As Benjamin Franklin noted, nothing is certain 'except death and taxes', and, as a consequence, not only do many firms now run highly profitable probate practices but also there is a thriving sector of the legal IT industry specialising in the development and support of probate software.

As with all legal software, you should carefully review each package to see which best suits the needs of your practice.

However, there are two other factors you should consider.

The first is whether you just want a probate case (or workflow) management system to help automate aspects of matter processing, or a system that can also handle aspects of probate and estate accounts work, such as the preparation of inheritance tax returns.

The second factor is whether you want a stand-alone probate system or a product designed to run as an integrated module in conjunction with an accounts and practice management system (PMS).

The big drawback with the latter approach is that, unless you also plan to run that supplier's PMS, you will be unable to use its probate software.

Currently, most of the major PMS suppliers - including AIM, Axxia, Civica, Linetime, Mountain Software, Peapod Solutions, Pracctice, Timeslice and Videss - can offer probate case management modules featuring varying degrees of accounts functionality.

Turning to stand-alone systems, the ten main players (and it is worth noting that these vary in sophistication from relatively cheap and cheerful products for small high street firms through to systems capable of handling the affairs of high net-worth individuals in the private client departments of City practices) follow in alphabetical order.

Custodiens - this can also handle trust as well as probate accounts - from Cognito Software (01279 821230); DPS Probate from DPS Software (020 8804 1022); Isokon 2 from Isokon Systems (020 7482 6555); Lawbase Probate Accounts & Case Management from Lawbase Legal Systems (020 7242 1454); Paula for Probate (Paula stands for professional accounting user language) from Paula Accounts (020 8332 2864 - it is also sold in conjunction with the Amicus Attorney system); Probate CaseControl from Laserform (01925 750020); Probate Caselite from Oyez Legal Software (020 7556 3200); ProbateDesk from Excelsior LawDesk (01273 494978); Probate Plus - originally developed by Law Systems but now exclusively distributed and supported by Sweet & Maxwell (020 7449 1111); and SolCase Probate from Solicitec Legal Systems (0113 226 2000).

Charles Christian is an independent adviser to the Law Society's Software Solutions guide