperwork. It consists of entry to automated varieties and commonly up to date templates. The platform permits corporations to customise paperwork to satisfy jurisdictional and practice-specific wants. Pricing just isn’t publicly out there on-line.
Lastly, Trustate, a more recent entrant into the area, gives web-based software program for belief and property planning practices, with a deal with automation and consistency throughout the property planning lifecycle. The platform combines doc drafting with instruments for funding and administration. Along with helping with creating wills and trusts, it additionally helps post-signing duties, reminiscent of asset transfers, beneficiary adjustments and follow-up workflows. Pricing for 2 customers begins at $189 per thirty days or $169 per thirty days when billed yearly.
Belief and estates drafting software program just isn’t one-size-fits-all, and the correct alternative will depend on a agency’s observe areas, inside processes and priorities. Whereas these platforms share many core options, they differ in how they deal with drafting workflows, automation, training and observe assist.
Earlier than committing to a platform, reap the benefits of any free trials and product demos to find out whether or not the software program aligns together with your agency’s wants. Taking the time to check choices can streamline productiveness and assist extra constant, environment friendly shopper work.
Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York-based lawyer, creator and journalist. She is the principal authorized perception strategist at 8am, mum or dad firm of LawPay, MyCase, CasePeer and DocketWise. She is the nationally acknowledged creator of Cloud Computing for Legal professionals and is a co-author of Social Media for Legal professionals: The Subsequent Frontier, each revealed by the American Bar Affiliation. She writes common columns for ABAJournal.com and Above the Regulation, has authored lots of of articles for different publications, and he or she commonly speaks at conferences relating to the intersection of legislation and rising applied sciences. Comply with her on LinkedIn, or she will be reached at [email protected].
This column displays the opinions of the creator and never essentially the views of the ABA Journal—or the American Bar Affiliation.