“Secrets of a $350,000 Per Year
Elder Law Attorney After the DRA”

You can laugh at your worries about the new
Medicaid laws if you follow this nine-step plan

Dear Colleague:

Are you worried about by the changes in your Medicaid planning practice brought on by the Deficit Reduction Act?

Does it feel like the uncertainty of how the new laws will be interpreted and implemented in your State is making you crazy?

Do you feel like you used to have an elder law practice which provided you with a good source of income…while working with clients you dearly love…and now, all that may soon disappear?

Do you wonder whether there will be enough of the good cases to go around, once the new law is fully implemented…and sometimes, in the middle of the night, when the anxiety is at its worst, do you even wonder whether you’ll have to stop practicing elder law?

If you feel this way…you aren’t alone. I know. I coach and talk to attorneys throughout the country on a daily basis and I can tell you that these are common feelings. I mean, if you think about it, it’s not surprising. The practice of elder law, for the last decade, had been pretty well established, up till February of this year.

While the details might have varied slightly from state to state, we pretty much knew that, when a crisis Medicaid planning client came in, there were “half a loaf” strategies which we could follow to help them preserve at least some of the assets for their families. And when married couples came in, depending upon the rules in your state, you could annuitize the spend-down or raise the CSRA or MMMNA or any of a number of strategies we used to help our clients.

The truth is, you and I developed a great expertise in an arcane area of the law and rightfully so, we were able to make a good living providing advice for this type of specialized service.

But all that was turned upside down on February 8, 2006, when President Bush signed the Deficit Reduction Act.

Now things are in an uproar. When those same clients come in, it’s sometimes difficult to know how to advise them. Some of the cases we once considered “good facts” now present problems where there may be little we can do to help the clients. In other cases, we might THINK we know what MIGHT work…but we’re not sure.

Maybe your state has not have even issued DRA regulations…or perhaps they’ve issued regulations that seem to go far beyond the dictates of the black letter of the law. It’s a real challenge. I mean…

Who can practice in this type of environment?

The good new is…you can!

In fact, in the following pages, I’m going to show you how the Deficit Reduction Act can actually give your practice a major boost, once you understand how to adapt to the new Medicaid law changes. More on that in a moment, but first…

Did You Know Your Practice Is Now Part Of A New Class Warfare?

The Administration and Congress declared war on your elder law practice several months ago. By the slimmest of margins, the Deficit Reduction Act passed both Houses of Congress and was signed by the President on February 8, 2006. As you know, this has introduced tremendous uncertainty into the entire field of elder law. I’m not overstating it when I say that the very survival of your practice is at stake.

And if you think that the DRA Medicaid changes are the end game of the politicos’ strategy…and that, if you survive these, there’s nothing to worry about…think again.

The New York Times, on August 13, 2006, laid out the Administration’s plans from here. According to the Times, the White House has a plan “…to cut Medicaid payments to hospitals and nursing homes…. The White House says the changes are needed to insure the ‘fiscal integrity’ of Medicaid and to curb ‘excessive payments’ to healthcare providers.”

The article continues, “…in February, Mr. Bush signed a bill that gives states power to revamp Medicaid by altering eligibility and benefits. That measure is expected to cut the growth of Federal Medicaid spending by $4.9 billion over five years. The White House estimates that the new rules will save the Federal Government even more: $12.2 billion over five years.”

The Administration’s new proposals deal with reducing Medicaid payments to hospitals and nursing homes. The DRA was only Step 1.

Do you for a moment believe that there won’t be further changes in the eligibility rules? The fact is, the changes in the February 8th DRA were just part of an ongoing saga…another battle in an ongoing war in which the Government tries to downsize, or even eliminate, the Medicaid program.

Do You Think This Time Is Different?

Don’t be like so many of your colleagues who will bury their head in the sand and try to ignore this. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the new Medicaid changes are just another chapter in an old book and that this threat to your practice shall also soon pass.

This time is different. Soon I’ll tell you why…but first, let me ask a question.

Were you there in the room at the NAELA UNPROGRAM
back in 2000 when I talked in hushed terms about the plans of a
group of NAELA practitioners who felt that it was the right time to move
their practices into estate planning and away from Medicaid planning?

If you’ve ever gone to the UNPROGRAM, you’ll have no trouble seeing the picture. The UNPROGRAM is kind of a free-wheeling get-together attended by attorneys who decide on the spot what topics they’re going to cover. No one teaches and it’s just a free-wheeling discussion.

Naturally, I gravitated to one of the topics on practice development and I listened as several people expressed the thought that it was a great time to begin moving their practice much more heavily into the estate planning arena.

I listened for a while to the discussion about why they were moving heavily into high-end estate planning …and then I told them moving into estate planning was exactly the wrong thing to do at that time. I explained to the 15 or 20 people in the room that it was my belief that moving heavily into estate planning at that time was ill-advised. Everyone disagreed with me, and they told me so.

You have to put yourself back to that time to understand why they were excited about developing estate planning clients. Money throughout the country was flowing easily back then, the stock market was going up on what seemed to be almost a weekly basis…and everyone was projecting good times ahead.

What they didn’t know what that I had spent a period of about ten years of my life in the 1980s as a professional money manager. So I looked at the stock market as a proxy for the entire economy…and I looked at what I considered to be “irrational exuberance” at that time, and I knew that the stock market was much closer to a top than a bottom. In fact, look at the following chart and you’ll see where the stock market was.

So what does the chart show? Simply this, at the time of that UNPROGRAM meeting, the stock market was near what turned out to be the high point for the decade thus far. And it was my firm belief…and I told the group…that as the stock market declined over the coming months and years, the estate planning business that they were all so interested in was going to dry up. Everyone there wanted to do big-ticket estate planning at a time when (as later events would prove) the stock market was about to decline…and at the same time that the tax laws were changing in such a way that the estate tax burden for most Americans would disappear.

That’s when I told this UNPROGRAM group that a move into estate planning in a big way was in my opinion a great mistake.

Since mine was the minority view (in fact, I was the only one even considering this), the discussion quickly returned to “How should we change our marketing to capture all of this new estate planning business?”  That was a great question…only it was about six years too soon!

But they weren’t going to listen to me…so I simply moved on, knowing that any time you have an opinion that’s different from the consensus, people won’t believe you. But that’s okay. The point of the story simply is to let you know that sometimes the most crucial piece of information you can have, when making crucial decisions about the future of your practice, is an accurate world view of what is going on.

It’s critical, therefore, to understand that “this time is different,” as far as the Medicaid program is concerned, and that the threat to your practice from the new law is very real indeed. In fact, it’s even more real than the threat to the estate planning practices, which I talked about with that small group at the UNPROGRAM six years ago.

It’s my firm belief that Medicaid planning, as it has been practiced the last few years by me and most other elder law attorneys, may soon be going away…but that does not mean your Medicaid planning practice has to go away and it does not mean that there are not ENORMOUS opportunities for you…. It does mean you’ll have to adapt what you’ve been doing to deal with this new reality. Bear with me…more on that a little later. But first…

The Amazing Story Of How One Man’s Intuition Saved The U.S. From A Nuclear Disaster

Do you remember, several years ago, the movie Three Days Of The Condor? It starred Robert Redford as a CIA analyst who used inferential reasoning as a means of knowing what was going on in the world about him.

His specific job in the CIA was to read novels and to compare them with his knowledge of current events to help glean an understanding of the major trends of the day. Of course, like any movie, it turned into a mystery thriller which was exciting, even by Hollywood standards.

Now that was fiction. But consider this true story…I remember, as a little kid, the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. I was only seven years old at the time, but I still distinctly remember the period of a few days that year where all the adults in my world were talking about the possibility of a nuclear war with Russia. Countless books and movies have been produced about this series of events…but the back story is little-known. Do you know how the missiles were discovered in Cuba only about ten days or so before they were to become operational? The way that happened is fascinating.

