These days our access to information is so efficient we’ve started to take it for granted. I read one blog mention that if they could describe to a person from the 1950’s something telling about our generation, they would say, “I hold in my hand a device with access to the greatest knowledge bank in […]

It is back-to-school time in America. As Labor Day approaches, schools are starting back up. From an estate planning perspective, this is important in that many young adult students are heading away from home. Here’s a link to an interesting Forbes article on the topic. Estate planning clients are typically reluctant to think about planning […]

Hey there to my favorite blog readers! Happy Tuesday to each of you from your Girl Friday. I usually only show up on Fridays, so you  know if I’m coming to you on a Tuesday, I have got some big news to share! The entire Academy team is inviting you to join us on THURSDAY […]

Hollywood movies, especially comedies, help reduce people’s resistance to considering end-of-life topics such as estate planning, advance health care directives and funeral planning. Recently, I presented this collection of film clips about wills to a group of estate planning professionals. Estate planning attorneys may find these film clips helpful for prompting clients to make or […]

As business owners, MONEY is always top of mind – you have revenue goals, actual profits and sales, average fees, marketing expenses, costs per client, revenue per employee… really, the list of numbers is endless. While not being a number lover myself, I am intrigued by the story that numbers tell. Numbers also tell us […]

Depression and mental illness affect the best and brightest among us, as well as those less fortunate. In fact, lawyers themselves suffer from depression at a rate higher than any other profession, according to a study by Johns Hopkins University. (“Occupations and the Prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder,” 32 Journal of Occupational Medicine 1079 (1990). […]

“Casey Kasem received the diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia in 2007. He created a Living Will with expert legal advice, and the wishes he expressed in his 2011 revision were consistent. So why didn’t this expression of end-of-life wishes prevent him from extreme suffering during the last chapter of his life? … Why did the […]

Recently one of our Members posted a question to the Membership on the Academy listserv. She asked, “I have one fulltime employee and one part-time employee. Can anyone recommend a payroll service who will handle payroll, payroll taxes, etc.?” Our Members responded with a few of their suggestions. The most common responses were the following: […]

As clients age, often they are faced with difficult decisions regarding their health. Of course, estate planning attorneys help clients plan in advance for these decisions. We help them prepare powers of attorney for health care and financial matters. We help them prepare a trust and a will. But, sometimes more planning is appropriate. Of […]

When deciding where a law firm wants to do its banking, influencing factors are typically interest rates, fees, fund management, etc. While these are obviously important, some firms focus too much on the bottom line and fail to consider the value of their banking relationship.Having a good relationship before you actually have to rely on […]