Estate Planning Law Specialist Review Course

WHAT WE’LL COVER

The Estate Planning Law Specialist (EPLS) Review Course is designed to provide a comprehensive review of the materials covered on the EPLS certification exam conducted by the Estate Law Specialist Board, Inc. (ELSB). EPLS is the only national board certification for attorneys specializing in estate planning law. The review course assumes a solid familiarity with estate planning and provides detailed discussion and review of the most commonly presented topics on the EPLS exam so that upon completion, attendees will be prepared to sit for the exam. The objectives of this course include gaining a comprehensive understanding of:

The Marital Deduction
Gift Taxation
Generation Skipping Transfer Tax
Income Taxation of Trusts and Estates
Legal Ethics

COST

The public fee to become EPLS certified is $600, but the ELSB is offering a special discounted price of $350 for WealthCounsel members, which includes the application fee and proctoring fee for the day of the exam. The 4 hour review course is optional and available for an additional fee of $50.

REQUIREMENTS

The requirements, as posted on the NAEPC website, will also be sent to any EPLS exam registrant.

To obtain Board-certified status, an attorney must meet the following requirements:

Five or more years as an estate planning attorney during which at least 1/3 of the attorney’s practice is devoted to estate planning
12 or more hours of continuing legal education in estate planning topics per year for the last three years
Verification of professional liability insurance coverage
Recommendations from at least five colleagues that are not related to or within the same firm as the applicant
Passing a comprehensive exam designed so competent attorneys having constant exposure to estate planning can pass without substantial independent study

States recognizing the EPLS Certification: AL, AK, AR, CO, CT, DE, HI, ID, KS, LA, MA, MS, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, RI, SD, TN, UT, VT, WI, WY

See complete details about standards for certification. Once you have reviewed the standards, click here to register for the exam.

*Many states permit lawyers to hold themselves out as specialists if their certification is awarded by an ABA-accredited program. Each lawyer must consult the rules in his or her own state to determine any restrictions to the use of the EPLS certification. NAEPC maintains a list of states that accept the EPLS certification on the basis of the accreditation by the ABA or because the state bar recognizes the importance of a legal specialization when it is administered by a reputable organization. Attorneys may also wish to consult the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct.