Heckerling
Institute 2003
Reports from the event, as posted to the ABA-PTL List Serve |
Report #1- Software Vendors
back
to 2003 Table of Contents
As we have done in January for the last six years, and again with
the
permission of the University of Miami School of Law Center for Continuing
Legal Education, we will be posting to this list throughout the
coming week
highlights of the proceedings of the 37th Annual Philip E. Heckerling
Institute on Estate Planning that is being held January 6-10, 2003
at the
Fontainebleau Hilton Resort and Towers in Miami Beach, Florida.
Our on-site local reporters there in Miami this year will be identified
as
their reports are received and published:
We also will be posting the full text of this year's Reports on
the ABA
RPPT Section's Web site, as we have since the 2000 Institute. Those
Reports can be found at URL
http://www.abanet.org/rppt/meetings_cle/heckerling/home.html. In
addition,
each Report can also be accessed at any time from the ABA-PTL Discussion
List's Web-based Archive at URL http://mail.abanet.org/archives/aba-ptl.html.
A complete listing of the proceedings and speakers is available
on the
Institute's Web site.
The URL for that site is http://www.law.miami.edu/heckerling.
===================================================
REPORT NO. 1 - Tuesday, January 7, 2003
The following report has been filed concerning the software vendors
who are
in the Exhibit Hall this year and other technology news by our on-site
Reporter, Jason Havens Esq. of Destin, Florida, the creator of the
Legal
Research for Estate Planners Web site (http://www.jasonhavens.net):
This report covers the software and some other vendors who are
exhibiting
at the Institute. The number of software and other vendors at the
2003
Institute has grown to 106. The software vendor list this year includes,
in
alphabetical order:
Advance Choice/Docubank
Advanced Planning Solutions, LLC
BNA/Tax Management, Inc.
Brentmark Software, Inc.
CCH INCORPORATED
CEPAC Communications
Connect2A.com
Crescendo Interactive, Inc.
Datatech Software
Eidelman Associates/WINDRAFT
Estate Works
EVP Systems, Inc.
Fast-Tax Trust Services
FASTER Systems, LLC
The Lackner Group, Inc.
LAWGIC, LLC
LexisNexis
Lynx Software
PG Calc Incorporated
Power Presentations
ProBATE Software
ProDoc
Schumacher Publishing, Inc.
WealthCounsel, LLC
West
Zane & Associates, Inc.
zCalc, LLC
Following are the highlights from the "first round" among
the software and
other vendors. These highlights are generally classified in categories
that
will hopefully prove helpful to list members. Additional "rounds"
will
follow.
A. CALCULATION SOFTWARE:
1. Brentmark: Brentmark has an exciting new software that "does
a
comprehensive estate plan" known as the Kugler Estate Analyzer
(TM). The
program uses three steps: client information, assets & liabilities,
and
techniques. The program combines Brentmark's Estate Planning QuickView
and
Estate Planning Tools capabilities in that the user can perform
calculations
and illustrate planning techniques with flowcharts. However, the
new Kugler
program includes "Inter-related Planning Techniques" such
as GST trusts,
QPRTs, GRATs, CRTs, CLATs, sales to grantor trusts, FLPs, testamentary
charitable gifts, and more. The Kugler Estate Analyzer (TM) is advertised
at a price of $595 with a $199 annual maintenance fee.
Brentmark also offers the Pension & Roth IRA Analyzer, which
performs
minimum required distribution calculations and many others. Brentmark
has
introduced the Asset Transfers System, which tracks transferring
and
retitling assets for a client. The Asset Transfers System will populate
documents with the asset information entered once for a client.
Brentmark has also taken over the ownership and future support
and
maintenance of the US Trust EPlan and Form 706 programs.
Finally, Brentmark has developed its PFP Notebook (TM), which allows
the
user to create a personal financial plan for a client and can interact
with
other
Brentmark programs.
2. CCH: CCH has also introduced a comprehensive program known as
CCH
ViewPlan Advanced (TM). This program integrates the features of
the basic
CCH ViewPlan, Beneview, and Factuary modules. The user can calculate
and
illustrate more than twenty different asset transfer techniques
including
CRTs, NIMCRUTs, CLTs, GRTs, QPRTs, and SCINs. The graphical flowcharts
are
accompanied by built-in calculation logs. The program works seamlessly
with
other CCH products such as Enteract (TM) financial planning and
Pro System
fx (R) tax software programs, and uses Microsoft standards.
3. Thomson: Thomson has brought together various products and services.
Beyond West, Thomson now includes the Zane products: FAS (fiduciary
accounting), 706, 1041, 709, and Fiduciary Calendar. Thomson also
offers
the RIA products, including Warren, Gorham & Lamont's superb
treatises and
the various journals of that group, including Estate Planning.
4. zCalc: zCalc's Tool Box illustrates most estate planning techniques.
Unlike other programs, zCalc can be customized by changing the Tool
Box
templates or the actual functions in the function library. zCalc
is still
one of the most reasonable programs of its kind at $295 for the
initial
purchase and $150 per year thereafter.
B. DRAFTING SOFTWARE:
1. WealthCounsel: WealthCounsel is again a popular booth. The
WealthCounsel drafting system includes various practice systems
built on the
HotDocs (R) document assembly platform. WealthCounsel includes more
practice systems than most other drafting systems, from trusts to
FLPs to a
comprehensive charitable system that even features private foundations.
WealthCounsel membership also includes a list serve, continuing
education,
and an impressive knowledge base. For all of this, users pay a rather
costly price. An Institute special "competitive upgrade"
advertisement for
switching drafting systems offers three payment options: (a) $590
for 20
months; (b) $2,900 down plus $390 per month for 12 months; or (c)
$6,900
paid in full for the first year.
