The Cowles system offers a variety of substantive resources designed to assist you in your estate planning practice. These resources are described below:

Located within the Cowles Software

Substantive legal help located within the Phrase/Document Selection area of the Cowles software provides detailed information on the specific phrases and documents included within the system. There are two options for viewing this information.

• Local Database: A complete substantive legal help database is automatically installed with your system.
• Web Database: A complete substantive legal help database is also maintained on the Thomson West web servers. This database is recommended since it is updated on a regular basis. To utilize this information, an active internet connection is required.

The help files provide a summary of each phrase with detailed information for each option. References with citations and links to additional information are included throughout.

Located within the Members Only area of the Cowles Website

The Members Only area of the Cowles website includes an extensive database for information on substantive law as it pertains to the estate planning area including articles and citations, and practical guidance in the areas of estate inheritance income, tax planning, trust drafting and funding, lifetime gifting considerations, and use of irrevocable trusts.

Use this area as a resource for documents, phrases, articles, marketing materials, slides, and other items submitted by other Cowles members. Search for and download valuable materials, or upload files you would like to share.

The Internet Links area within Members Only includes links to important resources for the estate planning and postmortem practice include state-specific sites, the ABA, the IRS, valuation sites, substantive research sites, court locators, and much more.

This monthly newsletter will be emailed to you, or may be accessed via Members Only. The newsletter includes legislative updates, tech tips, and articles regarding substantive areas and practice development. An archive of the newsletters is located within Members Only under Technical Resources.

Other Resources

Included with your Cowles subscription is unlimited access to selected content on Westlaw. This content includes the federal tax code, the federal tax regulations, and highlights of recent case law developments in the estate planning area.

Sign on to Westlaw (http://westlaw.com) using your Westlaw password and view the Cowles Tab. Run any number of searches and enjoy unlimited access at no charge to the content of these databases.

Click HERE to learn more about accessing Westlaw and the content included your plan. In addition, contact the West Reference Attorneys at 1-800-366-1730 for individual assistance.

West LegalEdcenter (WLEC) offers the comprehensive, relevant continuing education you need to succeed in a competitive marketplace through live and recorded online CLE programs. Use this site as a resource to get up to speed on recent developments in the law, complete your state CLE requirements, and hone important practice skills. Click HERE for more information on how to get started.

Through the listserve, you are able to present your questions or suggestions to other Cowles members and respond to their questions. Our goal is to provide members with a means to increase communication and information pertinent to the estate planning practice. Members can share estate planning techniques, office procedures, software questions, and legal substance. If you have a question which needs input from others - where research alone simply does not satisfy the need - post your question by email to estate planning attorneys. Specific examples of areas which could be discussed are:

• Questions or thoughts on substantive law
• Practice techniques, both applied to use of Cowles' Systems and otherwise
• Requests for attorneys in other states to prepare deeds for clients holding real estate in another state, or requests for attorneys in other states to prepare or review estate plans for clients not residents of the state in which you're licensed.

Send your email to clslist@cowleslegal.com and your message will automatically be sent to all subscribers.