The are a host of questions swirling around the one-year repeal of the estate tax for 2010 and the scheduled year-end sunset of EGTRRA. We discussed these issues on last month’s Classroom Conference Call for Academy member attorneys and on the Members’ list. On that call we discussed that formulas used for the past many […]

We’ve all heard of the law firm calendar killer called Analysis-Paralysis… the act of studying until the wall paper curls and the landlord comes for the key. Well, a disease related to that one is what I call Marketing Perfection-itis, which is the act of tweaking and fine-tuning perfectly effective tools until they no longer […]

The IRS released Notice 2010-19 clarifying new code section 2511(c). Remember, section 2511(c) became effective on Jan. 1, 2010 and will sunset with EGTRRA on Dec. 31, 2010.Section 2511(c) provides that a transfer in trust is a gift, unless it is made to a grantor trust. Some people had contended, by negative implication, transfers to grantor […]

I love the old Trained Flea story! I sometimes think I tell it too often. In case you haven’t heard it before, it’s the story about the guy who caught a flea, put the flea in a big, tall jar with a lid on it. The flea wanted out so he jumped and he jumped. […]

Anyone who is serious about building a consistent 7 figure estate planning law practice, or any legal practice for that matter, has probably heard that you need systems for every part of your firm. Systems for how you generate new business; systems for servicing existing clients; systems for drafting, editing and delivering estate plans; systems […]

The clock may be running out for two of the most widely-used advanced estate planning strategies: FLPs and GRATs. The Obama Administration recently announced its FY 2011 budget. As we know, this is important because it signals the direction the Administration intends to head with regulations or legislation. FLPs and GRATs are both under fire […]

Unfortunately, for many the answer is no. Most attorneys market their practices with a cardboard cutout voice that’s both phony and stiff. It’s not entirely their fault but the results are just as dreadful. Many of the smart little girls and boys who made it through our educational system and came out as licensed attorneys […]

A wise man once said that “many people are like the boatman – they row, but with their back at the future.” And in the case of managing a law firm, this couldn’t be more true. As attorneys, we often trudge forward, our eyes on the next client, the next case or collecting the next […]

This is something that gets your attention and makes your heart sink and race at the same time. The idea of “cancer in a business” is somewhat dramatic and I am not even talking about certain people in a business who are “toxic.” I am talking about things in the business that are broken but […]

I was reading Money magazine recently when I came upon a wonderful resource for busy attorneys. As we all know, running a successful law practice can be stressful and all consuming, but taking time to nourish your brain with first rate material should be up there on the priority list right next to regular physical […]