Even for lawyers, handling an entire estate is a complicated process. Unfortunately for trustees, many lawyers are behind the times when it comes to technology and handling the ins and outs of an estate case.
Not only is it up to an estate lawyer to handle all of the legal matters in an estate, but they are also the support system to answer questions that beneficiaries and trustees have in regards to how assets are dispersed. This post will help introduce readers to technology that will help in the management of property and estate cases so that law firms and their clients don’t wind up left behind.
Accessibility Matters
In a post-Covid 19 environment, lawyers and clients have had to learn how to adapt to new meeting conditions in order to get business down. If a firm is continuing with phone and in-person meetings, then there is likely a gap in communication that is forming.
Many people are still hesitant to do business in person due to the possible health risks. Beyond that, people don’t have the time they once had to sit in on meetings in person just to handle minuscule amounts of business. The same technology that is facilitating remote work and meetings in other industries is viable in legal work as well. Law firms need to embrace video conferencing and other accessibility technology to meet the needs of their clients.
Improve Productivity
This one area where all legal groups could benefit but one that is sorely underutilized. Getting things done is the backbone of any effective law firm, none more so than in a trust and estate firm.
Document drafting technology and automated software integrations go hand in hand when it comes to producing large bundles of complex documents for clients. Automation in particular can speed along the process of creating routine documents for clients to sign and to keep records as up to date as possible. This is crucial in the area of estate law as beneficiary age and other factors determine eligibility for funds, among other things.
Make Legal Work More Efficient
Part of the job of any lawyer is doing legal research. There are now more technological tools than ever to help with legal research. Using these tools can drastically cut down on the amount of time spent researching new estate laws, tax codes, and other information relevant to an individual’s estate case.
E-sign technology, cloud storage, and a number of other technological assets can all help improve productivity and get jobs done quicker and with better results. Technology isn’t just emailing and text messaging anymore. There are tools that can positively impact nearly every area of an estate law practice.
Final Thoughts
We tried to include some of the more useful tips and technologies out there specifically to help with trust and estate cases. There are plenty more options and solutions out there to try and certainly something suited to each individual need. We hope this post has been helpful in providing ideas for potential solutions for lawyers.