Wills and Estates Software for Law Firms

Wills and estates software is the system of record for an estate practice. It centralises and manages every matter — wills, trusts, enduring powers of attorney, deceased estate administration and probate — securely and in one place. Cloud-based platforms like Clio let lawyers access matter and client information from anywhere, making it easy to meet families on their schedule or assist clients at home or in hospital.

Will and estate planning software streamlines client intake, organises matter detail, and simplifies billing across estate matters — wills, trusts, probate and estate administration. By cutting administrative work, it frees up wills and estates lawyers to focus on client relationships and personal service at what is often a difficult time for the family.

Wills and trusts software focuses on drafting and managing documents — wills, trusts and enduring powers of attorney. Broader wills and estates software covers the full matter lifecycle: client intake, matter management, billing and client communication. Both help firms manage client data and track progress; the difference is scope. Clio covers the full lifecycle, and connects with drafting tools where document automation is available.

• Custom fields — track beneficiaries, executors, asset registers, and key dates across every estate matter.
• Connects with your existing tools — sync client and matter data through the Clio app directory, including QuickBooks, Xero, DocuSign, and Google Drive.
• Centralised document management — wills, trust deeds, EPAs and grant paperwork in one secure place.
• Document automation — generate routine documents from firm templates.
• Flexible billing and payments — fixed fee or hourly
• Client intake and CRM — custom online intake forms via Clio Grow.
• Task and calendar management — deadlines, follow-ups and appointments.
• Secure client communication — encrypted sharing through Clio for Clients.

Yes. Clio Manage lets you charge fixed fees or bill hourly across estate matters. Set standard fixed fees for common services — simple wills, EPAs, advance care directives — using activity categories, and switch to hourly for complex trust or estate administration work.

With Clio Manage and Clio Grow you run the practice from one place: communicate with clients from anywhere, keep matters and documents organised, do more billable work, and make decisions from real data. Clio Grow lets you attract and retain clients online-  automating intake, booking consultations, and accepting online payments.

Yes, through Clio Grow, Clio’s intake and CRM tool. Build customised online intake forms for wills, trusts and EPAs, automate client communication, collect e-signatures securely, and manage scheduling, so onboarding is faster and more consistent.

Clio brings intake, document management, billing and task management into one platform, which cuts admin for wills and estates firms. It offers customisable fields for estate-specific detail, fixed-fee and hourly billing, and secure, encrypted client communication – with a user-friendly interface that suits firms from sole practitioner to multi-lawyer.

To choose the best wills and estates software for your firm:

1. Assess your firm’s needs: Identify the capabilities you need most, such as matter management, client intake, document drafting, calendaring and billing.
2. Check integrations: Look for software that connects with the document, accounting and productivity tools your firm already uses, reducing duplicate data entry across your estate planning workflow.
3. Evaluate billing and payment options: Choose software that supports the way your firm charges, including fixed-fee and hourly billing, and provides clear financial reporting.
4. Consider ease of use: The software should simplify everyday work, including managing client information, tracking deadlines, generating documents and assigning tasks.
5. Review security and document sharing: Wills and estates matters contain sensitive personal and financial information, so look for strong access controls, encryption and secure client communication.

Where document automation is available, Clio supports template-based drafting of routine estate documents — wills, trusts and EPAs — from your firm’s own precedents, reducing manual drafting and errors.

Yes. Clio offers free, pre-built estate planning templates for Australia — including wills, powers of attorney, and probate documents. This covers everything from a Last Will and Testament and Enduring Power of Attorney to probate and letters of administration applications.

 In Australia, probate is granted by the Supreme Court of the relevant state or territory. In New Zealand, applications for probate are made to the High Court. Clio lets your firm record the court, application dates and other key details against the matter, while keeping probate documents, tasks and deadlines organised in one place.

Clio uses security controls including encryption in transit and at rest, role-based permissions, multi-factor authentication and regular independent security testing. These safeguards help wills and estates firms protect the sensitive personal and financial information held in client matters. Each firm remains responsible for meeting its obligations under Australia’s Privacy Act 1988 and New Zealand’s Privacy Act 2020.