An estate planning attorney in Tucson drafts 3-4 wills and trusts per week. Each requires customization: specific beneficiary language, state-specific requirements, asset schedules, healthcare directives, and power of attorney documents. She types from templates in Word, manually updating names, addresses, and provisions throughout a 30-page document. One typo — the wrong beneficiary name — could invalidate the entire trust. The drafting process takes 4-6 hours per client at $300/hour.
The $70+ trillion intergenerational wealth transfer is driving unprecedented demand for estate planning. But the document automation tools are stuck in the 1990s: WealthCounsel and ElderCounsel ($125-150+/user/month) dominate with powerful document assembly but clunky interfaces and enterprise pricing. Consumer tools like LegalZoom ($199-599 one-time) produce basic wills but can't handle complex trusts or state-specific provisions.
The gap is document automation at $49-79/mo for solo estate planning attorneys: guided interview flow (ask the right questions), automatic document assembly with state-specific provisions, e-signature for execution, and client portal for document delivery. Not the customization depth of WealthCounsel — target the 80% of simple-to-moderate estate plans that don't need exotic trust structures. Position as 'WealthCounsel lite' for solos who can't justify $150/month per user.
What People Are Saying
Real voices expressing this pain point
Building predictable revenue and delivering a client experience that keeps referrals flowing
💰 Revenue Blueprint
Three-tier value ladder to monetize from day one
Basic wills, POAs, healthcare directives, 10 clients/mo, e-signature
Revocable trusts, 30 clients/mo, client portal, document storage
Complex trusts, unlimited clients, team accounts, custom templates, priority support
📊 Market Evidence
🏆 Competitor Landscape
How existing players stack up in this market
| Competitor | Pricing | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| WealthCounsel | $125-150+/mo per user | Market leader. Wealth Docx for custom trusts. Well-established but expensive. |
| ElderCounsel | Similar to WealthCounsel | Elder law focus. Custom drafting with automation. |
| Beyond Counsel | Quote-based | 1M+ docs produced. Growing player. |
| LegalZoom | $199-599 one-time (consumer) | Consumer DIY. Commoditized basic docs. |
| Trust & Will | $159-499 one-time (consumer) | Consumer market. Modern UX. |
| Clio + WealthCounsel | Combined pricing | Integration available. Practice management + drafting. |
Market leader. Wealth Docx for custom trusts. Well-established but expensive.
Elder law focus. Custom drafting with automation.
1M+ docs produced. Growing player.
Consumer DIY. Commoditized basic docs.
Consumer market. Modern UX.
Integration available. Practice management + drafting.
🛠️ Recommended Tech Stack
Suggested tools and technologies to build this idea
Why this stack: Focus on simple-to-moderate estate plans. State-specific provisions library. E-signature for seamless execution.
Score Breakdown
Good market signals with room for growth
Market (20%) + Revenue (20%) + Trend (15%) + Competition (15%) + Build (15%) + Pricing (15%)
🚀 Start Building
Copy a prompt into your favorite AI coding tool and start building this idea right now.
Build a SaaS product called "Estate Planning Document Automation". ## Product Overview AI-powered estate document drafting for attorneys handling trusts, wills, and powers of attorney with state-specific compliance ## Problem Estate attorneys use expensive document automation ($150+/mo) or DIY consumer tools. No affordable middle ground for solo/small firms. ## Solution Build Estate Planning Document Automation ## Target Audience indie hackers, small businesses, and solopreneurs ## Tech Stack - Next.js 15 (App Router) with TypeScript - Tailwind CSS v4 for styling - Supabase for auth, database, and storage - Vercel for deployment - shadcn/ui for UI components - Framer Motion for animations ## MVP Features to Build 1. Landing page with clear value proposition 2. User authentication (sign up, sign in, forgot password) 3. Core product functionality based on the solution above 4. Dashboard for users to manage their data 5. Pricing page with at least 2 tiers (free + paid) 6. Basic settings/profile page ## Known Competitors WealthCounsel, ElderCounsel, Beyond Counsel, LegalZoom, Trust & Will, Clio + WealthCounsel ## Key Risks to Address Standard market entry risks ## Deployment 1. Set up Supabase project and configure environment variables 2. Deploy to Vercel with `npx vercel --prod` 3. Set up custom domain 4. Configure Supabase RLS policies for security ## Instructions Start by creating the project structure, then build the landing page first. Use server components where possible. Make it mobile-responsive from the start. Focus on getting the core value loop working before adding polish.