American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys

What American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys does

The American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys (AAEPA) is a privately held, founder-owned membership organization founded in 1993 by Robert Armstrong and Sanford M. Fisch and headquartered in San Diego, California. The company serves U.S. estate planning attorneys through a subscription-based membership model combined with proprietary practice management software (CounselPro®), an "11 Essential Systems" practice management framework, continuing legal education, peer community, and individual coaching. Its core product, CounselPro®, is a cloud-based document assembly and practice management platform built on the Actionstep infrastructure, offering 300+ professionally maintained estate planning templates (revocable living trusts, special needs trusts, wills, ILITs, charitable remainder trusts, Medicaid trusts), CRM with 300+ pre-written client letters, seminar and prospect management, firm analytics, and appointment scheduling with automated communications.

AAEPA generates revenue primarily through annual membership dues structured by firm size and territory, with members receiving bundled access to software, coaching, education, marketing materials, and community. Additional revenue streams include the optional Online Marketing Group (OMG) add-on for hands-on digital marketing services, bi-annual Summits and Boot Camps (with VIP Guest trial enrollment), and monthly webinars. The model is differentiated by a geographic exclusivity structure that limits one member per territory, enabling open peer-to-peer sharing of financials, strategies, and outcomes without competitive conflict. As of the latest data, the Academy reports over 300 transformed law practices, more than 130 geographic areas served across 45+ U.S. states, and approximately 30 staff members across coaching, marketing, events, technology, and member services functions. The customer base is distributed across SMB and mid-market estate planning firms, with multi-decade member tenures observed and no single-customer concentration.

Name

American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys

Legal name

American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.

Website

https://aaepa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys is a privately held, subscription-based membership organization founded in 1993 that provides U.S. estate planning attorneys with proprietary cloud-based practice management software (CounselPro®), the 11 Essential Systems framework, CLE, coaching, marketing tools, and a peer community organized by geographic exclusivity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Practice Management Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Estate Planning & Trust Structuring Advisory (FSAEAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Estate & Legacy Planning Advisory (FSAEAAAG), Estate & Probate Administration Services (FSAEAKAD)

Keywords

• Estate planning membership
• Law firm practice management
• Continuing legal education
• Document assembly software
• Attorney coaching services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for access to systems, software, coaching, education, marketing materials, and community. Structured tiered pricing based on firm size and territory.
2. Estate Planning Software (CounselPro™8©): Proprietary practice management and document assembly software included with membership, providing integrated database, document production, and client management capabilities.
3. Continuing Legal Education: 36 annual CLE credit hours required for members, provided through summits, webinars, conference calls, and educational materials. Education department provides ongoing updates and mentoring.
4. Marketing Services and Materials: Access to 400+ customizable marketing materials including letters, postcards, inserts, ads, presentations, scripts, handouts. Optional Online Marketing Group (OMG) for hands-on digital marketing support.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys is a membership-based organization that provides estate planning attorneys with proprietary software (CounselPro©), the 11 Essential Systems practice management framework, continuing legal education (CLE), one-on-one practice building coaching, marketing tools and materials, and a peer community. Members receive geographic exclusivity and access to Boot Camps, Summits, webinars, and an optional Online Marketing Group (OMG) for hands-on digital marketing support.

Product overview

The American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys offers a comprehensive membership-based platform combining proprietary software and practice management services. The core product is CounselPro™8©, a cloud-based estate planning software built on the Actionstep platform, which is complemented by the 11 Essential Systems™ framework for practice management. Members receive access to Practice Building Coaching (with ICF-certified coaches), Legal Education (36 annual CLE credits required), Marketing Tools & Training (400+ customizable materials), Boot Camps, Summits, Webinars, and Podcasts. The Online Marketing Group (OMG) is an optional add-on service for hands-on digital marketing support. The membership program provides geographic exclusivity and comprehensive support for malpractice insurance compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CounselPro™8©: Proprietary estate planning software built on the Actionstep platform, designed by estate planning experts and maintained by the Academy's education and technology departments.
• CounselPro™

