The Outstanding Success of an Estate Planning Attorney’s First Year in Practice

Interview of Attorney Leigh Cowden by Kristina Schneider, Practice Success Coach I had the opportunity to meet Leigh Cowden virtually through a Facebook group she formed called Lawyers Doing Seminars.  I followed a lot of her success and she gave me the opportunity to share some of our own seminar marketing tips with the group on one of their monthly Zoom sessions.  From there, she began to inquire with me about what we do and attended our Ultimate Level event in Dallas in May.  I have followed her progress over the past few months and she then shared with the…

Advisors Who Don’t Use Out-of-State Trusts: What Their Clients Get

By Steven J. Oshins, Esq., AEP (Distinguished) Most advisors stick to using their own home state’s trust laws and fail to take advantage of other states’ more favorable laws. This would be like forming business entities in your home state rather than going to traditional best states such as Nevada or Delaware. This analogy should put in perspective how much is lost for the client by failing to maximize the use of more favorable trust laws. What This Means for the Clients The clients of advisors who fail to use out-of-state trusts often can’t modify preexisting irrevocable trusts without going…

5 Tips for Building Your Estate Planning Referral Network

By Foster Web Marketing Many estate planning firms rely heavily on referrals—and, more often than not, those referred clients tend to be “perfect clients” for the firm. From the start, they’re already more inclined to hire you because they’ve been sent to you by their family or friends. They’ve already heard wonderful things about you and your staff, and they know that you’ve already helped people in situations similar to theirs. It should be absolutely no surprise that these are the types of leads that are most likely to convert into real clients and cases for your firm! A significant…

The Top 8 Mistakes Estate Planning Attorneys Make When Buying or Selling a Practice

By Philip J. Kavesh, J.D., LL.M. (Taxation), CFP®, ChFC, California State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law If you’re an estate planning attorney, like it or not, you will exit the practice of law someday. And I’m sure if you’ve already built a good practice, you would like to see a smooth, professional transition of your clients when the time comes, as well as maximize the financial return for all of your many years of hard work. If you’re an estate planning attorney who is still building your practice, you are probably looking for the cheapest…