There was an inferential reasoner who worked for the CIA. It was his job to read the Cuban newspapers and to study Cuban culture. As part of his job, he had been reading the Havana newspaper and he even read it down to the detail of what was going on with the local sports teams. Day after day, he did his job and read the papers, and in the back of his mind, something seemed amiss…but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Then one night, he woke up from a sound sleep and he realized what had been going on. There was a small town outside of Havana that had been the perennial door mat in the local soccer league. That town’s soccer team lost all of its matches by a score of three to nothing or four to nothing or five to nothing. They stunk.

Then one day, all of a sudden, they began winning their games ten to two or eight to three or scores similar to those. Consciously, the analyst didn’t think that much of it, but subconsciously, his mind was at work. And that’s when he woke up in the middle of the night and realized that a turnaround of that magnitude probably meant that there were new players on that team. He then reasoned that there were probably Soviet technicians who were excellent soccer players and who had recently moved into the area. He connected that the Soviets had done a great job in disguising the missiles, but they had not taken every precaution because they were letting their technicians play on the local soccer team, and it threw the team’s results off. They were winning their games by huge scores when they used to be losing!

The CIA analyst then called for additional U2 flights over the area, and the photos were studied extensively and the camouflaged missile silos were found. And the discovery of those hidden missiles occurred only about ten days before they were to go online and become operational!

In other words, the Soviets had taken great pains to disguise what they were doing, but they had not thought how their technicians’ soccer-playing skills would ultimately affect the world. Luckily, the U.S. analyst figured this out in time, before the missiles became operational, and ultimately, the Soviets were forced to remove those missiles from Cuba, just in the nick of time…all because an inferential reasoner noticed something as inconsequential as local soccer scores. He put two and two together and, as they say, the rest is history.

How I Discovered The Fortune That Was Hidden In My Practice

Now fast forward about thirty-five years to a time in my life when I was acting as a professional money manager. One of the skills I developed was in predicting large economic trends from what would seemingly be unrelated causes. For years, I wrote a monthly newsletter outlining macro-economic changes which could be identified by factors as seemingly unrelated as a growth in the number of miniature golf courses being built…to coming economic downturns signaled by the building of new skyscrapers…to changes in the economy brought on by volcanic eruptions and so on. It was a lot of fun writing those, and it really allowed me to develop a skill set which helped my money management clients (and me) to reap the financial rewards using the same techniques. I quickly realized there was a fortune hidden in my elder law practice…and my understanding of the big picture allowed me to uncover it. That’s because I take changes in major economic and social trends very seriously, and I use them to guide decisions which I make throughout my business life. In fact, I became so well known for my ability to forecast and analyze complicated trends that I was invited to address the NAELA conference in San Francisco on May 19, 2005. The title of my presentation…”Marketing your Elder Law Practice in a Post Medicaid Planning World.” Obviously, I’ve been working on redesigning my practice for years!

I Began The Reinvention Process In My Law Firm Long Ago…

That’s why it’s important to know that I began planning the reinvention of my elder law practice several years ago. I saw the current changes in the Medicaid laws coming years ago and I wrote what is called a SWOT Analysis, outlining my expectations.

The SWOT Analysis was a White Paper on the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) facing my law firm. Only five people have ever read the document. They include myself and my wife, my law partner and her husband, and the woman who transcribed the document (I even used a secretarial service so that no one in my firm, other than my partner, would have access to my thinking until I was ready to begin acting on it).

Here’s Information From The Updated Version Of That Secret Report I Wrote…

Let me quote a little bit from that SWOT Analysis, written nearly two years ago:

“The dictionary defines ‘threat’ as ‘an indication of pending danger or harm.’

 “The future is never completely knowable. All you need to do is watch the weather forecast for one week out to understand the unreliability of forecasting. To project major changes in the political and economic arena are equally fraught with danger.

 “The point behind a threat analysis is not that the perceived threats will all come true. Rather, it is to identify the things that might happen, and to have in place plans to account for them. The military has war plans in place on how we would attack every single country on earth. In other words, if something happened between the U.S. and a great ally, like Great Britain, the war plans have been in place (and are continually updated) so that decisions need not be made in the heat of the crisis.

“In reviewing the potential threats, this report will list many, but not all, of the types of things that must be considered in any long-range planning.

“Perhaps the biggest perceived threat at this time is a change in the political landscape. The re-election of President Bush as a second-term President (and therefore a lame duck, by definition), makes changes in many areas inevitable. Even if Bush had not been re-elected, change was inevitable. That is due to the demographic reality that Baby Boomers will start reaching retirement age and will overwhelm the system, unless changes are made. All politicians recognize this…now it will be up to the President to do something about it.

“In recent years, the mood of the governing bodies across the country – from governors to the President – has shifted from one of entitlement to one of reining in the entitlement programs. The last major set of changes which occurred in the Medicaid laws happened in 1993 – one year after Clinton was elected. It will not be surprising to see the next major set of changes come in 2005 – one year after Bush has been re-elected. (Emphasis added.)

“The coming changes in the Medicaid laws are inevitable. It is simply a matter of mathematics. The Baby Boomers will, over the next few years, begin to reach retirement age in numbers that are frightening, from a demographic standpoint. When Social Security was put into place in the early 1930s, there were roughly thirty workers for every one person who would receive benefits. In addition, the retirement age of 65, at that time, was beyond the life expectancy for most people. Therefore, the program was seen as a social safety net, but was never seen as the primary retirement fund for all Americans.

“By 1965, there were only eight Americans working for every one person receiving Social Security. The number keeps dwindling. At some point in the not-too-distant future (about thirty years out), it’s projected that there could only be two workers for every one person receiving benefits. This is a demographic nightmare, and one that must be solved. That’s why Bush began talking about this in the weeks after the election. He has said that the government will not raise payroll taxes and the plan is to try and privatize Social Security accounts. There will be a great deal of infighting about this, and it is mentioned only as background to the parallel course of events unfolding in the Medicaid arena.

“State governors, for the last few years, have becoming increasingly vocal about what they term the ‘out-of-control’ costs of the Medicaid program. In many states, Medicaid is now the single-largest line item in the budget. That’s amazing when you consider that the Baby Boomers have not even started retiring in large numbers yet….”

I then went on to discuss the threats which the new Medicaid changes posed to elder law practices. I even discussed the Medicaid planning techniques (gifting, raising the CSRA, etc.) which I felt would go away.

I then identified in the SWOT Analysis other perceived threats, such as the information revolution (the Internet) and the movement of more and more attorneys into elder law. None of this is meant to be distressing to you. I simply bring it to your attention now because it’s important that you understand the nature of the ongoing threat your practice is facing. Then you can take steps to counteract those threats.

I want your practice to survive – and thrive – and I want you to have peace of mind.

Do You Know What This Symbol Means For Your Practice?

The Chinese language is so interesting to me. And this is one of my favorite symbols:

 This is the Chinese symbol for “crisis.” It’s a combination of the Chinese symbols for “danger” and “opportunity.”

I think that’s perfect, because so many elder law attorneys look at this as a time of crisis…they don’t see the opportunity

I want to help those elder law attorneys who understand that, in every crisis, there is both danger and opportunity.

I already work with an elite group of elder law attorneys in my coaching groups who are taking on the challenges posed by these changes in the law. These are attorneys who are now seeing their post-DRA practices thrive. That’s important. After all, there are going to be a whole lot of potential clients whose lives will be turned upside down by these changes...your practice needs to be healthy so you can help them.

“I have to be honest. When the DRA was coming along, I really did think it was a disaster. I was assuming I was going to have to lay off some people. But then I joined Bill’s program and six months later I went from worrying about laying off half my staff to almost doubling it! And it’s still growing.  “I owe all of that to Bill’s long-term coaching. It is extremely unlikely that a person will go to one seminar or read one book and make a dramatic transformation. It is far more likely that when you engage in a long-term accountability relationship with another human being that, over time,  you will make lots of small changes that will create a big transformation. It’s like Bill Says, ‘Little hinges swing big doors.’” Rick Law Aurora, IL

The Challenges of Practicing Under The DRA

In some ways, prior to the DRA, practicing elder law was easy.

