Summer vacation is almost over and as we get back into work mode, it’s a good time to refresh your memory and refocus your professional goals. There’s no better way to do this than to join the WealthCounsel community. Not only will you be a part of a nationwide community of professional attorneys, but you’ll also have access to unrivaled practice support and, of course, our intelligent document drafting software.

Running your own legal practice can be daunting for any attorney, but it can be especially difficult for new and transitioning estate planners. This may be due, in part, to the knowledge gap between what attorneys learn in law school and what they need to know in order to run a law practice. To fill these gaps, it’s important to educate oneself on what the current best practices are (so they can be implemented), as well as what the common pitfalls are (so they can be avoided). Here are some basic tips for fresh-faced law graduates or transitioning attorneys looking to build their own estate planning practice.

The number one reason that estate plans fail is because they are outdated.

As attorneys, we know that the law and our clients’ lives are constantly changing, and our ability to solve client problems is better when we regularly monitor, maintain, and adjust estate plans. An effective plan goes beyond documents and includes a thorough understanding of the assets owned, family relationships, client’s wishes, and health and personal circumstances of the client and their beneficiaries.