The 2025 Heckerling Institute was held in-person (and virtually) in Orlando on January 13-17 and marked the conference’s 59th year. The Phillip E. Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning is the nation’s premier conference for estate planning professionals, offering unparalleled educational and professional development opportunities for all members of the estate planning team. Over the course of the conference’s five days, numerous timely topics of interest to estate planners of all designations—including, but not limited to, attorneys, trust officers, accountants, charitable giving professionals, elder law specialists, wealth management professionals, and nonprofit advisors. As they have done for many years, the American…
Fight Back Against “Commoditization” and Low-Priced Competition
By Philip J. Kavesh, J.D., LL.M. (Taxation), CFP®, ChFC, California State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law The estate planning profession, and in particular the basic Living Trust-centered practice, has been hammered by new challenges. There’s the proliferation of Internet “zoom” document providers and do-it-yourself trust kits (Suze Orman and the like). There are non-attorney trust mills increasingly grabbing market share (often in violation of the state statutes prohibiting the unauthorized practice of law). And there are bargain-priced, low-end attorneys (many of whom have jumped aboard the Living Trust craze from other areas of the law)…
Keeping Your Law Firm’s Digital Presence Current in a Fast-Moving World
By Foster Web Marketing Just like your wardrobe, your law firm’s digital presence needs regular updates to stay current. But unlike fashion, where the stakes might be a few awkward glances at a networking event, falling behind in the digital world can cost you valuable clients. You wouldn’t show up to meet a potential client wearing a suit from 1995. Yet many estate planning attorneys are essentially doing just that with their websites—presenting their professional services in an outdated digital package that makes potential clients think twice about reaching out. The world of web technology is changing at breakneck speed,…
Do You Hate Marketing?
By Kristina Schneider When it comes to the idea of marketing, most lawyers cringe. For many lawyers, marketing seems tacky, unprofessional, and perhaps even “beneath” them. They didn’t study for countless hours and pay thousands of dollars to get all those degrees and credentials behind their name to then be bothered with the idea of marketing. But, here’s the reality. If you run your own practice, you are a business owner. And, if you’re a business owner, marketing is essential to the success and, frankly, the survival of your practice. Marketing your business doesn’t mean you have to go out and…
Will the Federal Estate and Gift Tax Exemption Drop In Half at the End of 2025?
By Steven J. Oshins, Esq., AEP (Distinguished) I provided a similar analysis in a LinkedIn post in December of 2024. This article will expand that post, and with a similar conclusion. 2025 Tax Act? The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 doubled the federal estate and gift tax exemption with inflationary increases thereafter. With Donald Trump winning the presidential election and the Republicans winning control of both the Senate and the House, it is extremely likely that there will be a 2025 tax act that will include, among other things, an extension of the current federal estate and gift…
Top Mistakes Attorneys Make Marketing Their Seminars
By Kristina Schneider Many estate planning attorneys think that seminars don’t work—for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons may be valid, but the most common reason that I find when I talk to estate planning attorneys is they say, “I tried it and they didn’t work.” It’s then that we begin to have a discussion about how they went about marketing it and as we begin to look into things further, it is clear to me why they don’t think that seminars work. Worse yet, for some attorneys, I have found that when we actually reviewed the return…
Unlocking Growth Potential with Virtual Assistants: A Guide for Law Firm Owners
By Traba Legal The modern law firm landscape demands efficiency, adaptability, and innovative solutions to remain competitive. Among the game-changing strategies many law firms have adopted is the use of Virtual Assistants (VAs)—remote professionals who provide a range of administrative and specialized services. Today, VAs have become a mainstream option for firms looking to streamline their operations and focus on core goals. This article explores the growing trend of Virtual Assistants, their benefits, and why law firms should consider leveraging services like Traba Legal to maximize efficiency and scale effectively. What Are Virtual Assistants and How Do They Work? Virtual…
Look Inside Your Practice for the Answers, Not Outside
By David Giuliano, Business Coach Whether you’re a new solo practitioner or have many years running a practice under your belt, often the biggest problems you face in the workplace reflect some confusion or lack of clarity you carry inside of yourself. You may have some clear goals: Make more money. Find ways to grow the practice. Work less (or more!). Have more satisfaction and peace of mind. The problem is, you’re having trouble achieving them, but don’t know why. You know something’s wrong: wrong staff, wrong marketing, wrong economy, etc. But the real reason may not be what you…
What Estate Planners Get Wrong About Their Homepage
By Foster Web Marketing Most estate planning attorneys assume that their homepage should be the page that comes up in search for every single keyword they want to be found for. The plain reality of the situation, though, is that you can’t do everything with just one page. This is such a pervasive issue in estate planning marketing. Nearly everyone assumes that all their visitors will come in through the “front door,” or homepage, of their website. Their designers put a load of emphasis on it. They use all their best images, calls to action, content, links, and ideas on…
7 Tips for Making More Appointments – – Right at a Seminar!
By Philip J. Kavesh, J.D., LL.M. (Taxation), CFP®, ChFC, California State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law Many seminar speakers forget (or don’t realize) that the main goal of a seminar is not to educate, but to motivate the attendees to make appointments with you before they leave the seminar! Our goal is always to make appointments with a minimum of 80% of the “units” attending (husband and wife equal one unit). That may be a lofty goal for you to begin with, but you should at least shoot for an initial appointment rate of 50%. …