The pager sounds. It is Sunday, 3:30 AM, Corona, California. While the rest of the city sleeps, hospital administrator Byron Streifling immediately reaches for his briefcase and heads toward the hospital. Unfortunately, time at the park with his son this afternoon is on hold. Days that start like this usually end after dark. Although he enjoyed his career, being called to work at any hour of the day or night, canceled plans with his family and friends, along with the thought of not seeing his son grow up compelled Streifling to make a change. That was then.

Today, Cowles Legal Systems, Inc., maker of Cowles Trust Plus® and Cowles TrusTerminator® comprehensive trusts and estates software systems, provide attorney J. Byron Streifling, M.P.H., J.D. with the flexibility in schedule to be at his family’s side whenever he chooses. He neither misses his pager going off at 3:30 AM, nor the disappointment on his son’s face when plans are cancelled at the last minute.

When Byron opened his practice, he decided to do thorough research and try several trusts and estates planning systems. He said “I bought them all and worked with them all. But what I found is when I needed to do a set of documents or a trust package for an individual, I invariably turned to Cowles first because it was streamlined. It worked for me.” Byron hasn’t looked back since.

The Cowles systems streamline the entire trust, will, and postmortem process using a checklist-based concept which allows attorneys like Byron to really focus on the client and their needs. Using a checklist allows Attorney Streifling to focus on listening to clients, understanding their needs and motivations, and incorporating those into the estate plan. “I pale at the thought of an attorney making assumptions on behalf of the client. Using the system allows for precise drafting of client documents when what’s important for this client is fresh in my mind. Exceptional estate plans and client satisfaction are my highest priorities”, says Streifling. Cowles systems actually make drafting the trust, will or supporting documents efficient and virtually worry-free with the checklist-based process it provides. The attorney can systematically go through every detail without the worry that an issue may have been overlooked or inadvertently left out.

In the same sense that Byron once woke at 3:30 AM to the waking sound of his pager, it may be safe to assume that many professionals like Byron wake to the thought of perhaps forgetting something that should have been considered and included in the estate plan or thinking that something was just not quite right. Cowles systems do not allow for this type of inaccuracy and lets the attorney rest assured the estate plan is complete and accurate.

Most importantly, using the Cowles’ systems enables professionals like Attorney Streifling to choose a lifestyle. “If I didn’t use the Cowles system, I would be spending a whole lot more hours producing the documents, doing research, and doing all kinds of extra work that’s already taken care of. I’d hate to do my work without it.” said Byron. Technological advantages enhance service for customers. “I may meet with several clients in a given day. With some of the systems I used, before I realized Cowles was the one that worked for me, I would have postponed completing the draft for those clients by days or wait until the week-end.” By that time, details may be forgotten, and the to-do list gets longer and more stressful. “Because Cowles streamlines the process so thoroughly, by the end of the day, at a minimum, I have a draft of all documents completed for each client I met with that day.” Byron concludes, “The support Cowles provides is phenomenal.”