You've guided families through hard decisions. Build the practice around that.
Estate planning, probate, and elder law, on your terms, in a firm you own.
We're looking for experienced Bay Area attorneys in estate planning, probate, trust administration, or elder law who want to go independent. We help the attorneys we back get launched, find clients, and handle the business side of a practice, within the rules that govern law firms.
No fee to apply. About 5 to 8 minutes.
Where we're starting
Built for the Bay Area. Five counties first.
Every business in the first cohort launches in one of five counties. That is where we know the market, the licensing, and the neighborhoods, and where we can show up in person.
- Marin CountySan Rafael, Novato, Mill Valley
- San Francisco CountyThe city, all neighborhoods
- San Mateo CountyDaly City to Menlo Park
- Alameda CountyOakland, Berkeley, Fremont, Hayward
- Contra Costa CountyWalnut Creek, Concord, Richmond
Live outside these counties? Apply anyway and tell us where. We expand based on where strong candidates are.
Why ownership
Why owning this business is worth it.
Trust drives referrals
Families refer the attorney who was patient and clear with them. This is deeply relationship-driven work, and those relationships should build your firm.
Relationships are the practice
Families refer the attorney who was patient and clear. In your own firm, that reputation builds your practice, not a partner's.
A firm can outgrow you
Adding a paralegal, then an associate, turns a solo practice into a firm with lasting value.
The honest part
What usually makes it hard
Most people who are excellent at this work never start a company. It is rarely the work that stops them. It is everything around it.
- Forming a professional corporation and handling trust accounting correctly
- Getting clients without a firm's name or referral network behind you
- Intake, conflict checks, engagement letters, and scheduling
- Choosing document drafting, case management, and billing software
- Billing flat fees and hourly work, and collecting on both
- Marketing within the State Bar's advertising rules
- Hiring a paralegal or associate for the first time
What Framework does for a estate planning business
You bring the skill and reputation. We help build everything around it.
If selected, we build a launch plan with you. It includes:
- Professional corporation formation
- Trust accounting and compliance coordination
- Malpractice insurance coordination
- Brand and website
- Client acquisition and referral relationships
- Phones and intake
- Document drafting and case management software
- Billing and collections workflows
- Bookkeeping systems
- Hiring and growth
The specifics depend on the business and on you. We work them out together, in writing, before anyone commits.
No fee to apply. About 5 to 8 minutes.
Apply nowWho we look for
Who is a strong candidate
We care more about your ability and ambition than whether you've started a business before.
- Active California Bar license in good standing
- Several years of estate planning, probate, trust administration, or elder law experience
- Warm, patient, and clear with clients and families
- Comfortable owning your own book of business
- Genuine desire to own a practice
Licensing and eligibility
You must be an active member of the State Bar of California in good standing. Law practices are subject to the Rules of Professional Conduct, including rules on fee sharing with non-lawyers, non-lawyer ownership, trust accounting, and advertising. Framework's standard 7% ownership stake cannot apply to a law firm; for law practices we use a compliant structure with similar economics, reviewed with you and your counsel before anyone commits. Nothing on this site is legal advice.
Applicants must satisfy all applicable licensing, professional, and regulatory requirements for their field. Framework can help coordinate the process but does not grant, waive, or substitute for any license or credential.
- We put up to $25,000 into customer acquisition for each business we back.
- Framework also covers year-one setup and software costs where applicable, and works alongside you on systems, hiring, and growth.
- You own and control the company.
- There is no franchise fee and no ongoing royalty.
- If your business becomes more valuable, our 7% becomes more valuable too.
Some regulated professions, including law practices, require a different legal structure with similar economics. We review the exact terms with you, in writing, before anyone commits.
- How does the 7% work for a law firm?
- It can't apply literally. California prohibits non-lawyer ownership of law firms and fee sharing with non-lawyers. For law practices we use a compliant structure with similar economics, and we review it with you and your own counsel before anyone commits.
Your next chapter
Ever seriously thought about owning your own estate planning business?
Tell us about your experience. If it looks like a fit, we'll set up a conversation. No fee, no commitment.
Let's build what's next, together.
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