Switching from Practice Panther
Practice Panther runs a law firm. Estate Link runs an estate planning practice.
If you already live in Practice Panther, you are not starting over. You are replacing the estate gaps around it: inquiries, portal intake, family roles, trust workflows, and a client experience that matches the work. We built a direct Practice Panther migration path because that is where so many firms are coming from.
The short version
Practice Panther is a solid general practice system. Estate planning firms outgrow it when the real work is the family, the worksheet, the trust money, and the path from website lead to signed plan. Estate Link was shaped inside Sandin Law for that journey, with Onsharp building the software beside the practice. Your contacts, matters, time, and invoices can come with you.
Why it is a no-brainer
Eight estate problems Practice Panther was never built to own.
This is not a generic feature war. These are the places estate firms invent duct tape around a case system, and where Estate Link is purpose-built instead.
01
Website leads become consults in the same system
In a Practice Panther firm
New inquiries usually land in email or a separate CRM. Someone copies them into Practice Panther later, if they remember.
With Estate Link
Public inquiry forms land in Estate Link. Staff track the consult, send a deposit link, and convert into a matter without rebuilding the story.
02
Estate intake that families can finish (and staff can see)
In a Practice Panther firm
Most firms still email a PDF worksheet, then retype the answers into the matter.
With Estate Link
Clients complete configurable intake in your branded portal. Your team sees progress by section, sends reminders, and keeps answers on the matter.
03
Fiduciary roles that are first-class, not a note field
In a Practice Panther firm
Contacts are mostly flat. “Who is the successor trustee?” lives in a memo, a draft, or someone’s head.
With Estate Link
Assign executor, trustee, personal representative, POA, beneficiary, and more on the matter. Coverage works when the lead attorney is out.
04
An interactive family tree for real estate planning
In a Practice Panther firm
Family structure is not a core object. Spouses, kids, step-relationships, and advisors get flattened.
With Estate Link
Map family relationships and open an interactive family tree when strategy depends on who is related to whom.
05
A client portal that looks like your firm
In a Practice Panther firm
Client experience is usually email threads, shared folders, or a generic add-on.
With Estate Link
White-label portal on your subdomain: logo, theme, welcome message. Intake and invoice payment under your brand.
06
Trust accounting built for day-to-day estate work
In a Practice Panther firm
Trust and retainer tracking often needs workarounds or a second process.
With Estate Link
Trust balances by matter or contact, ledgers, retainers, apply-to-invoice, transfers, and bank accounts typed for trust, operating, and IOLTA-style work.
07
Matter templates shaped like estate plans, not litigation
In a Practice Panther firm
Task lists are often borrowed from general practice or rebuilt by hand every time.
With Estate Link
Reusable templates for the estate rhythm: engage, intake, draft, review, sign, fund. New staff see how your firm actually runs a plan.
08
Get paid without inventing a side process
In a Practice Panther firm
Consult deposits and invoice collection often bounce through Venmo, paper, or a separate pay tool.
With Estate Link
Optional Estate Link Payments for consult deposits and invoices by card or ACH. Send links by email or SMS when messaging is enabled.
You are not starting over
Bring your Practice Panther data with you.
We built a direct Practice Panther connection because switching should not mean retyping the firm. Migration support is free. On a demo we map your data and pace the cutover in waves you can verify.
Spreadsheet imports fill gaps when that path is cleaner. New work starts in Estate Link. Practice Panther can stay available for historical lookup during week one if you need it.
And if you ever leave Estate Link, you can take a copy with you. A firm administrator exports a ZIP of CSV records from Settings anytime. We would rather earn the relationship than lock the door.
What we commonly move over
- Contacts and companies
- Matters
- Time entries
- Expenses
- Invoices and payments
- Bank accounts
Matter task lists are usually rebuilt with estate templates rather than forced through a messy task import. That is intentional. You want the checklist that matches how your firm runs plans.
What stays specialized
We do not ask you to rip out tools that already excel.
Drafting
WealthCounsel, HotDocs, or your Word stack stays. Estate Link runs the practice around the documents.
Accounting books
QuickBooks Online remains the books. Estate Link handles practice billing and keeps customers/books in sync.
Matter files
Dropbox (or your file home) can stay. Connect files to the matter instead of hunting drives.
Built beside a real practice
Sandin Law left the Practice Panther + ClickUp + HubSpot stack for a reason.
Estate Link was shaped with a boutique estate planning firm in Fargo, not imagined for a generic case docket. That is why the product cares about intake progress, fiduciary roles, family structure, trust money, and a portal families will actually use.
Next step
Bring your Practice Panther week to a demo.
We will show the estate gaps side by side, walk inquiry through matter, and map how your contacts, matters, time, and invoices move over. Free migration support. One clear path.
Request a demo