Sure, the law itself was tricky. But the fact is, once you’d done it for a while, you acquired a knowledge base that your fellow attorneys…the ones who don’t practice elder law…simply couldn’t match. In fact, most attorneys quickly realized that they wanted nothing to do with that “Medicaid stuff,” so they didn’t even bother trying. Those were the easy days.

In some ways, they’re gone forever.

But some of the factors that used to make elder law easy for those of us who did it are no longer there.

The biggest change is that cases that used to be easy are no longer as clear cut or easy…they’re surrounded by uncertainty.

Crisis Medicaid planning was the backbone of many of our practices. And the “half a loaf” strategy meant that we could help virtually every client protect at least some of their assets in the event they needed nursing home care.

Lots of times, the only challenge we had was whether or not the client had capacity to do the planning…or documents which allowed it…. Otherwise, once they called our office, we had a good solution for them.

While that may still be the case in some instances, there is now tremendous uncertainty regarding this. We may believe that certain strategies will work (e.g. gifting the amount and curing the transfer, or gift and annuity, or gift and promissory note, or whatever you think may work in your state). The fact is, no one can say for sure what works today…or what will work tomorrow. And when you factor in that there’s an ongoing war to reduce Medicaid eligibility by tightening standards and transfer rules, you’d have to be an ostrich with your head in the sand to believe that there won’t be further changes quickly coming down the pipeline.

You and I both know the various States are looking at the response of the elder law bar to the DRA and fashioning counter strategies, even as you read this.

There are only so many ways that you can hope to meet these challenges…and in a fairly short period of time, there may come a day when these “crisis Medicaid planning for single person” strategies simply won’t work (if they even work at this time).

And that puts a great deal of pressure on you and your clients and your practice. One of the lynchpins of profitability for the elder law practice (the half a loaf transfer rules) either has been…or is in the process of being removed.

It used to be that you could wait for the pain of nursing home payments to drive clients into your office, looking for ways to stop the financial bleeding. What will happen now, or at some point in the not-too-distant future, when that same pain of nursing home payments drives them to call you, and then you have to tell them there may not be a lot they can do? Perhaps there’s some spend down items they can purchase…perhaps they can do a care contract…but the easy money is, or soon may be, gone from those cases. You have to plan ahead now. You can’t be reactive or your continuing career as an elder law attorney may be a short one.

That’s why I’ve been working on reinventing my elder law practice for several years. I saw this coming. That’s why I wrote the SWOT analysis. I see my job as head of my firm (and as a leader of all those elder law attorneys who rely on me for advice) to be predictive. It’s up to me to see the dangers and opportunities on the horizon and to prepare for them, so that when they do arrive, my firm and my attorney coaching clients are either in a position to be ahead of the curve or to react successfully.

It’s a role I take seriously.

It all started with a question I asked myself about three years ago. One day I was sitting around and I mused:

“What Would Happen To My Practice If My
Medicaid Planning Income Went Away Overnight?”

At first, that was a terrifying question. What I was really asking was, how would I react in the event that there was a major change in the asset transfer rules which caused this type of planning to go away immediately?

As soon as the question was posed, then I began working on strategies to deal with that scenario. Three years ago, to be honest, I didn’t KNOW FOR SURE that the asset transfer laws would change in the way they did…but I suspected it…and I knew that if that was a possibility, I had to put in place strategies before that happened so I could be ready.

Here’s The Good News…

That terrifying question no longer concerns me.

Believe it or not, there really is good news regarding the DRA…and a lot of it.

Once you step back and view your practice in light of what’s going on…all kinds of opportunities begin to surface.

One of the first things you see is that these law changes are actually an opportunity to raise your fees. How could it be any other way? The simple fact is, the law is even more arcane now than it was prior to DRA…and we all know what a challenge that was. Now, many of us are pursuing strategies that we BELIEVE are effective…but we don’t know for sure. Any time there is that much uncertainty, if it’s presented to the prospective client properly, it allows for a fee increase to meet the uncertainty of the situation.

Beyond that, there’s some incredibly good news which virtually every elder law attorney has missed. But for those who understand it, it’s a bonanza.

The hidden gem in this law (remember I’m talking about from a practice-development standpoint…the DRA is not good for our clients, but there’s nothing I can do about that) is that the law forces earlier planning. It changes the dynamics in what used to be straight estate planning cases.

Under the old pre-DRA rules, clients didn’t have to plan that far ahead in most instances.

Sure, it was good when they did plan ahead…got long-term care insurance and got all the right legal documents in place…but you and I both knew that even if they did no advance planning, we could help them protect a significant amount of their assets. Under the new DRA, those clients seeking planning in crisis cases may find their options shut down. And while there may still be a few things to do for now…we’re not sure what will work tomorrow…or for how long. So the smart attorney will look at this time and position his or her practice as if there is no “half a loaf” crisis planning available whatsoever.

That half-a-loaf door is closing…or it has already been closed.

Well, I’m here to tell you that an incredibly large window of opportunity just opened at the same time. In fact, it’s much bigger than the door that closed, and this is not theory. I’m seeing it in my practice and my coaching clients are experiencing the same thing.

Let me be specific. Under the old laws, when a client went in to do estate planning, the attorney helped the clients answer the questions, “What will happen to my property in the event of my death…how will it pass to my heirs? Should I use a will or trust and so on?”

Under the DRA, a different question needs to be asked of every prospective estate planning client. That question is…”What happens to your property in the event that you don’t pass away…but instead, have a long nursing home stay?”

It’s true, this question should have been asked all along (and you probably have been asking your clients that question for some time).

But don’t miss the change here. It’s a subtle one, but it’s incredibly important.

In the pre-DRA landscape, the clients didn’t really have to plan ahead. They didn’t have to answer that question then. There was always something you could do for them.

Now, after February 8, 2006, the rules of the game have changed.

Now clients must answer that question…they must plan ahead…in many instances, up to five years ahead.

Now you may be thinking, “This isn’t so earth-shattering. I already knew that, Bill.”

If that’s you’re initial reaction, don’t close your mind. The change I’m discussing is subtle, but powerful. Stop and think about this for a minute. There are only so many crisis Medicaid planning clients available in your market area at any given time. But there are many, many multiples of those cases available where people are doing estate planning. In fact, 10,000 Baby Boomers a day are now turning age 60 and there will be a massive transfer of wealth in our country over the next decade.

That’s why the Government changed the asset transfer rules. They’re terrified of the sheer numbers of Baby Boomers retiring and later needing care. But the unintended consequence of the new law is that it will require clients to do their planning earlier. And that will be VERY PROFITABLE for you if you know how to capture this business.

There’s an old saying, “little hinges swing big doors.” This change under the DRA is a little hinge that, in my practice and in the practices of those I coach, is swinging a very big door indeed.

We call it the “paradigm shift.” What it means to you, simply, is that once you learn how to do this, all of those estate planning cases that used to come into your office are now, if handled appropriately, what I call “Medicaid estate planning cases.” And the fees for these Medicaid estate planning cases are nearly as great as those we used to collect for our crisis cases. And the amazing thing is…there are so many more of them!

Fortunately, there’s a systematic way for you to re-position your elder law practice to take advantage of the law changes and the paradigm shift I discussed, as well as all of the other opportunities available in this post-DRA world.

Here Are The Nine Steps I Promised To Reveal That
Will Allow You To Increase Your Income And Grow
Your Elder Law Practice In Spite Of The DRA

As I mentioned earlier, for some time, I have been working on re-inventing my elder law practice, in light of what I believed would be the changes coming down the pipeline. I have been working on this for years. My wife and kids and many of your colleagues can attest to this. I talked about it ad nauseum.

And like any re-invention, some of the things I tried worked… and some of them were spectacular failures.

That’s okay. The re-invention process (failures and successes) allowed me to find the areas that offered the most opportunity and then to put resources into those areas.

It took a while, but with a lot of hard work and the assistance and feedback from many smart elder law attorneys in my coaching groups, I was able to “crack the code” on how to grow an elder law practice in the post-DRA world. And I’ve distilled this into a nine-step program so you can grow your practice in spite of (or thanks to) the DRA. I call it the DRA Survival Kit.

So while initially there was some fear and trepidation on my part, as I saw the law changes getting closer…pretty quickly that concern changed to peace of mind, as the changes I had made in my firm began to take hold and as I saw my law practice increase.

Here’s what I discovered…the nine steps to systematically growing your elder law practice in our post-DRA world:

Step 1     Turn up the marketing heat – Not every prospective client who calls has a good case under the DRA. Many cases that once looked good now carry too much uncertainty. Other cases that used to be marginal now look far more attractive. So it’s incumbent that you have a greater flow of prospective clients coming through so that you can “cherry-pick” the good cases and refer the others out.

Step 2     Market to certain types of Medicaid cases – Under almost any scenario, there are certain Medicaid cases which will continue to be highly profitable “good facts” cases. For most elder law attorneys, this will continue to be the cases where you have a married couple with one of them either in a nursing home or about to go to a nursing home. Those continue to be excellent cases. Now the objective will be to attract more of those…I have learned how to do this. Soon you’ll have that knowledge too.

Step 3    Adjust your strategy regarding referral sources – It used to be that hospital discharge planners were the “Holy Grail” of elder law marketing referrals. That’s not quite so true nowadays. As mentioned, many of the crisis Medicaid planning (especially for single) clients are not nearly as good. But there are other referral sources (e.g. stock brokers and nursing home administrators in particular) that can deliver you just the type of clients you want. The reasons why these referral sources are the best are surprising…but proven. And once you know how to target those cases…you’ll be delighted to find how eager these referral sources are to work with you.

Step 4    Make the paradigm shift in your estate planning cases – Those pre-DRA, low-fee estate planning cases can now become “Medicaid estate planning cases”…at crisis Medicaid planning-type fees…once you learn how to do this. And the good news is, there are many, many more of these available than there were of the old crisis Medicaid planning cases.

Step 5    Learn how to close the sale – There’s actually a systematic way to move the clients across the “bridge of indecision” to a point where they hire you, on the spot, at the fee you ask. This is a learnable skill, as many members of my coaching groups will attest. (The CD which accompanied this letter gives you a small taste of this.) This skill alone can make a lazy practice profitable very quickly. I’ll show you how to learn this, step-by-step, in under 2 hours.

Step 6    Recognize the niches where the major dollars are – There are certain niches (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, MS, and so on) where the very nature of the disease necessitates that the clients pre-plan. Prior to DRA, this was not the case…there were always things your client could do without pre-planning. Now, these clients must plan ahead…and you can help them, once you know how to get them into your office. Let me show you exactly how I attract so many of these clients into my office and how you can duplicate my success in this area once you understand what is going on here.

Step 7    Manage your calendar and triage calls relentlessly – This is a practice key. Since not every case is a good case any more…you must become very picky about who even gets on your calendar. Once the “marketing heat” in your practice has been turned up, you’ll have a client flow great enough to allow you to become choosy about whom you sit down with. The amazing thing is, once you and your staff learn these triage skills, you’ll find you have more time (since you’re no longer seeing “bad facts” clients) and your fees will increase, since the ones you are seeing will be precisely the ones you are most likely to help. I’ll teach you how to do this…and how to train your staff so they’ll be on board too.

Step 8    Master the new technologies – The Internet and other new technologies (e.g. teleconferences) are a tremendous boon to the elder law attorney who masters them. In recent years, returns from Yellow Pages advertising, in most markets, have gone down. The reason? The Internet. Are you using this medium to capture your share of the clients? If you are not, you need to get up to speed on this now. It’s all part of “turning up the heat” to bring in more of the types of clients you want.

Step 9    “Sharpen your saw” – Always be learning. There are some amazing opportunities available under the new law. For instance, the hospice market, as a referral source, is untapped – and yet, it allows some very surprising Medicaid planning opportunities for the smart elder law attorney who knows how to help these clients. Steven Covey talked about “sharpening the saw” in the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. His premise was that highly-effective people never stop learning. They are always looking for new ideas. Highly-effective elder law attorneys do the same thing. They are always “sharpening their saws.” Ongoing support and implementation is the key to a successful elder law practice. That’s precisely what you’ll get as a member of the Gold Plus Coaching program that is part of the Survival Kit.

These nine steps are the key to growing your practice under the new DRA. And they make up the core of my DRA Survival Kit.

Now, you’re probably saying to yourself…

“It all sounds good, Bill…if I could take those nine steps, my practice would prosper…but how am I ever going to put that all together?”

And that’s precisely my point. You don’t have to put it all together. You simply need to get into the flow of the program and do things in the bite-sized way that I tell you every month…and you’ll be amazed at the results. But don’t take my word for it…look at what your colleagues are saying.

I’m sure you’ve seen the growing number of ads in the NAELA Quarterly or you may have received direct mail solicitations offering advice about how to get more clients. You’ve also probably been bombarded with information on seminars or CLE programs on how to cope with the DRA.

Most of these programs are offered by attorneys…and some of them are quite good. But here’s the problem…

They weren’t created by an elder law attorney who is looking at the DRA from a practice-development standpoint.

“I didn’t think it was possible, but from the moment I started using Bill’s client consultation scripts, which he provides only to his coaching members, my closing rate increased from 25% to 80%. Within the first week, I closed 15 clients in a row! “Since then, my business has increased by at least 50% using Bill’s marketing tactics and DRA approach. And that’s not to mention the tremendous networking opportunity I get. I can pick up the phone any time I want and call my fellow coaching members to discuss a problem, brainstorm on a new idea or just to pick their brains and I don’t have to worry about them being my competition because with Bill’s techniques we all close so much business, it’s irrelevant!” Bill Johnson Holland, OH

I have been working on how to turn this law into an advantage for elder law attorneys long before the government seriously began working on the DRA. I knew it was coming. Those of you who have seen me at the NAELA events for the last few years know this to be true. And I’ve put a great deal of my energy and resources into developing systems to counteract what has just happened.

And your next question might be… “So if this is so great, why are you sharing it with me?”

The reason, quite simply, is that this is my passion. I have practiced elder law for the last ten years, and I have grown my firm, literally, from non-existence in 1995 to $1,721,261 in 2005. And the practice continues to grow.

And there’s another reason. You see, I feel like I owe so much of my success to a small group of mentors (Dan Kennedy, Matt Furey and Dr. George Pratt) who have taken me under their wing and coached me to the success I now enjoy, that I felt like I wouldn’t be doing my part if I didn’t offer to do the same for you.

These coaches revealed so much “inside information” to me over the years that my learning curve was cut dramatically. I understand the value of a great coach and mentor and I want to share with my coaching members what I’ve been taught…those secrets that have allowed my practice to thrive. Plus there’s one more thing…call it my ADD (attention deficit disorder).

My law firm is now such a well-oiled machine that if I hadn’t created the DRA Survival Kit and the Gold Plus Coaching group, I’d have so much time on my hands that, quite frankly, if I wasn’t doing this, I’d be bored. I always like to be doing something new. My need to create is your gain.

What’s more, every time I’m able to help one of my colleagues, and he or she then goes out and helps their clients…in some small way, I feel like I can participate in all the good work you are doing and it’s my way to “pay it forward.” If you’re successful…then I’m successful…and that feels awfully good to me.

So Let Me Clarify Exactly What The DRA Survival Kit Is…
And What Is Different And Distinctive About The DRA Survival Kit Vs. Any Other System
Or Information Being Offered To Our Profession

1. The DRA Survival Kit guides you through the minefield signed into law by the President on February 8, 2006. Mind you, I’m not here to provide substantive interpretations of the law…frankly, I’m not smart enough to do that (although I certainly have a very good working knowledge of it). You can get that information other places.

