Aug 21, 2026 · 11 min · 7 segments
***In his new Attorney at Work column, legal tech and practice management expert Jim Calloway helps us navigate today’s practice issues and opportunities with practical tips and big-picture thinking…
For starters, how about an estate planning organizer for small firm clients? Wouldn't it be positive if estate planning lawyers could ensure their clients kept their contact information readily available for when they want to discuss changes or when their heirs need the lawyer's assistance? Lawyers have used many techniques to position themselves to handle the probate or trust implementation when their clients pass away.
Long ago, lawyers bought envelopes pre-printed with last will and testament for delivering the final documents to clients, then used a typewriter to put the law firm's contact information on the outside of the envelope for quick reference.
Today's typical estate planning documents would require a binder rather than a letter-sized envelope.
Also, one of the worst ideas for storing the executed will and other documents is for the lawyer to retain the original executed documents.
Just ask anyone who has assisted with closing a deceased lawyer's practice and located a trove of executed original wills.
Finding a will executed decades earlier by, say, a couple now in their 70s, brings up many troubling issues including whether the couple has passed away and no one knew where to locate their wills.
The proper place for a will to be stored is in the client's safety deposit box or with their personal financial records.
Instead, what if you could provide your client with a useful system to organize their estate planning documents and other family financial records at essentially no extra cost to you or the client? Think of those estate planning organizers that are advertised online.
These include a set of labels for the consumer to attach to various folders.
They also provide instructions on how to thoroughly organize one's personal records and legal paperwork so that heirs can more easily handle things.
Some estate planning lawyers likely already provide organizers and other informative material to clients along with their completed estate plan.
Many law firms currently provide additional material accompanying executed estate planning documents.
But many couples, particularly those of retirement age, are inexperienced at records management and unsure what records to retain.
They might really appreciate a personal organization system, and even the most organized person might appreciate some guidance from your office.
Preparing even a basic organizer system from scratch would involve investing quite a few hours.
Some lawyers are very good at this type of thing, while others hire organizational assistants.
I used a single detailed but basic query, asking ChatGPT to assume the role of a professional who assists clients with estate planning.
I specified that these clients want to organize their personal and legal documents into physical file folders with labels.
ChatGPT's response began, I generally recommend a life and legacy binder, plus a small set of clearly labeled file folders.
The goal is not to store every document you own, but to create a roadmap to everything important.
It suggested up to 19 labeled physical folders, each with a list of items that should be included.
For starters, how about an estate planning organizer for small firm clients? Wouldn't it be positive if estate planning lawyers could ensure their clients kept their contact information readily available for when they want to discuss changes or when their heirs need the lawyer's assistance? Lawyers have used many techniques to position themselves to handle the probate or trust implementation when their clients pass away.
Long ago, lawyers bought envelopes pre-printed with last will and testament for delivering the final documents to clients, then used a typewriter to put the law firm's contact information on the outside of the envelope for quick reference.
Today's typical estate planning documents would require a binder rather than a letter-sized envelope.
Also, one of the worst ideas for storing the executed will and other documents is for the lawyer to retain the original executed documents.
Just ask anyone who has assisted with closing a deceased lawyer's practice and located a trove of executed original wills.
Finding a will executed decades earlier by, say, a couple now in their 70s, brings up many troubling issues including whether the couple has passed away and no one knew where to locate their wills.
The proper place for a will to be stored is in the client's safety deposit box or with their personal financial records.
Instead, what if you could provide your client with a useful system to organize their estate planning documents and other family financial records at essentially no extra cost to you or the client? Think of those estate planning organizers that are advertised online.
These include a set of labels for the consumer to attach to various folders.
They also provide instructions on how to thoroughly organize one's personal records and legal paperwork so that heirs can more easily handle things.
Some estate planning lawyers likely already provide organizers and other informative material to clients along with their completed estate plan.
Many law firms currently provide additional material accompanying executed estate planning documents.
But many couples, particularly those of retirement age, are inexperienced at records management and unsure what records to retain.
They might really appreciate a personal organization system, and even the most organized person might appreciate some guidance from your office.
Preparing even a basic organizer system from scratch would involve investing quite a few hours.
Some lawyers are very good at this type of thing, while others hire organizational assistants.
I used a single detailed but basic query, asking ChatGPT to assume the role of a professional who assists clients with estate planning.
I specified that these clients want to organize their personal and legal documents into physical file folders with labels.
ChatGPT's response began, I generally recommend a life and legacy binder, plus a small set of clearly labeled file folders.
The goal is not to store every document you own, but to create a roadmap to everything important.
It suggested up to 19 labeled physical folders, each with a list of items that should be included.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.
