If you’re an estate planning lawyer, few things can be as difficult as convincing an individual or family to think about estate planning before an emergency forces action. Maybe you’ve tried persuading potential clients by citing case history, changing laws, or examples from your own family.
Every time, without fail, they leave your office with a “Thank you for your time, we’ll sure give this some thought!” And you know you won’t see them again until the wife has signs of advanced-stage dementia and it’s too late for a power of attorney to be appointed.
At that point, you’ll sigh and get to work. This could have been avoided two years ago, had the family listened. Now, you’re handling an emergency at the last moment, with maximum stress, sorrow, and family tension.
Ideally, you’d like to see far fewer cases like this. So let’s break down why this happens, how to turn hesitant conversations around, and the best ways to broadcast your value to a potential, skeptical client.
Most people, in all truthfulness, don’t like focusing on death or loss. The idea frightens them. Perhaps there’s a bit of magical thinking involved here, on a subconscious level: “If I don’t talk about this, it won’t happen”.
Or, they may simply not relish the thought of inventorying their possessions and trying to decide who gets what. Having those kinds of conversations, even internally, may involve wrestling with the realities of strained relationships, sibling rivalries, how to be fair to adult children, and who may feel left out.
On the more optimistic side, some families simply assume, “Oh, these problems won’t happen to us. We love each other, it’s just material possessions, anyway, and everything will work out!”
They imagine family members peacefully rummaging through their home to gather their favorite knick-knacks and parting with a handshake as everyone agrees, amicably, what to do with the 2,500-square-foot family home.
In every situation, you need a way to break through to potential clients who are too uncomfortable, too afraid of offending the living, or too optimistic to consider the challenges their families may face.
There are a few helpful ways to begin to help a potential client understand the benefits, not only of a will and trust, but of power of attorney documents and medical directives, too.
One lawyer I’ve done editing for has a unique system: she simply asks “What would happen…” questions.
All of these are realistic scenarios that can get the imagination working and allow you to introduce a living will, power of attorney designations, and a tailored trust, and explain exactly what those tools can help accomplish.
No one appreciates complexity, drama, or confusion, especially in the midst of an already stressful illness or loss. Handing people the tools to mitigate those situations before they occur, right there in your office, can be a powerful way to help make a connection between a problem and a helpful document.
In other cases, it can be helpful to simply ask a client, What would you like to see happen for your family once you pass away? Or What are the places or causes you value most? What has made you happiest over the years?
This simple, gentle approach can help a client visualize their ideal asset plan, visualize long-term family harmony, and put their own wishes and hopes first.
Because an estate plan isn’t about making each relative happy. Instead, it’s about ensuring your client’s assets are protected, valued, distributed meaningfully, and can create a personal legacy that matters.
The next step? Get out from under the busywork that can keep you from communicating your true worth.
Next, you need the free time to truly work carefully, in depth, and personably with the families and individuals you’re representing. Because understanding their family dynamics, private concerns, and actual wishes for their estate can take time, multiple conversations, and trust-building.
To free up those hours, you need reliable, daily administrative support. Because you can’t have the kinds of attorney-client conversations you need to have about the future when a mountain of tasks is looming in the distance. No matter how professional, caring, and dedicated, you’ll still find yourself task-switching and potentially distracted.
And this is where an ILA from DocketWorks can be truly helpful. Document drafting, billing, e-filing, and keeping track of appointments and deadlines. All handled.
10 to 40 hours’ worth of work per week has now been delegated to a fellow lawyer trained to support your practice. Freeing you to have far more meaningful, insightful conversations. And those in-depth conversations build client trust, relationships, and the mutual understanding to do excellent, tailored planning work for families.
Clients can now genuinely understand your value, not only because of the estate planning tools you provide, but because of the time, attention, care, and personal trust you offer. No towering, impersonal corporate firm can compete with that.
All because you cleared off your desk with one hire.
Helping potential clients visualize the future and the solutions you’re offering is only the first step. The next is to make sure you have someone available when you work to dedicate the extra time, focus, and planning that truly makes your firm not only competitive, but stand-alone.
Interested in learning how an ILA could benefit your estate planning firm? Get in touch with Parke Parker for a Discovery Call today.
And for help with innovative, AI-ready attorney marketing that keeps your true voice, reach out to our sister company, Speakeasy Authority Marketing.
Grace Singh is a writer and editor for DocketWorks. She enjoys bridging services and client needs in ways that are meaningful, memorable, and human-focused, even as technology continues to change. When she’s not at her home office, she enjoys nature walks, reading, and brewing coffee.