   Instead, my sole purpose is to help you make your firm more profitable so that you can maintain or grow your practice…whatever your preference…in spite of the DRA.

2. The DRA Survival Kit will help “immunize” you from many of the debilitating worries and anxieties affecting the elder law bar, in light of the new law changes.

3. It will NOT require you to do embarrassing or unprofessional mass marketing in order to succeed.

4. The DRA Survival Kit is not “theory” or “ideas.” It is 100% based on real experience that I’ve been teaching your fellow colleagues over the last several months.

5. The DRA Survival Kit will actually help you increase your community prominence, prestige, and respect – it doesn’t jeopardize it.

6. It will provide you with ready-made, tested and proven tools to use, not just “stuff to learn.”

7. The DRA Survival Kit is simple, sensible, and easy to follow.

8. This system is “fast start.”

9. The DRA Survival Kit is fully guaranteed.

This Is Not Mere “Motivation” Either

If you need or want Dale Carnegie, this isn’t it. This is a tough-as-nails, practical, how-to program designed to put you on an even footing in spite of everything that’s happened over the last few months…and to put you way ahead of your peers who are going to whine and moan and wring their hands about the new laws…but who are not going to do what it takes to adapt their practices.

Frankly, you may wind up watching some of the elder law attorneys you know find another area of practice or even get out of the law altogether…and you may feel bad about their stress and unhappiness.

But you won’t be sharing their pain.

By the way, there’s a saying I like: “Motivation without foundation is frustration.”

Now, being motivated can be a wonderful thing. But if you just wake up “motivated” each morning, optimistic and energized about the day ahead, that’s not enough. You need a foundation that you are going to get what you need and want out of your practice financially AND psychologically.

That foundation requires a SYSTEM for attracting good, quality clients…the cases that will still be meaningful and rewarding to you under the DRA…and it requires a system that provides a steady stream of such clients, in such a way that you have no anxiety, worry or stress over your present or future finances.

The DRA Survival Kit is such a system.

But It’s Much More Than That

The whole program is also an IMPLEMENTATION program. It’s based on Napoleon Hill’s Mastermind Group, discussed in his book, Think And Grow Rich. Hill talked about creating a harmonious alliance of like-minded people to classify and organize new information for fast and effective implementation. And that’s exactly what this is.

You know, it would be one thing to give you several thick binders, and then to just leave you on your own. That won’t help you succeed. Your time is too short and you’ve got way too much going on to juggle all of the uncertainties of the new law without having another task thrown on your pile. That just makes you feel inadequate when you can’t get it all done.

Instead, I’m going to provide you the tools to IMPLEMENT the system so you can hit the ground running. Then the ongoing coaching program will allow you to stay on track.

How The DRA Survival Kit Is Delivered For Your Use

You get everything in two stages:

1. In the first stage, you’ll discover the steps you should take right now with the prospective clients currently coming into your office. These are the proven steps to take to “plug the leaks” in your practice. Here’s where you’ll discover how to free up your calendar so you’ll see only “good facts” clients who will hire you, on the spot, at the fee you quote.


2. Then about three weeks later,  you’ll receive the DRA Survival Kit materials that will allow you to turn up the “marketing heat” so you can begin attracting more of these “good facts” clients into your practice. Plus by this time, you’ll have learned how to convert this stream of prospective clients into real clients who will hire you and write you a check when you sign them up.

And to make sure all of it flows smoothly for you…you’ll may qualify for three months of my Gold Plus member coaching program. (This alone is a $1,491 value for free – more on that later.)

“Accountability is king. Unlike so many seminars where you come away with great ideas, but then life gets in the way and you push it all aside, Bill doesn’t let you get away with that. Not a week goes by that I don’t get something from him in the mail, by e-mail, fax, or a phone call. It forces you to stay focused. “Since I started with Bill’s program one year ago, I’ve grown my practice by about 50% compared to the year before. I knew what I needed to do even back then, but I couldn’t get it done until I got into Bill’s coaching program. It’s just a perfect fit and I plan to be a member for a long time to come. Yale Hauptman Livingston, NJ

Also, as a member, you will get continuing support, via the monthly newsletter and question/receive/answer by fax.

How Can You Feel Safe Investing In This System?

I know. Lawyers are professional skeptics. But you have zero risk in obtaining, evaluating, even "test-driving” the DRA Survival Kit.

Imagine this - me, a lawyer, giving you such a simple and straightforward guarantee it can be spelled out in its entirety in under 175 words, with no asterisks, no fine-print, no ambiguity:

Iron-Clad, No-Nonsense, Money-Back Guarantee

Invest in The DRA Survival Kit and review it at your convenience. Listen to my discussions on CDs, maybe as you drive to and from your office. Read the written materials which are broken down into simple, easily-digestible modules.

Follow the advice and watch your elder law practice transform and your billings increase within the first 90 days after you receive the materials. And notice the new-found peace of mind you’re enjoying.

Then, if for ANY REASON you are not satisfied, anytime prior to the 90th day from your receipt of the  System, you may return the DRA Survival Kit and you’ll receive a full, 100% immediate refund of your entire fee, plus I’ll send you an additional $100, just for reviewing the DRA Survival Kit.

And after the 90 day trial period, if you’ve enrolled in the Gold Plus Coaching and Implementation Program, and…if for any reason you’re not satisfied…at any time…you may terminate your membership in the Gold Plus Coaching and Implementation program and not owe one penny more.

I can’t be fairer than that! That’s truly a better-than-risk-free guarantee.

There Are Two Catches…

First, enrollment in the DRA Survival Kit is by application only. What’s more, your continuing involvement will be at your and my discretion. I’m only accepting elder law attorneys who are SERIOUS about growing their practice. This program has had such great response (see the testimonials from your colleagues who are participating) that you’ll quickly know why I don’t feel compelled to try to “prove anything to you.” I am here to help you make this work and to be successful…but I believe one of the great secrets in life is to only surround yourself with people you want to work with. I will bend over backwards to help you make this a success…but I will not tolerate any whining. It’s poison for the group and it simply won’t be allowed. So I invite you to apply…just understand that I also reserve the right to say “no.”

Second, I reserve the right to stop accepting enrollments and to limit the group to 100 members. I will make that decision after the group grows to that level. The reason I may limit the group is that I have several projects going on and I need to gauge how much of my time will be required by those first 100 members.

There are currently 53 members enrolled. If your membership application is received after the group is full, then you will be notified and you will be placed on the waiting list.

The DRA Survival Kit Was Designed By A
Lawyer With A Unique Marketing Background

Unlike many lawyers (maybe including you), I never had an “aversion” to marketing. I was not “allergic” to it.

Unlike just about any lawyer, I actually have a marketing background. After graduating from Notre Dame in 1981 with my law degree, I DID NOT PRACTICE LAW AT ALL.  The reasons aren’t important to take up space with here, but for 15 years, I did other things. During that time, I was fortunate to “bumble into” a position as  the Marketing Director of a 100,000 member association....the Uniformed Services Benefit Association. I also worked in the management consulting business, dealing with such things as pension reviews. Overall, I had quite a bit of involvement in marketing. (Undoubtedly, a lot more than you have.) And now on a monthly basis, I practice elder law and I coach elder law attorneys from all over the country on how to grow their post-DRA practices and make them more profitable.

In 1996, when I opened the doors to my firm and dedicated myself to building one of the most successful practices in the country, my unique marketing experience stood me in good stead. In addition, I sought out and studied the top “direct response” marketers in the country, including legendary names you may not have heard of, but who typically command fees that would make lawyers blush! — $800.00 or even more for hourly consulting, $3,000.00 to as much as $15,000.00 per person to attend their seminars, $25,000.00 or more to create advertising or direct-mail campaigns. I swallowed hard and spent my money on their expertise, to “strengthen my hand.” The upshot is I became a true marketing expert. Now I have used my expertise to create the DRA Survival Kit in such a way that is absolutely formulaic and reliable.....is one you can emotionally “live with,” without feeling like you’re advertising law like you would a shoe store.....and that is quite different from all the traditional, mostly ineffective ways lawyers market their practices. Plus, it has been designed specifically to cope with the DRA.

