Why fixed-fee work makes efficiency more important in estates law

LEAP Legal Software’s Profitability in Law: Global Report 2026 highlights why this matters. The research found that globally, 71 per cent of legal professionals now see profitability as a high or top priority in business decision making, while 93 per cent believe their firms have moderate to high potential to improve profitability. At the same time, 51 per cent say client pricing expectations are a major constraint on revenue growth, and many legal professionals report spending between two and five hours a day on administrative tasks. The report also found that 43 per cent ranked automation of repetitive workflows and tasks among their top three technology investments for improving firm profitability.

Those are important findings across the profession, but they have particular relevance in estates law because of the way matters are commonly structured. In our discussions with LEAP’s Australian practice leads, the estates perspective was clear. It is common for firms in this area to be working to fixed fees, particularly on estate planning and probate matters. That means a lawyer may spend five minutes or five hours on certain routine tasks and the fee at the end will still be the same.

That is why estates lawyers need a practical conversation about efficiency. The issue is not cutting corners or reducing the role of professional judgement. It is identifying where valuable legal expertise is being crowded out by repetitive administrative effort. Letters, summaries, first drafts and routine follow-up work all take time. In a fixed-fee environment, that time cannot simply be absorbed into a larger bill. It comes directly out of the margin on the matter.

This is also where technology is beginning to change the conversation. LEAP’s global research found that 57 per cent of respondents report regular use of integrated AI solutions, and 71 per cent say those tools are already saving their firm moderate to significant time. But adoption remains uneven, and that is particularly relevant in estates law, where practitioners can be understandably cautious.

In the transcript, the estates lead noted that estates lawyers tend to take a more measured and considered approach to AI, but are also increasingly receptive once they understand how it can actually be used. That distinction matters. The real opportunity is not to treat AI as something that replaces legal reasoning or generates final work without oversight. It is to use it in ways that support the lawyer, such as helping with early-stage drafting, letters or matter summaries, while keeping professional review firmly in place.

That is an important point in estates law because trust is central to the practice. Clients need confidence that documents are being prepared properly and that lawyers are exercising judgement carefully. Efficiency should never come at the expense of that trust. But neither should caution become a reason to ignore tools that can reduce friction in the delivery of legal services.

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For estates firms, the strongest case for efficiency is not abstract. It is built into the commercial model of the work itself. In fixed-fee matters, small gains in workflow, drafting and administration can have an outsized impact on profitability. Firms that understand that will be better placed to protect margins while still delivering the high standard, consistency and care that clients expect.

In estates law, efficiency is not about doing less. It is about making sure more of a lawyer’s time is spent where it adds the greatest value.

Mahwish Malik is the managing director of LEAP Estates.