Illustrative workflow example · Estate planning

How an estate-planning firm could put AI to work around its people.

A composed example of how we would study a small estate-planning practice, then recommend agent help for intake, lead follow-up, meeting notes and marketing analytics that help an experienced team decide what to do next.

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Illustrative example. The firm, people and outputs are fictional. This is not client work and shows no client results.

Step one

Understand the firm before touching a workflow.

A fictional six-person practice: two attorneys, a paralegal, an intake coordinator, a client relations lead and a marketing manager.

How they work

Every plan starts with a family conversation, not a form.
Attorneys walk into the first meeting already knowing the questions to ask.
No one is chased. A prospect who says no thanks hears nothing further.

How they sound

Warm and plain-spoken; short sentences.
Uses first names and the firm’s "we", never legal jargon in client messages.
Never creates urgency around death, illness or deadlines.

These notes, with approved letters and emails, guide every client-facing draft.

Recommendation

Agent support that builds on the team’s strengths.

We would support intake, follow-up and meeting notes, and give the experienced marketing manager an analytics agent: one that brings performance data together, explains patterns and recommends practical next steps. That includes SEO, local search, answer-engine optimization (AEO) and LLM visibility: how the firm appears in AI-generated answers, especially for people seeking estate-planning help nearby. The manager keeps strategy, relationships and decisions.

Illustrative workflow example: Harrow & Vale Estate Law (fictional)

Select a function to see the task, the output and the person responsible.

PeopleManaging attorneySets priorities, owns professional judgment and approves anything client-facing that carries legal meaning.

Client intake led by intake coordinator

People strength: Knows how to put a nervous family at ease on the first call.

Agent: Intake brief agent
Task: Reads the completed intake questionnaire and any documents the client uploaded, then prepares an attorney brief.
Output: A source-linked brief: family and asset overview, each point tied to the questionnaire answer it came from, plus suggested questions for the first meeting.
Human role: The paralegal checks the brief against the questionnaire; the attorney decides which questions to ask and gives all advice.
Exceptions: Missing or contradictory answers are listed for the paralegal rather than guessed at.

Client relations led by client relations lead

People strength: Writes follow-up notes people actually answer.

Agent: Lead follow-up agent
Task: Reviews open inquiries in the existing CRM and recommends a disposition for each: book, nurture, refer out or close.
Output: A daily recommendation list and, for leads gone quiet, outreach drafted from the firm’s approved message examples.
Human role: The client relations lead approves each recommendation and every message before it is sent.
Exceptions: Opt-outs are never contacted; likely duplicates are paired for a person to merge.

Attorney practice led by attorneys and paralegal

People strength: Careful drafting and long client relationships.

Agent: Meeting summary agent
Task: With client consent, summarizes recorded calls and meetings and matches each summary to the right matter.
Output: A draft summary with decisions, open items and follow-ups, filed to the matter only after a person confirms the match and the content.
Human role: The paralegal confirms the matter match; the attorney confirms the summary content. Nothing is filed before both checks.
Exceptions: Uncertain matches go to a person instead of being filed; errors are logged for review.

Marketing led by marketing manager

People strength: Seminars, newsletters and referral partners already work well.

Agent: Marketing insights agent
Task: Brings together approved campaign, website, seminar and CRM reporting with SEO reports, local business profile information and sampled AI answers. Reviews local search, answer-engine optimization (AEO) and LLM visibility alongside campaign performance.
Output: A source-referenced marketing brief with trends, data limitations and prioritized recommendations for content, local profiles and campaign tests, including gaps in location-specific AI answers.
Human role: The marketing manager checks the analysis, sets strategy and approves any content, campaign or spending changes.
Exceptions: Missing attribution, inconsistent periods and small samples are flagged. AI answer checks record prompt, platform, date and location context; mentions are not proof of leads. The agent does not change campaigns or profiles on its own.

Workflows

What each agent does, and where a person steps in.

Agents work alongside the firm’s existing CRM and calling tools. Connections are confirmed system by system before anything is promised.

Marketing performance to practical next steps

From Approved marketing, SEO, local profile and CRM reports, plus sampled AI answers to Prioritized recommendations for the marketing manager

SystemMakes agreed reports available from existing tools, where access is supported.
AgentCompares channels across aligned periods and reviews local search performance, business information and AI mentions or citations, linking observations to their sources.
AgentFlags data gaps and recommends content, local AEO and campaign tests. Records how AI answers were sampled and defines a way to evaluate each recommendation.
PersonThe marketing manager validates the analysis and decides what to test, publish or fund.

Intake questionnaire to attorney brief

From Completed intake questionnaire to Source-linked attorney brief and questions

SystemThe client completes the firm’s existing questionnaire.
AgentDrafts the brief, linking every point to the answer it came from.
AgentLists gaps and contradictions instead of filling them.
PersonThe paralegal checks the brief; the attorney prepares for the meeting.

Lead disposition and recovery

From Open inquiries in the CRM to Approved recommendations and outreach

AgentRecommends book, nurture, refer out or close for each inquiry.
AgentSkips opt-outs and pairs likely duplicates.
AgentDrafts recovery messages in the firm’s voice.
PersonClient relations approves, edits or declines before anything is sent.

