It’s easy to to relax a bit when you have years of experience as an attorney. While your legal experience has helped you win clients and grow your estate planning practice in the past, today’s legal industry is evolving faster than ever — and attorneys who fail to adapt risk losing clients rather than winning them.

New technology and new competition are just two of many areas where attorneys need to adapt in order to retain clients, win new business and sustain a thriving practices. Refusal or failure to evolve with these trends in the industry will likely result in significant consequences for legal practices across the country.

Much of life follows the 80/20 rule. Also known as the Pareto Principle (named for the Italian economist who devised it), this formula calculates that 20 percent of your conversations are responsible for 80 percent of the profitability of the relationship. That holds true whether it’s business or personal.

Most states and territories require continuing legal education (CLE) for attorneys. Some specific practice areas and specialties also have their own CLE requirements. It can feel overwhelming when you first see the CLE hours required by your state bar. However, with a little preparation you can efficiently meet state CLE requirements while also accumulating new skills and techniques to enhance your estate planning practice. Here’s how: