You bill the hours. You win the contingency. Then you owe the IRS more than you expected because nobody timed the income, modeled the S-Corp, or separated IOLTA properly. We fix that.
Law firm tax is its own beast. Cash-basis attorneys collect contingency fees in lumpy years. Trust accounts get co-mingled. PLLC owners forget S-Corp election. We've seen all of it.
Client funds are not income. Earned fees out of trust are. We separate the ledger so your books match your bar's recordkeeping rules and your 1099-INT to the state foundation is clean. Co-mingled trust = bar complaint + tax mess.
ABA Model Rule 1.15; IRC §61; state IOLTA rulesCash-basis attorneys recognize fee income when the check clears, not when the case settles. We model your projected receipts across tax years, accelerate or defer expenses, and use installment treatment where the facts support it so a $400K settlement doesn't bracket-bomb you.
IRC §451; §453; Boccardo v. CommissionerWestlaw, Lexis, court filing fees, expert witnesses, deposition transcripts, CLE credits, bar dues. Each has its own deductibility rule and some are case-cost advances (a balance sheet item) not expenses. We code them right so your P&L matches reality.
IRC §162; §263; Boccardo; Canelo v. CommissionerA PLLC taxed as a sole prop pays SE tax on every dollar. Elect S-Corp, pay yourself reasonable comp, take the rest as distribution, save 15.3% on the distribution piece. We benchmark reasonable comp for your jurisdiction so the election holds up.
IRC §1361; §1402(a); Rev. Rul. 59-221; Watson v. USLPL premiums are ordinary and necessary business expenses, fully deductible. Tail coverage on practice transitions is too. We document it so it survives audit and we make sure you're not double-deducting through a related entity.
IRC §162(a); Treas. Reg. §1.162-1Law is a Specified Service Trade or Business. QBI phases out hard above $241,950 single / $483,900 joint in 2024. We model whether your taxable income lives below the threshold and structure retirement contributions, charitable giving, and timing to keep the 20% deduction in play.
IRC §199A(d)(2); Treas. Reg. §1.199A-5Solo personal injury attorney, FL PLLC, $480K net 2024. We filed S-Corp election effective 1/1/24, set $165K reasonable comp, and modeled QBI under the phase-out.
$31,800 savedSE tax savings on $315K of distributions plus partial QBI deduction recovered. Net of new payroll cost.