The modern way to practice estate planning law.

Law firms that practice estate planning know this can be a tricky area of law to master. Providing a reassuring client experience is hugely important for estate planning attorneys, but you also need a solid grounding in the law. Estate planning can be complicated, with updates to the Probate Code and federal and state tax laws changing the legal framework you need to work in. Plus, the volume of estate planning documents means there's a lot to stay on top of.

The goal of estate planning is to make things more streamlined and mess-free after a client’s death, but if you don't get estate planning right, it can do the exact opposite. Estate planning law requires a thoughtful approach to distributing a decedent’s assets at their death. Still, there are other considerations to consider, including advanced healthcare directives, financial durable power of attorney, and healthcare power of attorney, to name just a few.

With so many potential scenarios to consider, it's easy for inefficiencies to creep into your intake process and for details to fall through the gaps. That's why this area of law is prime for automation.

Gavel is a software platform that can revolutionize the estate planning process, making document generation and document assembly easier than ever to improve client service and cut down on administrative tasks.

Gavel lets you build questionnaires that clients fill in themselves, reducing your data entry tasks and making client intake easier. Info bubbles, drop-down explanations, and even embedded videos help to guide your clients through the process, capturing that essential client information and improving client communications. Then, once the client data is captured, you or your client can press a button in Gavel to transform these questionnaires, also known as workflows, into fully completed legal documents, saving the time-consuming process of drafting documents every time you take on a new client.

For example, you can have Gavel take in a client's name, Social Security number, names of spouses, children, and other heirs, and a list of assets, and import all that into a will template with just a few clicks.

Our automation tools offer more than just client intake forms and document generation. Gavel also allows you to productize legal services, letting you offer estate planning services online and boosting profitability by creating an avenue for passive income.

‍The estate planning process involves a lot of repetitive information input. Your estate planning law firm may spend lots of time inputting information like a client's name, date of birth, spouse's name, home address, and list of heirs into many different documents and software systems.

This is more than just time-consuming. These repetitive tasks come with a greater risk of errors, as each time you enter the relevant information into a form, you may get something wrong.

Although every estate planning client is different, a lot of the base language and organization of a trust, for example, is very similar, making it ideal for automation.

Document automation software like Gavel can help.

‍Smart document creation allows you to capture client information just once, and then populate it to all the forms you need in whatever formats you require. You'll spend less time on routine tasks like document drafting, freeing you up to focus on those all-important client interactions, enhancing client relationships, and allowing you to reach out to new potential clients. You’ll also have more time to spend on the actual substantive complexities of estate planning law instead of being bogged down by low-level drafting or gathering information.  Plus, you'll have the peace of mind of knowing none of the estate planning details are slipping away.

‍Make drafting even quicker with our various no-set up automated forms. For example, we offer a CA EP Package (with Trust) for a Couple that will automatically generate:  

These pre-built workflows save you from having to start from scratch, but the output documents are fully customizable, so you can replace provisions as needed and respond to individual client needs.

Already have templates that work for you? Gavel's AI tool, Blueprint, can scan your templates, find fillable fields, and suggest questions for your questionnaire so that you can create a new workflow based on your existing template. Then, you can send the question to your client to complete, and convert the completed document into a legal work product ready to be signed. This streamlines the automation process even further, freeing up time for legal professionals to focus on legal work instead of data entry.

Gavel can:

Gavel has a range of features that make it ideal for your estate planning practice:
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Several law firms have taken advantage of Gavel to better serve their clients.

For example, Indiana law firm Troyer & Good uses Gavel to automate client intake and document drafting. They have been able to automate the creation of wills, trusts, healthcare directives, powers of attorney, and court pleadings, using our legal tech to save drafting time and spend more billable hours on client management and client service.

‍“We love the responsiveness of the support team!” says partner Tracy Troyer of Gavel’s customer support.

We surveyed 30 estate law planning firms and found that, on average, our software saves them more than seven hours of drafting and hours of personal consultations.

Gavel can save up to 90% of your time drafting documents, revolutionizing how you practice estate planning law.

Gavel offers you:

Here are some of the ways automation can transform estate planning:

Gavel can streamline your law practice and remove a significant portion of the routine tasks involved in estate planning law, freeing you up to focus on client relationships and attracting more business. Plus, Gavel helps you productize legal services to reach a whole new client base.

Easy-to-use client portals guide clients through managing their estate, improving client satisfaction and making estate planning easier than ever.

‍Give Gavel a free try to see what it can do for your legal practice.