Faculty Course Information

Webcam

Drafting a Simple Trust (With Bonus Clauses)

Go From First Draft to Confident Practitioner in One Course

Division
NBI (102307)
Event Date
09/10/2026
Event Time
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM EDT
Event Planner
Lauren Burton
Email
lauren.burton@nbi-sems.com
Phone
715.835.8525

Program Description

Go From First Draft to Confident Practitioner in One Course

This course gives you everything you need to draft a complete, legally sound trust from scratch - even with no prior experience. Using an annotated sample trust and ready-to-use clause library, participants will work through every key provision, from trustee succession to spendthrift and special needs clauses. The course also covers post-execution funding, client education, and the ethical pitfalls unique to estate planning. Leave with a reusable intake form, asset inventory template, and trust review checklist ready to use on your next matter. Register today!

  • Build a complete, accurate client picture before a single provision is written.
  • Draft each provision with purpose, precision, and the consequences in mind.
  • Prepare to address clients' specific needs with spendthrift, special needs, and other unique clauses.
  • Identify trust defects and inconsistencies before they reach execution.
  • Master the post-execution steps most new drafters overlook.
  • Spot conflicts and liability traps before they find you.

Who Should Attend

This legal course is designed for attorneys. Accountants, trustees, and paralegals will also benefit.


Course Content

  1. Client Consultation and Goal Setting
  2. Asset Inventory: Identifying and Categorizing Assets
  3. Drafting the Trust Document: Core Trust Provisions (With Sample Language)
  4. Special Clauses (With Sample Trust Language)
  5. Review and Refinement (With a Trust Review Checklist)
  6. AI-Powered Refinements to Trust Drafting Workflow
  7. Post-Drafting Tasks
  8. Legal Ethics of Trust Drafting

Agenda / Content Covered

All times are shown in Eastern time.
  1. Client Consultation and Goal Setting
    10:00 - 10:30, Christopher L. Cauble
    1. Pre-Consultation Preparation
    2. The Initial Consultation: Goals, Family Dynamics, Red Flags
    3. Choosing the Right Trust Structure for the Client's Situation
  2. Asset Inventory: Identifying and Categorizing Assets
    10:30 - 11:00, Christopher L. Cauble
    1. Probate vs. Non-Probate, Titled vs. Untitled
    2. Assets Requiring Special Handling (Real Property, IRAs, Business Interests, Crypto, etc.)
    3. Potential Tax Implications
    4. Preparing the Drafting Checklist From Intake Data
  3. Drafting the Trust Document: Core Trust Provisions (With Sample Language)
    11:15 - 12:15, Lori Harshbarger
    1. Grantor Designation
    2. Trustee Structure: Initial, Co-Trustees, Successor, Vacancy
    3. Trustee Powers and Duties
    4. Drafting for Corporate Trustees
    5. Assets Transfer: Language of Conveyance, Scheduling Assets
    6. Distribution and Asset Management
    7. Beneficiary Clauses, Survivorship, and Contingency Plans for Predecease
    8. Revocation and Amendment
  4. Special Clauses (With Sample Trust Language)
    12:45 - 1:45, Lori Harshbarger
    1. Spendthrift
    2. Education
    3. Special Needs
    4. No-Contest (In Terrorem)
    5. Advance Directives and Durable Power of Attorney
    6. Pour-Over Will
  5. Review and Refinement (With a Trust Review Checklist)
    1:45 - 2:30, Lori Harshbarger
    1. Internal Consistency
    2. Legal Sufficiency
    3. Client Review Process
    4. Final Checklist Sign-off Before Execution
  6. AI-Powered Refinements to Trust Drafting Workflow
    2:45 - 3:30, Virginia C. Ralls
  7. Post-Drafting Tasks
    3:30 - 4:00, Laurence C. Osborn
    1. Execution: Required Formalities
    2. Funding of the Trust
    3. Client Education
    4. Trustee Onboarding
    5. Ongoing Plan Maintenance
  8. Legal Ethics of Trust Drafting
    4:00 - 5:00, Virginia C. Ralls
    1. Scope of Representation
    2. Representing Spouses and Joint Clients
    3. Undue Influence and Capacity Issues
    4. Fiduciary and Malpractice Exposure
    5. Document Disclosure Obligations

Materials Due Date: 08/06/2026


Materials

You must include sample checklists and trust provisions listed on the agenda in your written materials: I. Client Consultation and Goal Setting (pre-consultation checklist) II. Asset Inventory: Identifying and Categorizing Assets (Special assets flags checklist, trust drafting checklist) III. Drafting the Trust Document: Core Trust Provisions (sample trust document with any helpful accompanying forms, schedules, and letters) IV. Special Clauses (sample clauses to include: spendthrift, education, SNT, no-content, proxy language, pour-over will) V. Review and Refinement (trust review checklist and client letters for review) VI. AI-Powered Refinements for Trust Drafting Workflow (specific AI prompts and screenshots/screensharing scenarios) VII. Post-Drafting Tasks (post-drafting formalities tasks checklist and sample letters)

Event Materials Support

Email: eventmaterials@nbi-sems.com

Phone: (800) 777-8707



Christopher L. Cauble is the managing partner in the firm of Cauble, Furr & Beguin, LLP in Grants Pass, Oregon, practicing in the area of probate and trust litigation, including litigating claims, money that has been stolen by PR's or fiduciaries, defending or prosecuting will contests, and elder abuse litigation. Additionally, he deals with all estate and probate related tax issues. Mr. Cauble earned his B.A. degree (Departmental Honors) from Willamette University and his J.D. degree, cum laude, (Phi Alpha Delta) from Gonzaga University School of Law. He is a member of the Oregon State Bar board of Governors, Oregon State Bar Administrative Law Executive Committee (Chair, 2009), Oregon State Bar House of Delegates and the Oregon State Bar Judicial Administration Committee. Mr. Cauble is a member of Oregon State Bar Board of Governors from 2020-2024. He is admitted to practice in Oregon and before the U.S. Tax Court, U.S. District Court District of Oregon, as well as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Lori Harshbarger is an attorney with Harshbarger Law Firm in Twin Bridges, Montana. Her diverse practice includes all areas of family law, mediation and dispute resolution, business transactions, estate planning, real estate, agriculture, civil litigation, select personal injury claims and water law. Mr. Harshbarger is also the attorney for the Town of Twin Bridges. She is a member of the Montana Bar Association, Arizona Bar Association, Texas Bar Association, Montana Trial Lawyers, American Bar Association, Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity, Montana Fifth Judicial District Bar Association, Silver Bow County Bar Association and Montana Family Law Arbitration Association. She serves as the chairperson of the Legislative Committee of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Montana. Ms. Harshbarger has been involved in 4H, FFA and has a heart for the legacy of agriculture in Montana. She earned her J.D. degree at Thurgood Marshall School of Law and is licensed to practice law in Montana, Arizona and Texas. Before her legal career, Ms. Harshbarger earned her B.S. degree in microbiology and worked as a medical technologist and research assistant in the area of cancer research.

Laurence C. Osborn is a partner at Keystone Law Group, P.C., where he brings more than 30 years of litigation experience in probate, trust, business, real estate, and general civil matters in both state and federal courts. His practice includes representing conservators, beneficiaries, heirs, executors, trustees, and fiduciaries in complex probate disputes, including contested conservatorships, will and trust contests, fiduciary misconduct claims, reverse mortgage disputes, and accounting and creditor matters. Prior to joining Keystone Law Group, Mr. Osborn was a litigation partner at Baker, Keener & Nahra LLP, where he handled high-value real property disputes, business and entity dissolutions, class action defense, and professional liability claims. Mr. Osborn is admitted to practice law in California, the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Central, and Southern districts of California, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He earned his undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Dallas and his law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law.

Virginia C. Ralls is an attorney at Chase & Ralls, PLC. She focuses her practice on trusts and estates, tax, probate, and family law. Ms. Ralls is the director of the Trust and Estates Department. She earned her B.S. degree, cum laude, from the University of Florida; her master's degree from the University of West Florida; and her J.D. degree from Drexel University, Thomas R. Kline School of Law. Ms. Ralls is admitted to practice law in Florida and before the United States Tax Court.

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Event Materials Support

Email: eventmaterials@nbi-sems.com

Phone: (800) 777-8707