Counsel CPAs

Counsel CPAs Specialized Law Firm Accountants.

We offer expert services in law firm management, trust accounting, and strategic tax planning to guide our clients towards success.

Where did your last five clients come from? Was it a referral, a Google search, an event, or a paid advertisement? If yo...
10/02/2026

Where did your last five clients come from?

Was it a referral, a Google search, an event, or a paid advertisement?

If you don’t know, you could be spending money on marketing without knowing which efforts are bringing in new business.

Start asking every new client how they found your firm and record their answer.

Over time, you'll see which sources bring in the most clients and where you could spend your marketing budget more effectively.

09/30/2026

Your firm's 2025 tax returns are filed. The September 15 extension deadline for partnerships and S corporations has passed, and you’ve earned the relief.

But closing out 2025 is not the same as being ready for 2026.

With the fourth quarter starting, your firm has about three months left in the 2026 tax year. Three months is still enough time to review year-to-date numbers, see where your tax bill is heading, and put planning strategies in place before December 31.

Once December 31 passes, most year-end planning options pass with it.

So don't close the books; open them up. A planning review now gives your firm the best chance to lower next year's tax liability, rather than reacting to it at filing time.

Counsel CPAs works exclusively with law firms, and our team is here to help you plan, strategize, and keep more of what your firm earns.

Book your year-end planning review → Discovery Meeting - Ro Aiello - Counsel CPAs

For law firms that rely heavily on one-off matters, a steady flow of new clients is essential. When a matter closes, the...
09/30/2026

For law firms that rely heavily on one-off matters, a steady flow of new clients is essential.

When a matter closes, the revenue from that work stops. Your firm’s expenses don’t. Salaries, rent, software, insurance, and other overhead continue regardless of how much new work comes in.

That means a strong month can quickly be followed by a quieter one if not enough new work comes in.

The goal isn’t simply to keep adding clients. The goal is to bring in enough new matters to replace completed work, keep the team productive, and support more consistent revenue.

A healthy pipeline helps reduce the gaps between finishing one matter and starting the next.

Is your law firm on track to reach its financial goals? Your forecast shows where your finances are headed based on your...
09/28/2026

Is your law firm on track to reach its financial goals?

Your forecast shows where your finances are headed based on your current results.

Your financial goal tells you where you want them to be.

If there's a gap between the two, you need to understand why.

Do you need to bring in more work, improve collections, or review your expenses?

Knowing the difference between your forecast and your goal helps you identify what needs attention before the year ends.

An associate asks for a raise. Do you have the numbers to guide your decision? Without performance data, the conversatio...
09/25/2026

An associate asks for a raise. Do you have the numbers to guide your decision?

Without performance data, the conversation can turn into a disagreement about effort.

Instead, look at their billable hours, the work you've invoiced, and the payments your firm has collected.

These figures help you understand their financial contribution and give you a starting point for discussing their performance.

Set expectations early, so both you and your employees know what you're working toward.

That associate earning $150,000 could actually cost your law firm $180,000 a year. Payroll taxes, benefits, and other em...
09/23/2026

That associate earning $150,000 could actually cost your law firm $180,000 a year.

Payroll taxes, benefits, and other employment costs can add another 20% or more to their salary.

If they bring in $200,000 in collected fees, your firm has just $20,000 left to cover rent, software, insurance, and other business expenses.

This is why looking at a salary alone can be misleading.

Before hiring, make sure you understand the full cost of employing someone and how much revenue their work needs to generate.

Pull up your last invoice. If a line says, "Research, 2.5 hours," you've just invited a question from the client you did...
09/22/2026

Pull up your last invoice. If a line says, "Research, 2.5 hours," you've just invited a question from the client you didn't need to.

Now, instead of writing that, compare it to: "Researched enforceability of the non-compete clause, prepared settlement options summary, 2.5 hours." Same hours, but now the client knows exactly what they got.

Most disputes aren't bad faith; vague lines create confusion. Specific descriptions solve the issue before the client even has the chance to wonder.

Bonus tip: vague entries can hide vague work inside your own firm too. Write the real task, and the clarity shows up on both sides.

It costs you $0 to just describe the work the way you'd want it described if you were paying the bill. Check this month's invoices, and if you can't tell what the client got, neither can they.

Want help tightening your billing language so you get paid faster?

🔗Click the link to book a call. https://calendly.com/ro-counselcpas/discovery?month=2026-09

Take a firm collecting $2 million a year. Strong on paper. Tighter in the bank account than it should be. And why is tha...
09/17/2026

Take a firm collecting $2 million a year. Strong on paper. Tighter in the bank account than it should be. And why is that? Because between the work and the cash, there are 3 stages, and each one leaks a little.

1️⃣Capture: 90% of hours worked actually get logged. That's $200K gone before it's even billable.
2️⃣Billing: 90% of logged time makes it to an invoice. Another $180K shaved off, quietly.
3️⃣Collection: 90% of what's billed actually gets paid. Another $162K, gone.

Add it up: $2M of work, $1.46M collected. $540K worked, paid for, never turned into cash.

No bad client. No slow economy. Just three 90%s that each looked fine alone.

Know your capture rate, billing rate, and collection rate because that's where all profit headaches start.

Curious where your own numbers are leaking? 📞Link in bio to book a call.

Frustration in your firm isn't just a mood to push through. It's data. When the same irritation keeps showing up, whethe...
09/13/2026

Frustration in your firm isn't just a mood to push through. It's data.

When the same irritation keeps showing up, whether it's a ringing phone, a client call, or a request from your team, it usually means something in your systems doesn't match the effort you're putting in.

Feelings can be dismissed, but structural problems need to be fixed.

The next time frustration shows up, use it as a signal to review your systems and fix the inconsistencies that keep the cycle going.

If you're still managing your team by who you can see at their desk, you're not managing performance. You're just watchi...
09/11/2026

If you're still managing your team by who you can see at their desk, you're not managing performance. You're just watching bodies.

Instead, start tracking utilization, realization, and collection rates, and where the work is done will no longer matter. Someone in Boston can outperform someone three feet from you, and the numbers will show it either way.

Bodies in a chair don't equal accountability or results. The data does. 📊

Build a scoreboard to track your team’s performance, not a seating chart.

If you don't have a way to measure your employees by results instead of hours in a chair, use the link in bio to book a call 📞, and let's build a scoreboard that helps you hire the best person for the job, wherever they sit.

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Glendale, CA
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