Not to be redundant, but it is a “system” that began as an experiment and evolved through my own trial-and-error experience into an absolutely effective, almost “paint-by-numbers” blueprint for building the successful post-DRA law practice.

Oh, and by the way - as an aside - you do NOT have to give up your life and work 26 hours a day, 8 days a week to build a million dollar a year (or bigger) practice of this kind. In fact, I work a lot less in my law practice than many of my lawyer friends who make a fraction of what I do. Because of my unique marketing system, because of the high client value, because of the inordinately high referral rate, this Survival Kit will give you MORE time off, MORE personal freedom, not less. You’ll quickly discover - you HAVE been working too hard to make your living!

“Bill, I am intrigued with this opportunity…
what all is included in the DRA Survival Kit?

Here’s Everything You Get In The System:

1.   The DRA Survival Kit is the exact system I have used to market my practice and to coach elder law attorneys across the country. It’s based on the nine step model outlined on pages 14 through 17 of this letter. You may recall that the ways to immunize your practice from the bad effects of the DRA are to:

Step 1        Turn up the marketing heat
Step 2        Market to certain types of Medicaid cases
Step 3        Adjust your strategy regarding referral sources
Step 4        Make the paradigm shift into “Medicaid estate planning”
Step 5        Manage your calendar and triage calls relentlessly
Step 6        Learn how to close the sale
Step 7        Recognize the niches where the major dollars are
Step 8        Master the new technologies
Step 9        “Sharpen your saw”

The DRA Survival Kit shows you how to handle each and every one of these challenges.

2.  “USE LICENSE” FOR ALL COPYRIGHT-PROTECTED TOOLS

You get an unrestricted Use License for the marketing tools included. You will probably use many of these tools with very minor modification, in some cases just inserting your identity in place of mine. In other cases, you may choose to modify them significantly.

NOTE: If you started from scratch and had equivalent ads and marketing documents written and created for you by an advertising agency or similar provider, you might easily spend $15,000 to $25,000 or more. And you would almost certainly not match the tested and proven effectiveness of these tools.

3.  COACHING AUDIO CDS

You get CD-Roms of selected coaching calls I’ve led. They are an integral part of the Survival Kit. I have selected several which I believe are crucial to your development and to the growth of your practice. You can listen while driving to and from the office, for example, and turn commute time into productive time.

NOTE: If you obtained this same information by attending a special seminar, you’d easily spend more than the entire System fee for registration, certainly for registration plus travel, not to mention time away from your practice.

4.  NICHES TO RICHES:  LASER-FOCUS PRACTICE MARKETING CD

In this concise CD-Rom, you will learn all the “sub-sections” and “disease/condition-linked target markets” involved in one area of Medicaid estate planning so you can make the best target marketing and positioning choices. You will discover how to effectively present yourself as “THE local attorney who helps families with Alzheimer’s Disease,” or whatever, without violating ethics rules regarding specialization. Finally, you will get guidance in ethical command of premium fees made possible by niche-ing.

5.  REFERRAL NETWORKING MANUAL: HOW TO ORGANIZE AND MANAGE A PRODUCTIVE REFERRAL NETWORK FOR YOUR PRACTICE

Here is the most powerful marketing method - how to get a steady stream of quality client referrals from the sources most likely to refer under the DRA. You’ll be able to organize and build such strong relationships with your network that you literally own it and pre-empt any competition...and do so quickly.

6.  FAST START CHECKLIST AND GUIDE

Based on what I know now, rather than what I did months ago - exactly what I would do to boost my post-DRA practice, and produce significant revenue in 90 days or less.  Includes extra tools, such as a series of informative letters to send to past and present referral sources, certain to stimulate business and referrals.

7.  THREE PERSONAL CONSULTATION CERTIFICATES

Each Certificate entitles you to a 15-minute private telephone consultation, scheduled by appointment. You may use them individually or combined, for 30 or 45 minutes, as you prefer. This gives you an opportunity to get into implementation, develop individual questions about your market, expertise, objectives, etc. and get those answered. (Value: if purchased separately, my marketing consulting bills at $500.00 per hour.)

8.  ADVERTISING CRITIQUE CERTIFICATE

Entitles you to mail or FAX in your Yellow Pages, newspaper or other advertisement or some other printed marketing piece (ideally, prior to use) for my personal critique.

Here’s a very special bonus when you enroll by the date stamped on the order form

Perhaps most important to your success, when you enroll by the date stamped on the order form, you’ll also receive a 3-month membership in my Gold Plus coaching program. That’s a bonus valued at $1,491… yours free for your quick response.

Is There A Magic Pill To Guarantee Your Success?

No. You are this wonderful combination of life experiences that has allowed you to get to a point in your life where you are a successful elder law attorney… but even more than that, perhaps a successful husband or wife, friend, employer, teacher, parent, child, all those roles we all play. You are a wonderful combination of life experiences, but at the same time, you have hopes and fears like all of us, and you know that there are steps you can take to become even more successful in whatever way you define that.

The simple fact is, you are in control of you’re your practice and of life. And while your practice has been great, the DRA has introduced a whole new level of uncertainty. The good news is that I’ll be there to coach you and to help you get what is most important to you.

“If it weren’t for Bill’s Million-Dollar Solution System, I wouldn’t even be practicing elder law. Which means I wouldn’t have gotten the cases I’ve gotten or generated the revenue I’ve generated. That’s 25% more income I would have missed out on! “I must admit that the cost of joining his program was a little scary to me at first. I definitely hesitated. But then I forced myself to take the leap and, I have to say, it was the best decision I’ve ever made for my business.” Mark Clair Sylvania, OH

So what kind of attorneys will succeed using the DRA Survival Kit?

They are attorneys who have:

• A burning desire to succeed
• A willingness to learn
• Someone who is open to new ideas (but who understands there’s no “magic bullet”)
• Someone who will define (with help) their goals for the next one or two or five years
• Someone who is open to coaching
• Someone who is accountable (who takes responsibility for their mistakes and learns from them)
• Someone who is an adult (no whining, please)
• Someone who can keep a secret (the things we’ll present in our coaching sessions are for your use…they’re not to be shared outside of the group – it’s absolutely okay to use them yourself and in your practice, but not to go blabbing them on the Internet or telling others outside the group)
• Someone who’s willing to invest in him or herself
• Someone who’s not a victim
• Someone who is pleasant to work with

Let me ask you a question.

Have you ever started a project, gotten excited about it, then quit? Have you ever read a book, attended a seminar, only to go back to your day-to-day life and then forgotten what you were excited about – only to move on to the next new thing?

Why does that happen? It’s because you are too over-whelmed by the day-to-day matters in your practice to implement the changes you know you should make. You have everything it takes to succeed except for the one crucial factor – follow up.

This Program Will Make You Accountable

Having a good coach eliminates this. It makes you accountable. A good coach understands when you need encouragement, or if you are becoming whiney and need a kick in the rear. A good coach knows when to guide you and when to help you figure out something on your own.

The simple fact is you’ve got to get smart about the post-DRA environment …you’ve got to be ready to deal with these changes now.

If you can look at these changes in the legal environment and see them as an opportunity…or if that’s too much of a stretch for you, but you are one of those survivors who hears this news and says to yourself,  “I am going to succeed in spite of these changes”…then this program is for you.

“To have a marketing consultant that actually practices in the area that I concentrate in is a huge benefit. I should know because I’ve hired other marketing consultants in the past who didn’t specialize in elder law and they just never got it. Bill does. He’s done it. And he tells us what works. “With Bill, it’s not just ideas and theory. He provides concrete examples of what works and what doesn’t in marketing this kind of business. He gives me a tremendous advantage over my competition. So much so that my income has increased by 20% since starting his program! My family and I thank you, Bill.” Paul Stano Parma Heights, OH

Earlier, I explained what’s in the DRA Survival Kit. Now let me tell you what’s included in the Gold Plus implementation part of the program…

What’s Included In The Three Month Free Coaching and Implementation Program, That Gold Plus Members Will Receive As An Early Enrollment Bonus

Here’s where you may want to take out a yellow highlighter and start taking notes on everything that’s included.

