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Los Angeles

Tax Accountant for Lawyers in LA

Los Angeles is home to one of the largest and most diverse legal markets in the country. Whether you practice entertainment law in Century City, personal injury in downtown LA, or immigration law across the Southland, your tax situation has wrinkles that a general CPA will miss. Partnership K-1 income, contingency fee timing, IOLTA account compliance, and California’s steep brackets for high earners all demand specialized attention. We work with attorneys at every level — from solo practitioners to equity partners at major firms.

Tax Services for Attorneys

  • Partner K-1 Analysis — Breaking down your K-1 income, guaranteed payments, and capital account changes so you understand exactly what you owe and why.
  • Contingency Fee Timing — Properly handling the tax recognition of contingency fees, including advance cost recovery and fee-splitting arrangements.
  • Solo Practice Returns — Schedule C or S-Corp returns for solo attorneys, including bar dues, CLE costs, malpractice premiums, and office expenses.
  • Entity Selection — Evaluating whether an S-Corp, LLP, or professional corporation gives you the best combination of liability protection and tax savings.
  • Retirement Plan Design — Solo 401(k), SEP-IRA, and defined benefit plans that can shelter substantial income from California’s top brackets.
  • Trust & Estate Filings — For attorneys who also serve as trustees or executors, we handle the fiduciary return obligations that come with those roles.

LA-Specific Considerations

  • Entertainment Law — Attorneys in entertainment deal with complex deal structures, profit participation, and clients across multiple jurisdictions. We understand the tax implications of all of it.
  • High Earner Brackets — Partners at large LA firms regularly hit California’s 13.3% top rate. We plan quarterly estimates and year-end strategies to manage the impact.
  • Multi-State Practice — If you practice across state lines or have clients in other jurisdictions, we manage the allocation and filing requirements.
  • IOLTA Compliance — While not a tax deduction issue, we make sure your trust accounting and operating accounts stay properly separated for both tax and bar compliance purposes.

Why LA Attorneys Choose Reed Corporation

Lawyers are busy. You bill in six-minute increments and your time is genuinely valuable. The last thing you need is a CPA who sends you a questionnaire in March and calls it planning. We work year-round — projecting your tax liability each quarter, coordinating with your firm’s accountant on K-1 timing, and making sure you are not leaving deductions on the table.

We also understand how law firm compensation works. Draws versus distributions, guaranteed payments versus profit allocations, and the difference between equity and non-equity partner positions all affect your tax picture in ways that matter. We build our approach around the reality of your compensation structure, not a textbook version of it.

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