AIP Professional Series · Chapter 10 of 11 · Client Communication

Client Communication Support

Long-term relationships with engaged clients — and the communication discipline that protects both

What Paralegals Can CommunicateFiduciary CommunicationSensitive Topics

Long-Term Relationships

Estate Planning Communication Has a Character of Its Own

Client communication in estate planning has a character that distinguishes it from family law or criminal defense. The estate planning client relationship is long-term and often ongoing — clients return for plan updates as their lives and assets change. The emotional tone is thoughtful rather than urgent. And the subject matter — family, mortality, and legacy — is personal in a way that requires genuine professional care.

The professional boundaries on what the paralegal can communicate are the same in estate planning as in every other practice area. What differs is the specific content of those boundaries in an estate planning context, and the particular care required in navigating them with clients who are engaged, sophisticated, and asking good questions.

What Estate Planning Paralegals Can and Cannot Communicate

✓ Appropriate Paralegal Communication

Document status in the drafting process
Execution ceremony logistics
Transmitting attorney-reviewed and authorized documents
Gathering factual information the attorney has requested
Confirming receipt of documents or information
Procedural information the attorney has authorized

✕ Attorney Communication Only

Whether current plan is appropriate for changed circumstances
Whether a beneficiary designation change is advisable
What a trust provision means for a specific beneficiary
Whether to update the plan after tax law changes
Characterizing the adequacy of the current plan

The estate planning client who calls with changed circumstances: A client who calls to ask whether their plan still makes sense after a child's divorce, a significant inheritance, or a move to a new state is asking a legitimate and important question. The professional response: acknowledge the importance, explain the attorney needs to evaluate whether the plan should be updated, and ensure the attorney conversation actually happens.

Communication with Fiduciaries and Beneficiaries

Named fiduciaries — personal representatives, trustees, healthcare agents — may contact the office with questions about their roles. General explanation of the fiduciary role and recommendation to schedule an attorney meeting is appropriate. Advising on how to exercise fiduciary duties is not. Beneficiaries named in estate planning documents are not the paralegal's clients — communication with them is limited and attorney-directed.

Ready-to-Use Prompts

Adapt these for your practice. Click Copy to paste into any AI tool.

Client Update Letter — Estate Planning

I am drafting a client update letter for attorney review. The letter should communicate the following factual updates authorized by the attorney: [describe specifically — document status, execution ceremony scheduling information, document request, confirmation of received items]. The client is [describe briefly — long-term client, updating their plan after a life change, new client preparing documents for the first time]. Please draft a professional, clear, and appropriately warm letter conveying these specific updates. I will not include any characterization of the plan's adequacy or advice about whether any changes are needed — those communications will come from the attorney.

Fiduciary Role General Explanation Letter

I need to draft a general explanation of the personal representative role for a client who has been named personal representative in someone's estate plan, for attorney review before transmission. The letter should explain: what a personal representative does generally, that this role becomes active only upon the testator's death, that they will need to work closely with the attorney when the time comes, what basic information to keep accessible (location of the original will, the attorney's contact information), and that they should contact the attorney promptly when the time comes. The attorney will review and adapt this letter.

Chapter Quiz

Client Communication Support

5 questions — no limit on attempts.