Michael L. Graham,
Co-author &
CEO
Intuitive Estate Planning System
The major changes occurring in the legal industry are not related to law but technology. Although many practitioners in the estate planning field believe opportunities have diminished due to the vast increase in the estate tax exemption, technology has expanded the field - provided the attorney can deliver services promptly and inexpensively. InterActive Legal, headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, is a technology company offering products designed to allow estate planning and elder law attorneys to do just that.
Interactive Legal Suite (ILS) programs are co-authored by Jonathan Blattmachr, a former leader of the Trusts and Estates department at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, LLP, in New York, and Michael Graham, a prominent Texas estate planning attorney and President of Graham Law Firm, P.C., in Dallas. Nationally recognized as creative strategists and estate planners of the highest caliber, the founders are trailblazers in the profession who have shaped the foundation of the ILS programs, and remain actively involved in determining the program content. ILS has always provided the highest quality documents through a most sophisticated system. It offers forms (and, therefore, solutions) that are unique, and available nowhere else, alongside being completely customer centric. Today, the planning and drafting system is so robust and sophisticated, it helps attorneys in virtually every state tackle even the most complicated planning challenges with the utmost confidence.
" The future of the industry is so exciting, particularly with all of the rapid developments in AI that we are seeing, and will continue to see in the future. That is the reason the strong ILS team is so important – we focus on the future, today! "
The lawyers and staff at ILS always have put the needs of subscribers and their clients first. ILS studies developments in the law and offers opportunities and solutions before any other document assembly system. The client intake system used to build a specific set of planning documents for a client provides specific guidance to the attorney in an easy to understand manner. Virtually every option offered is accompanied by help text to provide the drafter with guidance to make the most appropriate choice for the client. In addition, the company’s listserv is constantly peppered with insightful questions which receive responses from the legal team at ILS as well as other subscribers.
The company takes pride in giving their subscribers tools that allow them to offer a comprehensive solution for their clients’ estate plans. Jonathan offered the following example: "A subscriber told us how much his clients appreciate our pet trust options. A pet trust will not be appropriate for every client, but for the clients to whom it applies, it shows that the estate planner really cares and understands what matters to them.” An additional benefit of the programs, says Jonathan, is enhanced efficiency. “A long-time subscriber recently joked that he might have to raise his hourly rates because our system allows him to be too efficient in terms of the time he spends drafting documents.”
InterActive Legal is, at its core, a knowledge company. Their future is fully focused upon the potential that technology offers in automating repetitive tasks and the role artificial intelligence (AI) can have to increase productivity for the subscribing attorney. Their goal is to continuously provide attorneys with sophisticated, but simple to use, tools to provide the highest possible value to their clients. “The future of the industry is so exciting, particularly with all of the rapid developments in AI that we are seeing, and will continue to see in the future. That is the reason the strong ILS team is so important – we focus on the future, today!” adds Michael. “We refuse to wait for those most experienced to retire; instead we elevate, as soon as possible, at every level in the company, the next generation of leadership and creative thought. This allows combining continued mentorship with multigenerational thought, leadership, and energy. As with estate planning itself, this multigenerational focus is the key. As an example, Vanessa Kanaga, currently InterActive Legal’s Director of Content Development, will soon step up to lead this highly functioning team. Continued expansion of the company and shaping the future of the practice, whatever that may hold, is our mission."
In addition to its role as a knowledge company within the estate planning and elder law arena, InterActive Legal is often lauded for its dedication to serving its subscribers. From prompt customer service and technical support to providing topical and timely webinars — [InterActive Legal sponsored a webinar on the Tax Cut & Jobs Act only two weeks after signed into law in December 2017] -- the team at ILS lives up to their tagline by enabling subscribers to Connect, Collaborate and Create.
Company
Management
Michael L. Graham
Co-author &
CEO
Description
InterActive Legal, headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, is a technology company offering products designed to allow estate planning and elder law attorneys to do just that.