By Kristina Schneider, Practice Success Coach Thanks to the over 43 years of success of our affiliated law firm—Kavesh, Minor & Otis—we have found it vitally important to periodically meet with each employee (even ones that may be part-time or independent contractors) to review their job performance and set clear and defined goals. Once you do these reviews on a regular basis, you will be amazed how much more motivated and productive your staff will be! We do these reviews semi-annually—at the beginning of January and again in the middle of July, rather than just once a year. We do…
Journey to the Third Question: Navigating Planning for Those with an Alzheimer’s or Dementia Diagnosis
By Julieanne E. Steinbacher, J.D., CELA, LL.M. The estate planning and elder law fields need specific planning options geared at not just the legal documents but the aging and health care network that exists. Gone are the days when people seek out a “general practitioner.” Today, clients demand specialized providers and best-in-class care, with elder law being no different. As attorneys in estate planning and elder law, we can make a positive impact in our communities by providing the very best planning for individuals, family members and caregivers of those with a dementia or Alzheimer’s diagnosis. For my central Pennsylvania…
Use the Right “Google Bait” to Attract Great Estate Planning Clients
By Foster Web Marketing Who is your website designed for? It sounds deceptively simple, but this is a big question. If you think about and make a website like a lawyer, you’re probably only going to attract the attention of other lawyers. But, if you shift your thinking and your website toward what makes sense to the people you actually serve, you’ll attract your “perfect clients.” Too many lawyers write their content and develop their websites without those perfect clients in mind. And their ability to get great cases and clients suffers for it. So, if you want better leads…
Conduct a Successful 2025 “Kick-Off” Meeting with Your Firm
By Philip J. Kavesh, J.D., LL.M. (Taxation), CFP®, ChFC, California State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law I’ve found that the best way to ensure a successful new year is to start off with a big stride in the right direction, by holding a firm “kick-off” meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to establish clearly defined goals for the year, outline the implementation process and get everyone on board, excited and motivated! It also provides an action checklist that you and your firm can periodically refer back to during the year, so you stay on…
Dear President-Elect and New Congress: Please Fix the IRC Section 199A Pass-Thru Business Deduction Injustice Done to Lawyers, Accountants and Financial Planners
By Steven J. Oshins, Esq., AEP (Distinguished) The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 included an IRC 199A pass-thru business deduction that has been really nice for a whole lot of business owners. This deduction allows certain business owners to deduct 20% of their Qualified Business Income. However, not every taxpayer can receive this deduction. For a married couple with taxable income of no more than $315,000 (adjusted for inflation) and for an unmarried individual with taxable income of no more than $157,500 (adjusted for inflation), there are minimal rules and the 20% federal income tax deduction is available….