Call and meeting summaries

From Authorized recordings to Confirmed summaries filed to the right matter

SystemOnly recordings the client has agreed to are available.
AgentSummarizes decisions, open items and follow-ups.
AgentSuggests the likely matter and flags any uncertain match.
PersonA person confirms the match and the attorney confirms the content; only then is it filed. Errors are logged and reviewed.

Sample outputs

What the team would review.

Fictional samples with no personal or client data. Each waits for a named person before it goes anywhere.

Attorney brief: new estate plan inquiryAwaiting paralegal review

Prepared from: Intake questionnaire, submitted Monday. Fictional sample, no real client data.

Family overview

Married couple, two adult children [Q4, Q5]
One child lives overseas [Q6]

Assets mentioned

Family home, jointly owned [Q11]
Small business interest [Q14]Check: ownership share left blank

Fictional questionnaire excerpts

Q4: Marital status: married.
Q5: Children: two adult children.
Q6: One adult child lives overseas.
Q11: Home ownership: jointly owned.
Q14: Business interest: yes. Ownership share: unanswered.
Q18: Existing will: not sure.

Lead follow-up recommendationsAwaiting client relations approval

Prepared from: Open inquiries in the CRM. Fictional sample, no real client data.

Not contacted

Inquiry D: opted out of messagesOpt-out
Inquiries E and F: likely the same personDuplicate

Human review: Client relations approves, edits or declines each item. Nothing is sent without approval.

Meeting summary: plan review callException: match uncertain

Prepared from: Authorized call recording. Fictional sample, no real client data.

Decisions

Clients want to name their daughter as successor trustee

Follow-ups

Attorney to send revised draft
Clients to confirm guardian choice

Matter

Two open matters share this surnameRouted to paralegal

Human review: The paralegal chooses the right matter. The attorney confirms the summary before it is filed.

Marketing brief: local visibility and follow-throughAwaiting marketing manager review

Prepared from: Fictional SEO, local profile, seminar, email and CRM reports, plus an illustrative AI-answer check—not a live audit. Fictional sample, no real client data.

Pattern to investigate

The sample registration report shows interest in the estate-planning seminar, but the CRM report leaves some inquiry sources blank.
Email clicks alone do not establish which campaign led to a consultation.Attribution gap

Recommended actions

Check campaign tags and inquiry-source capture before comparing channel performance.
Test a clearer consultation invitation in the post-seminar email, using the firm’s approved voice.

Local search, AEO and LLM visibility

Example query to review: “How do I choose an estate-planning attorney in [the firm’s city]?” Record the platform, date, location context, firm mentions and cited sources.
Compare the website, Google Business Profile and relevant directories for accurate office details, hours and services; route discrepancies to the manager.
Recommend a useful local service-page answer about the first consultation, supported by verified firm information and reviewed by an attorney.
Repeat the agreed query sample after approved changes. Compare mentions and citations separately from local profile actions and attributable consultations.No placement guarantee

How to evaluate

Agree a review period and compare consultation requests and bookings, not just opens or clicks. Flag small samples before drawing conclusions.

Human review: The marketing manager checks the sources and approves the test, wording and any budget changes. These are fictional recommendations, not reported results.

Keeping track

Where the firm’s tools allow, outputs could be grouped into a simple view:

Completed

Approved and filed or sent.

Awaiting approval

Prepared and waiting for the named person.

Exceptions

Uncertain or failed items routed to a person.

History

What was prepared, who approved it and what changed.

How an engagement runs

Readiness

Agree what “ready” means before routine use.

Example readiness check for the intake brief.

Testing compares drafts with real questionnaires, checks that every point links to its source and that gaps are flagged, and compares client-facing drafts with the firm’s approved writing. The reviewer records corrections and reviews the revised output. If a check fails, we resolve it or narrow the scope before approval; anything uncertain goes to a person, not to a client. Meeting summaries are filed only after a person confirms the matter match and the attorney confirms the content.

The firm’s named owner approves readiness before any workflow is put into routine use.

The design process

How we would shape this workforce.

How we shape a workforce around your firm

Open each step to see what happens and who leads it.

01Learn how your firm worksTB + Firm
We start with your methodology, ethos and the way you speak to clients. We also learn where your people are strongest, so agent help supports them instead of replacing what already works.
02Find where help mattersTB + Firm
We look at workflow problems and opportunities to strengthen what already works. For an experienced marketing team, that could mean analyzing performance and turning patterns into recommended actions. We scope support around the value it can add.
03Design the rules and checkpointsTB
We draft what each agent may read and do, where a person approves, and what happens with anything uncertain. You review our proposal; you do not have to design the automation yourself.
04Teach the agents your voiceTB
Every client-facing draft follows your approved examples and guidance. We test drafts against your voice before anything reaches a client.
05Approve and decideYour people
Your attorneys and staff approve client-facing work and make every professional judgment. Agents prepare; people decide.

What would this look like at your firm?

Start with a short introduction about your firm and the work you want to improve. If we’re a fit, a longer conversation can explore your workflows and where time is going.