The Lawyer’s Tax Playbook: How to Structure Your Practice, Avoid Pitfalls, and Save Thousands on Taxes

Darren P. Wurz | Wurz Financial Services

Darren Wurz specializes in financial planning for law firm owners. He is a Certified Financial Planner® Professional with an M.S. in Financial Planning from Golden Gate University. As a fiduciary and fee-only advisor, he has developed an expertise in the unique financial planning needs of those in the legal profession, and he now specializes in serving attorneys and law firm owners across the country. His mission is to help his clients achieve financial independence as they define it. As a small business owner himself, he is deeply familiar with the challenges of solo practitioners and small firm owners.

He is the host of The Lawyer Millionaire Podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts, and author of The Lawyer Millionaire: The Complete Guide for Attorneys on Maximizing Wealth, Minimizing Taxes, and Retiring with Confidence, published by the American Bar Association. Darren is a member of the American Bar Association and the Financial Planning Association. Locally, he is a member of the Cincinnati Bar Association, the Northern Kentucky Bar Association, and the Covington Business Council. His office is located in Cincinnati, OH, and he was born and raised in Toledo, OH.

Paul Gregory | Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP

Paul Gregory is a Tax Director with more than 20 years of experience in public accounting at Anchin. Paul has a broad range of experience in tax planning and compliance and has extensive knowledge in the taxation of mergers and acquisitions for clients across industries.

As a key member of the Services Industry Group, he specializes in developing the most efficient taxation practices for law firms, partnerships, high net worth individuals and multi-state organizations. His knowledge of business, accounting strategies, and of specific industries makes him a great resource to his clients. Additionally, he specializes in tax consulting, mergers & acquisitions tax planning, tax structuring, and tax due diligence, and provides a broad range of services for both businesses and the individual owners of businesses including compliance, consulting, and tax planning.

Paul is a member of Anchin’s Law Firm thought leadership group where he collaborates with others to develop thoughtful communications in the form of alerts and vlogs to guide his clients with various policy changes. Additionally, he is involved with Anchin’s recruiting and Anchin University, the firm’s internal CPE programming. Paul is a member of the New York Law Firm Leaders, an exclusive industry organization focused on developing and executing tailored strategies for the law firm industry.

I. Entity selection and structuring for maximum tax efficiency | 1:00pm – 1:20pm

• Choosing between sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, S-Corp, or C-Corp, when and how to restructure as practice grows
• How entity choice affects self-employment tax, income tax, and deductions
• State-specific considerations for lawyers (professional corporations/PLLCS)

II. Income splitting, compensation models, and retirement planning | 1:20pm – 1:40pm

• Salary vs. distributions for law firm owners (reasonable compensation rules)
• Retirement plan options: SEP IRA, 401(k), cash balance plans
• Solo vs. firm-wide plans for attracting/retaining talent
• Using retirement contributions for significant annual tax savings

III. Deductible business expenses and advanced strategies | 1:40pm – 2:00pm

• Maximizing deductions for home office, continuing education, malpractice insurance, CLE, R&D credits, and bar dues
• Leveraging Section 199A Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction
• Health insurance deductions and HSA planning for attorneys
• Advanced depreciation strategies: Technology, vehicles, and office buildouts
• Retainer agreements, escrow accounts, etc.
• Litigation funding

Break | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

IV. Wealth management, cash flow, and tax-efficient investing for lawyers | 2:10pm – 2:40pm

• Balancing debt reduction vs. investment contributions
• Roth conversions/retirement planning
• Tax-efficient portfolio construction for lawyers with high incomes
• Coordinating personal financial planning with practice structure
• Building liquidity to avoid high-interest borrowing and tax penalties

V. Advanced tax strategies and risk management | 2:40pm – 3:10pm

• Coordinating tax strategies with estate planning and succession planning
• Tax implications of contingency fees and settlement structures
• Tax implications of remote workers
• Real estate as investment
• Real estate for the firm
• Trusts/estate planning
• Charitable giving for tax efficiency, charitable trusts, donor advised funds
• Audit risks, compliance pitfalls, and malpractice considerations when advising on tax matters