5 Reasons Why You Should Use Software When Building An Estate Plan

In today's world, technology and software have become integral to our daily lives, including revolutionizing the way estate plans are being built. Here are five reasons to use software when building your client's estate plan:

1. Exceptional Investigation

Collecting information from clients is a the bane of a will lawyer's existence. Software allows the client to complete data collection on their own time at their own pace and automatically leverages that information in the planning and drafting phases without having to re-enter it time and again.

Without a checklist, it’s easy to forget to ask the appropriate questions to ensure you’ve captured the correct client information.  Have you confirmed that the client might have future children? What about lifetime advances to one child? Might the client end up having an RESP even though he doesn't have one yet?

Software can help prompt for more details with contextualized follow up questions about the client’s situation. This ensures that adequate investigation has been performed before the planning step can begin.

2. Improved Client Understanding

Failure to ensure the client understands what you’re telling them and what they are telling you, can lead to many issues. Particularly if there is a language barrier. No one wants to open a litigation file years down the road.

Software saves you by automatically drafting a document from transcribed notes. Software can create graphic summaries which are visual summaries of your plan. These can be extremely helpful in allowing the client to visualize the effect of your advice and their instructions to ensure there is no misunderstanding. 

3. Advanced Expertise 

Lawyers must be aware of hundreds of legal concepts, statutes and court decisions and apply those to the client's particular circumstances.

Software can  automatically ensure that you are provided the appropriate reminders and suggestions specific to the plan you are creating and your client's instructions. Software can make it feel like having another estate expert beside you.

4. Better Time Management 

A backlog of Wills to be drafted is common in most law firms. There are just not enough hours in the day to draft.

Technology ensures that deadlines are being met and documents such as Wills, POAs, and others are documents generated in seconds eliminating backlog. Another added benefit is if a client needs to make an update to their plan years later, the documents can be stored in an easily accessible location, changed and revised in seconds using the most current language and best practices. 

5. Systematic Approach

Negligence cases have made it clear that lawyers cannot be simply scribes translating the client's words into a Will. Advice is what lawyers are paid for. Software allows you to use a systematic process every time, allowing you to be thorough, reducing risk, ensuring mutual communication and understanding between your client and yourself.