Adding Estate Planning to Your Practice: The Essentials an Attorney Must Know (On-Demand)

Course Description

Benjamin Franklin said two things are certain: death and taxes. So, regardless of changes in the law, legal services for estate planning and probate will always be in demand. Whether you are a litigation lawyer looking for a change of pace or a transactional attorney tired of referring out estate planning clients, this seminar is for you. Learn the basics of estate planning and probate practice, how to build or transition an estate planning practice, and practical ethical tips.

Principles

• Top estate and trust planning techniques
• Top mistakes to avoid
• Adding probate and trust administration to your practice
• Ethical issues to consider and rules to follow when doing estate planning and probate

Syllabus

Section I. Top estate and trust planning techniques

1. Wills
2. Will substitutes
3. Revocable Trusts
4. Power of Attorney and Healthcare Directives
5. Irrevocable Trusts
6. Planning for Retirement Accounts
7. The Importance of Titling

Section II. Top mistakes to avoid

1. Examples and case studies

Section III. Adding probate and trust administration to your practice

1. Practical tips
2. Pricing and billing
3. Forms
4. Using paralegals
5. Business development

Section IV. Ethical issues to consider and rules to follow when doing estate planning and probate

1. Who is your client?
2. Representing couples
3. Representing multiple generations
4. Representing a fiduciary
5. Representing beneficiaries
6. Attorney-client privilege
7. Duty of confidentiality
8. Duty of competency
9. Incapacity of a client
10. Assessing the Client’s Capacity
11. Avoiding Fraudulent Transfers

Instructor

Mary Akkerman, Esq.