"Substance & Forum" Website Unveiled

Steven Ledgerwood, Esq., recently posted a message on a listserv of the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel regarding a newly-announced website named Substance & Forum, with the byline "A Meeting of Elite Tax Minds".

For those who're interested, Substance & Forum is a new website for publishing and accessing free articles authored by prominent tax and estate planning professionals. * * *

Several names you'll immediately recognize have already published articles there.

Steve then invited contributions:

You may republish articles you've authored and allowed others to publish (e.g., in Tax Notes or one of the WGL Journals), if you haven't assigned the copyright or otherwise agreed to restrict your publication rights.

I had conferred with Steve in November, 2006, about this proposed site, when it was still in early development. He invited me to test it as a reference & resource-sharing vehicle, using posted articles & participant forums.

I had logged in numerous times. I was impressed with the site -- even then, in its "beta" form -- with its classy appearance, ease of use, and focus on sophisticated tax issues. Now the site is even more polished.

Steve holds high expectations for productive communications on the site:

Our private, interactive forums also provide members an unparalleled opportunity to:

• exchange ideas and brainstorm with many of the best tax, financial and legal minds in the US
• expand professional networks and leverage expertise across time zones and geographic boundaries
• access expertise from many organizations and related disciplines
• locate specialty expertise and assemble project teams more efficiently

Now the site needs broad, active participation. Thus, Steve issued his invitation. When I asked whether I could make a posting about the new website, Steve responded: "Absolutely, thanks for helping me get the word out!"

Presently, the website can accept new participants, as follows:

Membership is open and free to all lawyers who are listed in The Best Lawyers in America® under Tax Law or Trusts & Estates and to all ACTEC® Fellows. If you qualify, please register here.

All other memberships are by invitation only.

To request information about publishing an article on our home page or receiving an invitation to join the community, please contact us at admin@substanceforum.com.

If you are interested in exploring or utilizing this new website, follow these access instructions provided by Steve in a second email message:

Please go to the home page, then try the following:

1. In the third paragraph of the "Welcome to Substance & Forum" text, click on the "Register Here" link;

2. On the terms and conditions page, check the box to agree, then click on the "Register" button;

3. On the registration form, fill in the name, password, email, and security code fields, then click on the "Submit my Registration" button.

You'll then see a message that your registration was successful and will be reviewed by an administrator (this is to prevent entry by unauthorized registrants).

If you have any trouble, please feel free to call me.

-- Steven Ledgerwood (Email:steven@stevenledgerwood.com; Ofc: 405-701-2846).

Best of luck to Steve & to all participants in this innovative online resource!