Products and services

• CounselPro© Estate Planning Software Cloud-based proprietary estate planning software built on the Actionstep platform, providing fully-automated document assembly with 300+ templates for revocable living trusts, wills, ILITs, charitable remainder trusts, Medicaid trusts, and special needs trusts, along with client relationship management, marketing optimization, office workflow management, and firm analytics for estate planning law practices.
• 11 Essential Systems Framework A comprehensive practice management framework comprising 11 time-tested systems covering Strategic Planning, Finance and Operations Management, Leadership, Staff Accountability, Technology, Integrated Marketing, Client Engagement, Workflow, Continuing Legal Education, Ancillary Business, and Ongoing Mastermind Community for building estate planning law firms.
• Practice Building Coaching One-on-one mentorship program pairing each member with a dedicated Practice Building Coach who provides guidance on strategy, marketing, hiring, accounting, leadership, and full utilization of Academy resources. Coaches hold certifications from Coach Training World and ICF.
• Legal Education (CLE) Continuing legal education program requiring 36 annual CLE credit hours in Estate Planning, Elder Law, Probate, or Trust Administration, delivered through webinars, conference calls, summits, and access to over 1,000 member-only resources.
• Marketing Tools & Training Comprehensive marketing services including 400+ customizable marketing materials (letters, postcards, ads), presentation-ready slides and scripts, professionally designed websites with SEO, and personalized coaching for seminars and community outreach.
• Boot Camps Intensive training programs introducing the Academy's 11 Essential Systems, open to VIP Guests and Members, covering fundamental systems, client generation techniques, team building, and strategic planning with hands-on support.
• Academy Summits Bi-annual in-person and virtual events providing networking, peer learning, and education on estate planning laws, marketing, practice management, and business building from professional speakers and fellow members.
• Academy Podcasts Podcast series featuring Academy founders and leaders discussing law firm systems, practice building, and the Enterprise Law Firm Model across multiple legal industry podcasts.
• Academy Webinars Monthly and on-demand webinar series covering law firm financial benchmarks, fee structures, practice building strategies, and estate planning topics taught by industry experts.
• Membership Program Comprehensive membership providing geographic exclusivity, access to all Academy resources including CounselPro© software, coaching, education, marketing tools, and the 11 Essential Systems framework. Includes support for malpractice insurance requirements ($250,000 per incident, $500,000 per year minimum).
• Online Marketing Group (OMG) Optional add-on program providing hands-on digital marketing support including custom law firm websites, SEO services, social media management, blog and video integration, analytics, and technical support from a dedicated team of digital marketing professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ law practices transformed since 1993
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ActionstepcoreTechnology or IntegrationActionstep provides the platform foundation for CounselPro™8©, the Academy's proprietary estate planning software. The software is built on the Actionstep platform, combining Actionstep's workflow and document management infrastructure with Academy's estate planning expertise and templates.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Clio: Leading cloud legal practice management platform covering case management, billing, and document automation for law firms of all types. Broader incumbent that overlaps with CounselPro© in CRM and document features.
• Smokeball: Cloud-based legal practice management and document automation software for small and mid-sized law firms; competes on document automation and matter management relevant to estate planning practices.

Direct peers

• WealthCounsel: Member-based organization serving estate planning attorneys with document assembly software, educational resources, and a collaborative community. Closest direct analog to AAEPA's member-plus-software-plus-education model.
• Wealth.com: Cloud-native estate planning platform for advisors and attorneys that competes directly with CounselPro© on document automation and client-facing workflows, but without AAEPA's community/coaching layer.
• Vanilla: Estate planning software company targeting estate planning attorneys and financial advisors with modern document automation. Competes head-to-head with CounselPro© for the same buyer persona.
• American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC): Invitational professional association of trust and estate lawyers focused on education, ethics, and policy. Comparable peer in serving the same attorney segment through education and collegial community.
• National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA): Member association for attorneys specializing in elder law, which significantly overlaps with estate planning. Comparable peer in mission and member-based service model.

Others

• Actionstep: Cloud legal practice management platform that powers CounselPro©. Acts as technology partner/supplier and also offers its own practice management product, partially overlapping with AAEPA's technology stack.

Emerging players

• CosmoLex: Cloud-based legal practice management with built-in accounting and document management, targeting small law firms. Adjacent competitor for AAEPA members evaluating alternative practice management platforms.
• LeanLaw: Practice management and time/billing software built specifically for small law firms. Competes at the smaller end of AAEPA's SMB member base with a more self-serve, lower-touch model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aaepa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/aaepa6050?feature=watch
• Facebookfacebook.com/americanacademyofestateplanningattorneys
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-academy-of-estate-planning-attorneys
• Instagraminstagram.com/estate_planning_academy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys