The problem
A trust can only be designed and funded around assets the attorney knows about, so the firm needs deeds, recent account statements, life insurance and retirement beneficiary forms and any old wills or trusts. They arrive by email, in a folder at the meeting, or not at all. If a firm takes on 12 new plans a month and a paralegal spends 2 hours on each asking, sorting and chasing, that's 24 hours a month.
What the AI does
PracticePanther's Business plan adds intake forms, and every plan has a secure client portal where, PracticePanther says, clients can view updates, upload documents and message the team. After the engagement letter is signed, the client completes a short form listing which asset types they have: real estate, bank and brokerage accounts, retirement accounts, life insurance, business interests and existing estate documents. The paralegal turns the answers into a checklist and the client uploads each document to the portal instead of emailing it. The paralegal checks the uploads and messages the client about gaps, and the attorney reviews the full set before the design meeting.
A worked example
An illustrative example built from typical figures, not a named business.
A two-attorney estate planning firm in Richmond, Virginia, takes on about 12 new trust plans a month. It moves one attorney and its paralegal to PracticePanther Business, sends the asset form and portal invitation with each engagement letter, and checks uploads a week before the design meeting.
Before
2 hours a client asking for, sorting and chasing documents: 24 hours a month
After
About 1 hour a client checking uploads and messaging about gaps: 12 hours a month
What it's worth
About $420£316€376A$606C$594 a month of paralegal time, against $178£134€159A$257C$252 for two Business seats. Saving 1 hour on each of 12 clients is 12 hours, at an assumed $35£26€31A$51C$49 an hour. Business is $89£67€80A$128C$126 per user a month billed annually or $99£74€89A$143C$140 monthly; if the firm already runs on PracticePanther Business there is no extra cost.
How to set it up
- Write the asset form so it asks which kinds of assets the client has and where they are held, not account numbers or balances.
- Send the form and portal invitation with the signed engagement letter, with a one-page guide to uploading from a phone.
- Turn each client's answers into a checklist in the matter, and tick off each upload as it arrives.
- Message the client a week before the design meeting about anything missing, and offer a call for clients who struggle with the portal.
- Have the attorney review the uploaded documents before the meeting, especially existing beneficiary designations that may override the new plan.
What goes wrong
- Beneficiary forms and joint ownership pass outside the will and trust. If one is missing, the plan can look complete while a large account goes elsewhere.
- Clients sometimes upload a spouse's or parent's documents. In joint planning for spouses, the attorney must address joint representation and confidentiality under the state bar's rules.
- Intake forms are on Business, not Solo or Essential, and PracticePanther is priced per user.
- Statements and deeds are client confidences. Keep them in the portal, not personal email, and limit who in the firm can open each matter.