by Francis Burton Doyle, Esq., WealthPLAN
1. Be available and responsive to your clients’ requests.
First and foremost, your clients are your number one responsibility. Your firm and practice exist because of the trust your clients have placed in you, your staff and your services. Client care is the number one goal for each contact your clients have with you and your staff. Never forget that. Estate planning and family challenges arise at unpredictable moments, be ready to respond.
2. Provide excellent solutions and service.
Your practice needs to be relationship-driven. Provide each client with a level of service that always exceeds his or her expectations. From one family to the next, generation upon generation, your referral system and growth depend on the integrity and value that your firm delivers to your clients. The result of this kind of commitment is that the client and their family will be protected long after their matter has been closed.
3. Answer all the questions for as many times as you need to do so.
Educating your clients about all matters of estate planning provides the structure for a lifelong association with your firm. Encourage both the client and family members to ask questions, be proactive (vs. reactive) and answer each question thoroughly and in a timely manner. Provide each client with a complete understanding of the issues affecting their matter. Respond to inquiries promptly and make every effort to meet client deadlines and deliver on time.
4. Stay on top of your game.
Remember sophisticated estate planning requires a multi-level analysis and the ability to understand the tax implications of any advanced planning technique. In addition to law degrees, many attorneys need to hold advanced degrees in taxation to allow them to navigate with precision, “The 5 Infernos of Tax”, including the gift tax, estate tax, income tax, generation-skipping tax, and real property tax. Stay connected to all the legal updates, training/seminars, current events and challenges to the law that affect your client base.
5. Get help when you need it.
If you examine the clients matter and determine through detailed analysis that you need more specialized counsel to handle the issue, refer the case to a more appropriate attorney. Make sure your client has the most knowledgable and highly specialized representation available. Develop a team of trusted advisors and specialists such as CPA’s, litigation specialists, insurance specialists, etc. who may collectively approach a complex estate or wealth preservation matter. Learn to work with other attorneys, accountants, insurance and asset management professionals as part of an advisory team, dedicated to achieving the client’s individual goals and objectives.
Quote to Ponder
“Talent is insignificant. I know a lot of talented ruins.
Beyond talent lie all the usual words:
discipline, love, luck, but, most of all, endurance.”
~James Baldwin, Paris Review
About the Author:
Francis Burton Doyle, Esq., is the founder of WealthPLAN, with over 30 years of experience in Tax, Estate-Planning Probate, Trust Administration and Litigation. He is Certified Legal Specialist in Taxation Law and Probate, Estate Planning and Trust Law (California State Bar). Frank is the Past President of both the Santa Clara County Estate Planning Council & the Silicon Valley Planned Giving Committee. Frank is also the Past Chair of the Annual Jerry A. Kasner Symposium, Planning Committee, Santa Clara University, School of Law. Mr. Doyle provides all the course development and instruction for the Advanced Legal Training Institute.
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