How One Australian Startup is Revolutionizing the $4 Billion Estate Planning Industry

In an industry that has remained largely unchanged for decades, a Melbourne-based startup is disrupting Australia's $4 billion estate planning market through innovative technology and a radically different approach to legal service delivery. The transformation being led by Willed.com.au, an award-winning startup that represents a complete reimagining of how essential legal services can be made accessible to millions of Australians.

Systemic Problems in a Traditional Industry

Australia's estate planning industry has long been characterized by old fashioned procedures and obscure pricing that puts quality legal services out of reach for many middle-income families. Traditional law firms typically charge between $800 and $3,000 for basic will preparation, with the process often taking weeks or months from initial consultation to completion.

The consequences of this traditional model are stark: nearly 50% of Australian adults don't have a will, not because they don't understand its importance, but because of the practical and financial barriers in accessing legal services. This represents a massive market failure where essential legal protection remains inaccessible to millions of people who need it most.

"We came to the conclusion that there was a fundamental disconnect between what people needed and what the legal industry was providing," says David Kaplan, co-founder of Willed.com.au. "The technology existed to solve this problem, but no one was applying it systematically to make estate planning truly accessible."

The Startup Solution

Founded in Melbourne, Willed emerged from the personal frustrations of its founding team – Aaron Zelman, David Kaplan, and Tim Glasson – with traditional estate planning services. Their solution combines sophisticated legal technology with human expertise to create a platform that can generate legally compliant wills in approximately 20 minutes at a fraction of traditional costs.

The Technology Platform

The company's technology platform represents a significant departure from traditional legal service delivery.

●       Intelligent Questionnaire System: Users are guided through a sophisticated questionnaire that adapts based on their responses, ensuring all relevant legal considerations are addressed while avoiding unnecessary complexity.

●       Automated Document Generation: Advanced document assembly technology creates legally compliant wills that meet the specific requirements of each Australian state and territory.

●       Quality Assurance Integration: Automated systems flag potential issues or complex situations that require human legal review, ensuring quality while maintaining efficiency.

●       Secure Document Management: Bank-level security protects client information and documents, with secure storage and access management that often exceeds traditional law firm capabilities.

Disrupting the Old Business Model

Willed's business model represents a fundamental shift from traditional legal practice.

●       Transparent Fixed Pricing: Instead of unpredictable hourly billing, clients pay a clear, upfront fee that covers their entire estate planning needs.

●       Scalable Service Delivery: Technology enables the platform to serve thousands of clients simultaneously without the capacity constraints that limit traditional law firms.

●       Subscription-Based Updates: Clients can update their wills as life circumstances change, creating ongoing relationships rather than one-time transactions.

●       Educational Integration: Comprehensive educational resources are integrated throughout the platform, empowering clients to make informed decisions about their estate planning needs.

Market Validation

Willed’s approach has gained significant market validation, demonstrating that consumers were ready for this transformation.

Since launching, the startup has achieved remarkable growth metrics that validate the market demand for accessible estate planning:

●       Over 50,000 Australians have created wills through the platform

●       Customer satisfaction ratings consistently exceed 95%

●       38% of users report they "finally got around to" creating a will specifically because online services made the process approachable

●       $3m investment from Seven West Media

"The response has been overwhelming," notes Kaplan. "We're seeing people who have been putting off estate planning for years finally taking action because we've removed the traditional barriers."