Monthly Mastermind/Coaching Teleconference with Bill Hammond 

The heart and soul of the program is the advice, direction and attention you will be getting from me.

Every month, I hold a teleconference on an issue directly related to the challenges you face as a practicing elder law attorney.

As a law student, you were taught how to practice law…but the dirty little secret they didn’t tell us in law school was that simply having a license was not enough.

You can’t just “hang out a shingle” and expect clients to show up. Those days are long gone. Now, with all of the challenges that you face (from fighting uphill battles to unfavorable economics to head-to-head competition to dealing with the sometimes outdated Bar Association rules to the unjust criticism of fellow attorneys – to employee issues to systems failures…the list goes on and on), the practice of law is hard.

We will deal with those issues. In addition…and in many cases, more importantly…I will show you how to take specific steps and use specific strategies to turn up the marketing heat in your practice to begin attracting more clients…precisely at the time this is needed, due to the law changes in the Deficit Reduction Act.

This ongoing coaching and support is the “sharpening of the saw” I referred to in Step 9 of the DRA Survival Kit. But you need more than just advice…

It’s time to build systems that will make your phone ring consistently. That’s why I’ve included everything from referral systems to advertising to direct mail to endorsements to host/beneficiary relationships to back-end selling to raising your fees. All of these can be learned if only you’ll take the time to do so, and if only someone will give you the focus you need. This is “turning up the marketing heat,” as I call it.

My monthly teleconference calls will give you this focus you need to make your practice grow…and I’ll provide the steps to take in bite-sized pieces so you can truly get them done without being overwhelmed..

And that’s not all. I understand that you may not be able to make it to every monthly conference call. You lead a busy life and the calls done live may not be convenient for you. That’s why every month I will send you a CD and a transcript of that month’s call, so that you can listen to it again as you travel to and from work, or read the transcript, whichever is more convenient for you.

Weekly Marketing Fax –

Every week, on either Monday or Tuesday, if you’re a Gold Plus member, I’ll be sending you a fax discussing a practice development tip for you to consider as you go about your daily business. These tips will be no more than one to two pages and will contain actionable information designed to keep you on point between the monthly coaching calls. You’ll receive 52 faxes per year, any one of which will give you ideas potentially worth more than the cost of the entire year’s membership…if only you’ll put them to work.

Monthly Special Reports –

In addition to the monthly conference calls and weekly faxes, every month Gold Plus members also receive a special report from me on a topic designed to help you market your practice and attract more, better-paying clients. Some months, the Special Report will be a “white paper” with bulleted, actionable information designed to give you things to put into place immediately. Other months, you will receive an additional CD-ROM on a marketing topic of great interest.

The reason I am doing it this way is that some people respond better to written reports and some people respond better to having the information presented to them orally. So you will get the best of both worlds. Oh, and by the way, these topics will not be overlapping. In other words, there will be twelve different topics (six white papers and six CD-ROMS) presented to you throughout the year on a monthly basis. Again, any one of these will contain information worth more than the cost of the entire program.

And from time to time, on the CD-ROM special reports, I’ll reveal my most current thoughts about what is happening in the world around us and what steps need to be taken. These will be wide-ranging CDs and can be on any number of topics. The key here, again, is that they are “for your ears only” and are not to be shared outside of the coaching group.

These Teleconferences and Special Reports alone are enough to move you to the next level in your practice. You will soon see and understand the marketing concepts in a way that you didn’t previously get…and your practice will take off. You may be one of those people whose testimonials you can read in these materials…the ones who no longer fear the law changes.

But for others, while a coach can provide them with a roadmap to success; some may never move down the success path. Often times, that’s because of fear, guilt, apprehension, concern over what others are thinking about them…and so on. That’s why so many attorneys never get the results they are capable of achieving. To counteract that,  if you feel like these are challenges you face, on a monthly basis, you can also participate in my Millionaire Mindset program with success trainer, Lee Milteer. This part of the program is designed to help you get past any of those types of issues that may be holding you back.

My coaching program provides that critical link between knowing and doing.

Admission To the Gold Plus Coaching Super-Conference

Every year, I will also do a full-blown law firm-building, money-making event at no cost to my Gold Plus Coaching and Implementation members.

I’ve done the research. I have personally consulted with countless attorneys throughout the country. If anyone knows and understands the major problems attorneys face, year in and year out, it’s me. That’s because I hear from so many of you.

But better than just knowing your concerns and frustrations, I also have the answers to the most common problems that attorneys face…and I’ll reveal the top nine of those during this annual super-conference.

And for my Gold Plus coaching  members – these nine simple secrets can change their lives forever.

Let me give you a few examples of what my members will take away from this year’s super-conference:

• How not to be a victim when you advertise or market your practice.
• The most important data you must collect and why. (Your law firm will wither on the vine without this information.)
• Simple marketing “tricks” that get powerful results, with no extra work on your part.
• The three biggest “word of mouth” mistakes attorneys make.
• How to get your hands on the Easiest Money in your law firm – sitting right under your nose.
• Common thinking about clients within the legal industry that’s completely wrong.
• The single most important big idea that can propel your law firm to the next level.
• The secret marketing code that master marketers understand. What WIIFM stands for, and why it’s critical to every one of your marketing promotions.
• The secrets of designing a yellow pages ad that will work for your firm, month after month

Come to the Super Conference and network with your marketing-friendly colleagues and spend some time with me and my staff where we share the personal success principles and entrepreneurial strategies that have allowed my law firm to rise to the top. I have planned a very valuable full day and a half workshop that “covers the waterfront” of my entrepreneurial and marketing experience and I’ll focus on how you can attract more clients to your law firm and increase your profits, even in the challenging times ahead. Full details will be provided when you enroll.

* * * * * *

Phew! There’s a lot of meat the DRA Survival Kit…even more when you consider the support offered by the Gold Plus Coaching and Implementation program.

Here’s the good news. While there’s a lot included, you don’t have to do everything in order to benefit. Instead, the program is designed to help you in just the opposite way. If you’ll simply put into play the simple marketing steps I outline in the System and participate in the monthly coaching sessions with me (or listen to the CD of my call), you’ll soon start to have a much greater focus on what needs to be done to take your practice to the next level…to increase your earnings, and even to work less, if that’s what you want to do.

The fact is, it’s time for you to take control of your life. Because if you don’t do it now…then next year…or two years from now, you’ll still find yourself in a position of worrying about the latest government action or the economy or whether you’re even going to be practicing elder law…but no matter what you’re doing, if you don’t take charge of your life now, you’ll never really get to the point where you reach real peace of mind. But your investment in the DRA Survival Kit and coaching program will address these issues so you’ll feel good about where things are headed and you’ll know that you have a plan to address the DRA and the major concerns in all aspects of your life. (After all, you give your clients peace of mind…why shouldn’t you have it too?)

By now, you probably can see the enormous benefits of this DRA Survival Kit and you understand how it will positively impact all of the areas of your life…and now you’re probably wondering just how much this is going to cost. I’ll address that in a moment, but first, I want to mention…

A Legitimate Reason You Might NOT Choose To Invest In The DRA Survival Kit And the Gold Plus Coaching Implementation Program Or To Even Read Further…

There’s an old saying…in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

If you feel like the state of your practice is such that you have no trouble attracting new clients…and if you feel that you are not at all concerned about the DRA…or added competition…and if you believe that the other aspects of your life are in such good shape that you really don’t need help in any of these areas…then this program is not for you.

In addition, even if you know you need help in every one of those areas… but you just can’t see yourself easily taking encouragement or criticism…from someone… if you feel like you have all the right answers or that you know more than anyone else… then you should not sign up for this program.

