As an attorney who specializes in estate planning, it is essential to have the appropriate research tools and resources at your disposal. When you have information that is out of current, it can be expensive for your customers and prevent their ultimate desires from being respected. When you are looking to establish or extend your estate planning resource collection and estate planning research, there are many essential criteria that you should take into consideration. These factors will ensure that you choose solutions that are in line with your workflow and provide guidance that is accurate and up to date throughout the process. When picking research tools for estate planning, the following are some of the most important considerations you should take into account.
Workflow Solutions That Are Unobtrusively Integrated
As a specialist in the field of estate planning, it is possible that you manage many cases at the same time, in addition to handling client meetings, court appearances, filing deadlines, and other responsibilities. The last thing you need is cumbersome research tools that make your work more difficult than it already is. It is important to give priority to solutions that interact directly with the other software that you use in order to get rid of workflows and data entry that are redundant.
For instance, select estate planning research tools that are compatible with practice management solutions that allow for automatic synchronization of contact information, calendars, and case deadlines. It is also possible to streamline cooperation within your company by utilizing cloud-based solutions that allow for real-time access by multiple users. Having access to advanced search features, folders that may be customized, notes, and bookmarks streamlines the process of organizing research in relation to particular situations or issues. Rather than causing disruptions in your business, the research tools you use should be able to enhance productivity through the integration of workflows that are smooth.
Specific Procedural Instructions for Each County
It is possible for the regulations, requirements, and protocols pertaining to estate planning to vary greatly from one county and jurisdiction to another. When selecting research instruments, it is recommended to go with resources that offer comprehensive procedural instructions on a level that is specific to different countries. In order to successfully manage a local estate planning case, it is crucial to have this degree of granularity in order to fully comprehend the required stages, documentation, filing costs, and other important data.
A priority should be given to resources that provide state-level procedural guidance, in addition to those that provide information at the county level. This is because the rules that govern wills, trusts, asset distribution, and probate can vary dramatically from one state to the next. When dealing with an estate that spans state lines, having comprehensive coverage of the subtleties of jurisdictional law empowers you to avoid making mistakes.
Present-Day Case Studies and Precedents Are Available
It is extremely beneficial to be able to make use of relevant case studies and legal precedents when you are developing estate plans for customers. This will allow you to significantly shape your approach. Given the frequency with which estate rules and regulations are subject to change, it is imperative that the research tools you use include a database of case studies and precedents that can be searched and is kept up to current in real time. Your strategic counsel can be badly undermined if you rely on examples that are no longer relevant.
Along with content that is frequently updated, you should look for research options that allow you to filter case studies and precedents according to jurisdiction in order to find the most pertinent examples to advise your estate planning matters that are specific to your immediate area. Your credibility can be strengthened by providing customers with quick access to current precedents that are targeted, which can also give clients confidence in your advise.
A Vast Assortment of Secondary Sources
Your research and advise about estate planning can be strengthened by selecting tools that have a great amount of secondary source content. This content can include journals, practice guides, template documents, verdicts, transactions, and all of these things. In addition to having depth that extends back over decades, you should look for breadth among a number of publications that are focused on estates.
With tens of thousands of pages of practical analysis, expert opinions, up-to-date templates, and historical reference materials, you will have access to a wealth of tools that will enable you to adequately prepare for the subtleties that are typically associated with estate planning. Find relevant insights quickly and easily throughout this vast collection of premium secondary sources, eliminating the need to search for and cross-reference a number of different individual publications and archives.
Guidelines for Practice and Next Steps That Can Be Taken
The process of estate planning involves a multitude of moving parts, including living wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, and other components. It is a major task to navigate all of these moving parts. Choosing research tools that integrate thorough practice guides covering all parts of estate planning is a great way to simplify this process for yourself.
On the other hand, while you are in the thick of an estate case, guidelines by themselves are not insufficient. You should look for tools that go beyond providing theoretical counsel and instead offer specific, tactical action steps for carrying out various estate planning chores. During the process of establishing a trust, for instance, what kinds of paperwork and documents are required to be submitted? When it comes to life insurance policies, what are the most effective methods to build them in different scenarios? Your inquiries will be answered quickly and effectively with the help of actionable assistance, allowing you to maintain a smooth progression of cases.
Currently Available Opportunities for MCLE Compliance
The fulfillment of ongoing obligations for compliance with Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) is a requirement that you are required to fulfill as part of your professional responsibility. By picking estate planning research tools that provide recognized continuing legal education (CCLE) activities, such as courses, seminars, videos, and other forms of educational content, you can incorporate this duty into your daily workflow.
Selecting a research solution that already includes MCLE components reduces the need to go through the trouble of looking for additional prospects of interest. Accessing compliance activities through your research platform in a convenient manner encourages you to engage with the content on a consistent basis. This entails keeping abreast of the most recent developments in the legal system, as well as the most recent procedures and best practices.
The Examination of Expenses and the Return on Investment
Take some time to investigate both the initial and recurring fees of the many estate planning research tool options that are currently available on the market. The return on investment (ROI) should be calculated based on the degree to which the solution will considerably increase your company’s capacity and efficiency over the course of time. The ability to quantify productivity gains is made simpler by the presence of tools that integrate workflows, provide guidance for precise execution, and incorporate MCLE.
You also have the option of evaluating technologies that provide varying degrees of commitment. As an illustration, some service providers offer memberships on a monthly basis, while others demand annual commitments. Instead of making a long-term commitment, you could want to start with a short-term access to a tool to test its usability for your requirements. Do not forget to take advantage of the low rate that is offered to new admittees, solo practitioners, and attorneys working for small firms.
Efficient and User-Friendly Search and Navigation
Even when one has access to secondary sources of the highest quality, the process of gathering information is an exercise in frustration because there is no search function or interface that is intuitive. While you are evaluating the available alternatives, put the tools through their regular research paces for major categories of use. These include navigating by document type or practice area filters, searching for keywords across sources, accessing analytical overviews, and building study folders that can be shared with others.
It is important to give priority to responsive tools that include advanced search operators, suggested search queries, research history tracking, cross-linked results between related documents, and fast document movement between folders. An overall positive user experience increases the likelihood that your entire team will connect with the research platform on a frequent basis and make full use of its capabilities.
Spending time and maintaining consistency are necessary in order to hone your estate planning knowledge, abilities, and instincts. To facilitate your success, equip yourself with research tools that were designed to simplify rather than complicate the process. By giving priority to solutions that interact with your workflows, provide guidance that is relevant to your country, offer real-time case studies, deliver tactical recommendations, and feature on-demand MCLE, you will have access to complete resources that will allow you to scale both your expertise and your practice. Most importantly, using research tools with careful consideration enables you to offer sound advice to customers at the precise moment when they require it the most. Click this link to learn more information if you are interested.
