Some of the names of and links to client care programs for estate and life care planning from firms we know or found online are listed below.  (Also know Premier can provide a firm branded web based ‘client app’ that is a great addition to any paid or unpaid client care, continuing relationship program. see info and image below}

Membership Program names carry a concept.  For example, the ‘Poyner Plan’ the unique service from the firm.  A good physician practices preventative medicine. At the Poyner Law Firm, we practice preventative law. Our job is to anticipate problems and have the legal mechanisms to resolve them in place before the IRS, disappointed relatives, and trial attorneys begin to circle your estate.’

Poyner Plan – Poyner Law Firm Los Gatos, CA   link  only available to protected clients https://poynerlaw.com/protected-clients-only/

Continuing Legal Care Plan  – Johnson, McGinnis TN https://www.tn-elderlaw.com/continuing-legal-care-plan

R-way – Wilson law firm in Madison, WI https://wilsonlawgroup.com/rway-trust-care-program/

Life Bridge – Weatherby & Associates Hartford, CT https://weatherby-associates.com/lifebridge-program

POM’s  Vincent Russo New York    https://vjrussolaw.com/peace-of-mind/

PALMS – Lou Pierro, NY,NJ MA FL  https://www.pierrolaw.com/?alb_elements=palms

Life Plan John Preston  San Diego CA https://www.prestonestateplanning.com/create-maintain-administer/

Yourlawyers4life Victor Medina Pennington, NJ https://www.jerseyestateplanning.com/why-estate-plans-fail/

Family Care Program – John Heck Alexandria, VA https://www.legacylawyers.org/FCP

Auto-Pilot Planning  Joshua Dorcey FL https://www.dorceylaw.com/practice-areas/auto-pilot-planning-program/

SAVeT™ –  Vincent E. Bonazzoli Lynfield, MA –  https://www.feplg.com/resources/savet-system/

TLC – David Zumpano – NY  https://eplawcenter.com/abTut-estate-planning-law-center/tlc-maintenance-program/

I learned the most about continuing estate and client care programs from Roger Poyner of the Poyner Law Firm in Los Gatos, CA

The Poyner Plan is the firms unique offering deveoped organically and active for over 40 years.The Poyner Plan Retainer Program started organically in 1978  A proprietary link is for ‘protected clients only’  When I worked with Roger he had 1400 clients on his retainer system.  Retainer because the emphasis is to retain the relationship with your attorney and not just maintaining documents. The system he invented and we further developed could produce in one day of processing, a package for of his each of 1400 clients. This consisted of an Annual Update Letter,  a multi-page ‘Exhibit A’ and a client invoice for the upcoming year.  The clients ‘Exhibit A’ identified people, their roles and a schedule of assets with appropriate legal language . Also provided are instructions on how to update and sign their Exhibit A’.

If ever needed the updated and signed Exhibit A was useful in support of a California Heggstad petition – used in California probate and trusts to transfer property into a trust after the death of the trust creator. It’s also known as an 850 petition, and is named after a 1993 California court case. The petition is used when a deceased person’s Living Trust doesn’t include a real property or asset, which can happen if the title of the property or asset isn’t legally transferred to the Living Trust.

Additional Resource Links

Vincent E. Bonazzoli Lynfield, MA –  https://www.clientcareacademy.com/

 Victor medina – https://premiersoftware.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/4.-ABA-Article-by-Victor-J-Medina-law-practice-today-not-your-fathers-law-firm.pdf  “This Isn’t Your Father’s Law Firm”—But Maybe It Should Be By Victor J. Medina July 2010 law practice today magazine.

 

Premier Software’s Estate and Life Care ‘Client App’

LIFE CARE CLIENT APP 1 PAGE INTRO

 

 

Now is a good time to ask your CIC about Lexis’ plans for Time Matters v13, PCLaw etc.  as most of us will be attending the annual CIC conference later this week Oct.17-18th.

Time Matters v13 has been announced and Lexis has integrated   WatchDox, a secure document ‘Client Portal’ as the main new feature.   Actually, WatchDox is more than a simple feature, it is an entirely new File/Synch/Share sub-system and a very capable one at that.

I understand the Time Matters Messenger feature has also been improved for better performance.  There are also details about the continuation of support for Billing Matters, but the discontinuation of support for the firm accounting portion, originally called Billing Matters Plus.

The primary new feature  ‘Client Portal Online File-Sharing’, links from within
Time Matters to WatchDox. This is an  enterprise level  ‘file,  synch and share’ solution and you not find WatchDox as a consumer product.  Documents will be hosted on secure Lexis servers.  WatchDox may be delivered several ways: using a desktop application; using a browser based web interface;  thru dedicated Smartphone apps and of course as integrated right from within Time Matters.

The unique attribute of WatchDox is its ability to set permissions at the document level, not just folder or user level. This allows better control over the shared users ability to view, print, download, forward and expire a shared document.  Permissions may be changed at any time, in real time.

WatchDox can serve as a faster and better way to share drafts, for example, of estate planning documents prior to actual document signing.  A watermark may be turned on and it may consist of two lines at the top, bottom or diagonally and can be set to include viewers name, email, date time, ip address or a custom text message.

The WatchDox Mobile apps include an Annotation icons to enable users  to some text,  or highlight a block of text or to add a note – all layered on top of the actual document. Another icon, the Mobile Editor, allows actual text editing.  Edits to documents are synched to your local copy automatically.  WatchDox can retain versions and versions may be easily viewed and restored.  Finally their appears to be a branding option, but my trial version required additional set-up.

My first impression of WatchDox is a very good one.  Hats off to Lexis for making this very advanced file/synch/share utility available right from within Time Matters.

Links:
What’s New Time Matters 13     and       

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