If, on the other hand, you understand the value of a DRA Survival Kit…created by a practicing attorney who built his firm from nothing to $1.8 million per year (and growing)…and if you see the value in having membership in a dynamic mastermind alliance of like-minded elder law attorneys which is coping with challenges of the new law and constantly evolving, and if you fully understand the incredible synergy and focus that comes from this type of system…and if you understand how the power of focus and knowing exactly what steps to take can propel your practice to the next level…and if you want to earn more money without working longer hours…then the DRA Survival Kit is for you.

What’s more, if you can imagine the peace of mind that will come from the systems and coaching you will receive to build your practice and increase your income and attain the goals you set…then this program is definitely for you.

“Okay, Bill, Just How Big Of A Price Tag Is Attached To The DRA Survival Kit, Anyway? It Must Be A Big One”

Along about now, you’ve probably braced yourself for “the price.” It’s a good question, and you obviously should expect to pay a significant fee for system and for the ongoing training I’ve described here.

And make no mistake; the cost of the program is not cheap. I’ll make no apologies for that. After all, since I’ve left USBA about ten years ago, I have spent more than $250,000 on my own personal development.

In addition, I participate in three coaching programs myself, and the total cost of those programs is far more than $25,000 per year!

You are among the very first group of elder law attorneys to receive this Report. For that reason, I am considering the first twelve months that I’m offering this as an “introductory term.” During that time period, I am discounting the fees by 25%. You will see that discount marked on your actual enrollment form, the yellow page included with this report. To receive that discount, you must order by the date stamped on your enrollment form – no exceptions.

Your investment in the DRA Survival Kit, during this introductory period, is available in two formats:

1. You can purchase the DRA Survival Kit outright, with no ongoing coaching or systems updates for a one-time investment of $4,997. And, considering that you should re-coup your investment in the Survival Kit with just one or two additional clients (and surely, you’ll learn how to bring an ongoing stream of those clients), this is a real bargain.


2. You may enroll as a Gold Plus member and receive the identical DRA Survival Kit for only $1,491 payable in three monthly installments of $497 a month. What’s more, by investing in the system at the introductory rate as a Gold Plus Member…then as a special bonus, you’ll be enrolled in the Gold Plus Coaching and Implementation program during those three months, for free.

This is the identical Coaching and Implementation program attorneys around the country pay nearly $500 a month for … but you get the first three months free. Then, assuming that you and your growing bank balance see the value in this program, after the three-month free trial period is over, you can continue your membership in the Coaching and Implementation program at the rate of only $497 per month. And if for ANY REASON you’re not satisfied…at any time…you may terminate your membership immediately and not owe a penny more.

What’s more, your investment in the Gold Plus program is guaranteed to never increase… no matter how long you’re a member. And when you consider that the entire program, including The DRA Survival Kit, is fully guaranteed, as explained on pages 21 and 22 of this letter. You have no risk whatsoever.

As you review these options, it’s clear that the Gold Plus membership, with ongoing coaching and implementation, is a far less expensive way to “test drive” the system. In fact, it’s more than a $3,500 savings! Why is that?

Quite simply, I want this to work for you. I know how disconcerting the new law is to elder law practitioners. And I have found that the ones who succeed are those who join the Coaching the Implementation program and receive the ongoing updates.

But not everyone wants that ongoing support. So I’ve made an outright purchase option available for those who don’t want the ongoing assistance…with generous, better-than-risk-free, money-back guarantees, no matter which option your choose.

While your investment in the system may sound like a lot of money to you, for a program that will help you change your life in whatever ways are most important to you, while at the same time giving you a system and a program led by top experts across the country who have a goal of helping you bullet proof your practice from all the changes swirling around elder law attorneys, while attaining the monetary and life goals you’ve set for yourself… for a program like that… the cost is nearly inconsequential.

The bottom line here is that you can’t truly put a price on success. You know that. And for purely selfish reasons, I want only “players” involved. If what I have to offer you here is truly great, then there’s simply no reason I can justify “giving it away” at Wal-Mart prices. What I’m offering you is the chance to be one of a very small number… an elite group… of elder law attorneys who won’t worry about tomorrow’s headlines in the paper. They won’t worry about further changes in the laws and about how this might affect them. They know their practices are secure… no matter what.

If you think about it, the cost of the program is just a fraction of what you would pay for a part-time employee, and you and I know how little that part-time employee would actually add to your bottom line. The fact is, that part-time employee would cost you money. Your investment in this program, on the other hand, will make you money… month after month.

As one of my mentors used to tell me over and over again… “Bill, just because you don’t know how to do something, doesn’t mean nobody else does either.” The same holds true for you.

The fact is, I’m bringing together some of the top experts in the country… people who do know how to get things done… and who have an uncanny ability to teach you how to get things done.

It’s Time For You To Make An Important Decision

For you, this one of those “choice points” in life. And now you’re going to be asked to make a decision.

And the decision you make may be the difference between your spending the rest of your career as an attorney always worried about which way the wind is blowing…what changes the Government is going to make…will you have enough appointments this week? How will the State interpret the half-a-loaf rules? Will annuities still work? Etc., etc.

Or will you choose to be the attorney who understands how to control the entire process…how to handle your marketing and to have a steady, reliable flow of good paying clients who will allow you to sustain, and even improve, your lifestyle, even as so many of your peers fret and worry about what is going on around them.

What To Do Next

Since I have a full-time law practice, I am NOT accessible to answer questions prior to your acquisition and review of the System – that’s why I have provided such a generous, unconditional guarantee, plus testimonials from so many of your colleagues. However, if for some reason, you must speak with us before enrollment, you may call my office at 1-800-785-9569 and ask to speak with my Marketing Director, Dan Compton, and he will answer any lingering questions you might have.

My Final Thoughts

If you are thoroughly satisfied with the way everything is going in your elder law practice, and you feel you are on track to meet all of your goals…well, if you felt that way, you would probably not have read this far.

You undoubtedly understand the value of this DRA Survival Kit and coaching implementation program, and you know that, as you begin to reap the benefits of this program, your life will be better in so many ways.

If you understand all this…and if you are ready to take control and to stop worrying about the whims of government actions or whether or not enough clients will call this week, or this month…if you’re ready to put all of that aside and to take charge of your life and to enjoy the peace of mind you so richly deserve…then the investment in this program is for right you and for the continuing health of your post-DRA practice.

In that case, you need to fill out the Enrollment Form and fax it or mail it today.

I hope, having given this subject so much attention, you will not stop short, for whatever the reason – skepticism, procrastination, whatever the reason. You’ve read this far. Now it’s time to take action.

Invest in yourself and in your practice and in the DRA Survival Kit today.

Warmly,

William G. Hammond

P.S.  I’m selecting a group of NAELA attorneys to be mentored by me through my DRA Survival Kit and Gold Plus Coaching Implementation Program. I’ll take that group by the hand and guide them, step-by-step, through the practice-development challenges they face to the most profitable and lowest-stress years of their career. If you are serious about practicing elder law, in spite of the challenges posed by the DRA, you’re invited to apply for membership now.

P.P.S.  The Deficit Reduction Act is actually a gift to smart, adaptive elder law attorneys. With the DRA Survival Kit, you can increase your income while you enjoy greater peace of mind.

Sound like a pipe dream? It’s not. Read the testimonials included in this letter…many from attorneys you undoubtedly know. There’s actually a systematic way for you to position yourself and your practice so that you can raise your fees and see more clients, even in the difficult environment most elder law attorneys find themselves in. It’s important to your success that you learn how to do this now.

Invest in the system today and learn how to increase your firm’s profits… fully protected by the iron-clad money-back guarantee. This is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for… enroll today.

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If you still have questions, I urge you to review this admittedly long letter. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by investing in yourself and in the DRA Survival Kit, fully protected by our iron-clad guarantee.

And if you have questions that require a personal response,
call us toll free at 1-800-785-9569.