Short answer: Possibly, but only a narrow slice. Estate planning files are full of client information that confidentiality rules protect, so the realistic scope is firm-owned operating material. On size, Mode's minimum for legal is 10 employees; micro1 asks for 30+.
On this page
What these files hold
Typical estate planning matter files include:
- Family wealth, asset lists and beneficiary choices
- Health information relevant to capacity
- Wills, trusts and powers of attorney
- Family conflict and disinheritance notes
ABA Model Rule 1.6(a) bars revealing information relating to the representation of a client without informed consent or an exception (Rule 1.6), and Rule 1.9 carries duties to former clients (Rule 1.9). Your state's version is the one that binds you.
What a firm might consider instead
- Blank intake questionnaires
- Signing-ceremony and trust-funding checklists
- Client-communication templates without client facts
- Billing, scheduling and document-assembly procedures
These are candidates for review with ethics counsel, not a list of approved items.
Duties continue after a client dies
Many estate clients have died by the time their files are old enough to be valuable. The U.S. Supreme Court held that attorney-client privilege survives the client's death (Swidler & Berlin v. United States), and confidentiality duties continue to former clients (Rule 1.9). Age doesn't make an estate file licensable.
Size and program fit
Mode lists minimum team sizes of 10+ employees for legal, 15+ for accounting, medical and finance, and 50+ for all other businesses, for companies based in the US, Canada, the UK or Australia with several years of records they own (Mode). micro1 asks for 30+ employees, mostly English data, and says it is prioritizing US companies (micro1). Census doesn't count firms by practice area, so the table shows all U.S. law offices.
| Industry (U.S. firms, 2022) | All firms | 10+ staff | 25+ staff | 50+ staff | 100+ staff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offices of lawyers (NAICS 541110) | 156,583 | 17,397 | 5,620 | 2,484 | 1,151 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Statistics of U.S. Businesses 2022, detailed employment sizes. Firms (enterprises) by paid employees; contractors are not counted. Each column sums the Census size classes at or above that size.
This is general information, not legal advice. Talk to your own attorney or compliance advisor before you share or license any records.
What could your company's records be worth?
Answer 6 questions. See the published range for a company like yours and which program fits. Takes about a minute.
Frequently asked questions
Can we license files of clients who have died?
Privilege survives death (Swidler & Berlin, 1998) and confidentiality duties continue. Treat these files like any other client file.
What is usually in scope for an estate firm?
Firm-authored templates, checklists and operating procedures with no client facts.
Sources
- Mode / BizBuyData referral pagebizbuydata.com
- ABA Model Rule 1.6, Confidentiality of Informationamericanbar.org
- ABA Model Rule 1.9, Duties to Former Clientsamericanbar.org
- U.S. Census Bureau, Statistics of U.S. Businesses 2022, detailed employment sizeswww2.census.gov
- micro1 company referral pagemicro1.ai
- Swidler & Berlin v. United States, 524 U.S. 399 (1998) (Cornell LII)law.cornell.edu
Referral-fee disclosure: we may be paid by a program if your company signs with it after using this site. General information only, not legal advice.
Compare programs
Best AI data program for a small law firm (10-29 staff)Side by side from each program's own pages. Rankings follow published rules, not referral fees.
See buyers that name law and professional-services firms, from their own pages, with sources and dates.