2. Lawgic: Lawgic has been revived from the brink of bankruptcy!
Bruce
Grewell, the new "captain" of Lawgic, intends to ensure
the survival of the
Lawgic program by updating the California, D.C., Florida, Georgia,
Maryland
& Massachusetts products. It is anticipated that the excellent
attorneys at
Holland & Knight will update all such products in the future.
Lawgic offers
wills, disability planning documents, and a number of trusts (from
revocable
inter vivos trusts to ILITs to various grantor trusts), as well
as ancillary
documents and client letters. Lawgic states that it will add states
in the
near future, including New York and Virginia.
3. ProDoc: ProDoc offers Ronald Lipman's will and trust forms,
the Florida
Lawyer Support Services, Inc. (FLSSI) probate and guardianship forms,
and
probate management and accounting software as a part of its Estate
Planning
Library, which is advertised at $95 per month. Other practice systems
are
available. The newest feature of ProDoc is the Small Office Suite,
which is
essentially a case management program (somewhat similar to Amicus
Attorney
or PCLaw) that affords contact management, calendaring, and time
billing
capabilities.
4. Eidelman Associates: EP Expert (TM) uses an underlying engine,
WinDraft,
to produce documents. A user can build his or her own document assembly
system with his or her own forms. This program also works with DOCS
Open or
iManage document assembly software.
5. Datatech: ThinkDOCS also allows a user to build his or her own
document
assembly system.
C. TRUST ACCOUNTING & RELATED ADMINISTRATION SOFTWARE:
1. Thomson: Fast-Tax gives the trust administration user the ability
to
produce tax forms. Fast-Tax interacts with Zane fiduciary accounting
software, which is also part of the Thomson group.
2. ProBATE Software: ProBATE Software offers fiduciary accounting
and tax
compliance software, as well as a new digital workflow program through
its
new related company, Ike.com.
3. FASTER Systems, LLC: FASTER software offers a single-entry system
for
fiduciary accounting.
4. EstateWorks: EstateWorks is a web-based system that tracks and
assists
with the preparation of estate administration cases. Users can "click"
through any part of the program and can see at a glance the status
of cases
and a checklist for each case. EstateWorks generates documents and
merges
data into MS Word and Adobe files.
5. Advanced Planning Solutions, LLC: FundingPro (TM) trust funding
software
system works similarly to the Brentmark software mentioned above.
Then
SettlementPro (TM) trust settlement software may be used during
the
post-mortem and disability administration of a trust. Both programs
run on
HotDocs (R) and are compatible with the WealthCounsel document assembly
(drafting) system.
D. APPRAISAL & VALUATION SOFTWARE:
1. Estate Valuations & Pricing (EVP) Systems, Inc.: EVP has
released a new
version of its excellent stock and bond valuation software.
2. Other appraisal and valuation vendors abound, and will be featured
later
as time permits.
E. RESEARCH SOFTWARE & SERVICES:
1. Lexis-Nexis: Lexis features numerous estate planning titles
in its
Estate Practice and Elder Law Library, including the University
of Miami
Philip E. Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning materials.
2. Thomson: West offers a number of estate planning research tools
as well.
F. MISCELLANEOUS VENDORS:
1. Foundation Source (TM): Foundation Source offers administration
services
for private foundations. These services include maintenance of governing
documents, tax filings, and grant processing and compliance. Investment
services are not included and are not intended in the scope of the
offered
services.
2. Connect2A.com: Connect2A.com allows estate planning professionals
to
network, and is evidently compatible with HotDocs (R) and thus loosely
affiliated with Advanced Planning Solutions, LLC and WealthCounsel,
LLC (all
in a row together).
3. CEPAC Communications: This company is also involved in marketing
services specifically for legal professionals.
If any vendors or any important developments were omitted that we
should
have mentioned, please stay tuned. We will attempt to cover all
items of
interest in future reports as time permits. Thank you.
__________________________________________
GENERAL INFORMATION:
Inquiries/Registration:
Philip E. Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning
University of Miami School of Law
Center for Continuing Legal Education
P.O. Box 248087
Coral Gables, FL 33124-8087
Telephone: 305-284-4762 / FAX: 305-284-6752
Web site: www.law.miami.edu/heckerling
E-mail: heckerling@law.miami.edu
===========================================
Headquarters Hotel - Fontainebleau Hilton
4441 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach, FL 33140
Telephone (305) 538-2000, FAX (305) 674-4607
==================================================
NOTICE: Although audio tapes of all of the substantive session
at the Miami Institute currently are only made available to Institute
registrants for purchase, the entire proceeding of the Institute
are
published annually by Lexis/Nexis. For further information, go to
their Web site at http://www.lexisnexis.com/productsandservices.
The text of these proceedings is also available on CD ROM from
Authority On-Demand by LexisNexis Matthew Bender. For further
information, contact your sales representative, or call (800) 833-
9844, or fax (518) 487-3584, or go to http://www.bender.com,
or write to Matthew Bender & Co., Inc., Attn: Order Fulfillment
Dept.,
1275 Broadway, Albany, NY 12204.
______________________________________________________
Brought to you by the ABA-PTL Discussion List Moderators
URL for ABA-PTL searchable Web-based Archives:
http://mail.abanet.org/archives/aba-ptl.html
d
To search the ABA-PTL archives online or manage your subscription,
go to
http://mail.abanet.org/archives/aba-ptl.html
back
to 2003 Table of Contents
|
