Why is it so hard to get folks to do estate planning? The tendency to put off this important part of life can be attributed to the Terror Management Theory proposed by Dr. Ernest Becker in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Denial of Death. Dr. Becker’s landmark treatise on cultural anthropology and social science looks […]

At the Academy we occasionally notice attorneys feel that because a document wasn’t particularly difficult to produce, or (in the attorney’s mind) because the client can’t afford the fee quoted in the last meeting, or even perhaps because they haven’t had anyone pay them the fee they are quoting, they ask for a lower fee […]

I am often asked whether it is better to amend or restate a client’s trust. It is almost always better to restate. I explain the reasons why in today’s video blog. Stephen C. Hartnett, J.D., LL.M.Associate Director of EducationAmerican Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300San Diego, California 92123Phone: (800) 846-1555www.aaepa.com

Answer the following questions. Do your clients have online trading accounts? Are they signed up for paperless statements from any financial institutions? If so, they have digital assets, and they will need a plan for how their loved ones will deal with those assets when they’re gone, just like they have for the rest of […]

  Earlier this week, Twitter announced several changes to their platform, including a new font, more color options for user profiles, and the addition of new buttons on profile pages. How do these changes affect your law firm? Chances are the font change doesn’t, unless you have a particular love of Helvetica. However, the other updates […]

Last week, I blogged about the importance of powers of attorney, in general. I focused on financial powers of attorney and their potential abuse. This week, I’ll focus on health care powers of attorney. This is one of the typical documents in a basic estate plan. However, people often give little attention to thinking about […]

In today’s ultra-competitive, fast-paced and social-media-driven marketplace, your prospect’s first impressions about YOUR FIRM could be the single most important factor in prospecting for new clients – especially when marketing a seminar!There are THREE important things you can do to improve or start building credibility with todays “wired” consumer: Become an “Accredited Business” with the […]

The importance of measuring performance and productivity Do you remember when your parents bragged about how much you had grown? They may have even proudly tracked your growth with pencil marks on the wall. Remember the pressure to make good grades or score more points than your opponent in Little League?Measurement has always been a […]

Every estate planning attorney utilizes powers of attorney in their practice. They are a useful part of every estate plan. However, powers of attorney can be very broad or very limited. For example, a power of attorney (or POA) could give the agent the authority only to sell a car or some other asset. On […]

You’ve surely heard the adage that attorneys make the worst defendants (the same way that doctors make the worst patients). It seems service professionals often have a difficult time putting themselves in their clients’ shoes. Without being able to think like a client, see like a client, feel like a client and walk through the […]