You won the case. Don't lose 40% of it to taxes.
Contingency fees don't follow a normal schedule, and your tax plan shouldn't either. We specialize in personal injury firms and the attorneys who own them.
If you've felt this way, you're not alone.
You deserve a CPA who thinks about your taxes before the settlement, not after.
- You won a big case, then handed a huge share of it to the IRS.
- You're not sure how much to set aside after a big settlement, or how long it needs to last.
- Your income swings so much that quarterly tax estimates feel like guesswork.
- Your trust account records keep you up at night.
Personal injury income breaks the usual playbook.
Your income doesn't arrive as a steady paycheck. Fees come in large, unpredictable swings, and you pay case costs years before a recovery comes in. A single settlement can push an otherwise ordinary year into the highest tax brackets.
Your tax return shows what your last big year cost you. Planning ahead helps the next one cost less.
Picture a firm that typically earns about $400,000 a year. Then a $3 million case settles, bringing in a $1 million fee. Without planning, nearly all of that fee lands in a single tax year at the highest rates. With appropriate planning before the settlement, the firm has options to manage how that income is taxed.
Tax and accounting built for contingency fee firms.
Your firm's finances and your personal taxes are tied together. We plan them as one, making sure what's good for the firm is good for you too.
Partner tax planning
Fee timing, entity structure, and partner compensation planned ahead, before a big year turns into a big tax bill.
Retirement planning for partners
A plan built for your firm's income that lets partners take a meaningful amount every year, tax-deferred.
Trust and IOLTA accounting
Three-way reconciliations and client ledgers kept to your state's trust accounting rules.
Monthly firm reporting and cash planning
Cash flow, case pipeline, and profitability reports, plus a plan for how much to set aside after each settlement. You'll always know where the firm stands.
Unbiased structured fee advice
As an independent CPA firm with no commissions, we help you weigh whether structuring makes sense and coordinate with settlement planners if you go that route.
Planning for your clients
Your clients' settlements deserve a plan too. We can help them understand the tax impact and make the most of what they receive.
Why people work with us
Proactive advice, predictable pricing, and a team that's on your side all year.
Tax experts
Not all CPAs are made equal. We specialize in tax planning, with 1,500+ strategies screened for every client.
Comprehensive solutions
Seamless tax & accounting. We offer tax, bookkeeping, and advisory services to simplify your life.
Unlimited consultations
Call or email with a question anytime. We'll never charge you extra fees for asking a question.
Fixed fee pricing
One initial planning fee, then a retainer. You know the cost up front and never get billed by the hour.
Audit protection
If the IRS sends a notice or opens an exam, we handle it, up to a set number of hours each year.
Satisfaction guaranteed
We stand behind our work with two money-back guarantees, so you can get started with confidence.
Four steps to paying less, year after year.
Free tax diagnostic
We analyze your last 2 to 3 years of returns for IRS red flags, errors, and missed opportunities, then give you an upfront savings estimate.
Your tax strategy
Through a series of strategy sessions and a 360° look at your personal and business finances, we build a plan tailored to you.
Your plan, put to work
We walk you through each step and handle the details, so every strategy gets put into action correctly.
Year-round care
Tax savings aren't set-it-and-forget-it. We adjust your strategy as your life and tax laws change, and we're here whenever you have a question.
Meet your CPAs.
We're Ying and Chris Pfau, a husband-and-wife team of CPAs. We started Lakemont to give individuals, families, and business owners the kind of proactive planning we'd want for our own family. That's why you'll work directly with us, not a rotating team of juniors.
Together we bring 25+ years of combined experience in tax and accounting, and we've put it to work helping some clients save six figures in a single year. We serve clients across the country, coordinating with your business and estate attorneys, financial advisors, and bookkeepers to build one cohesive plan.
Questions from PI attorneys
When does tax planning make sense for my firm?
Planning pays off most when you're starting a new firm, growing fast, or your average net profit starts to exceed $300,000. Planning also pays off before a big settlement or verdict comes in. At each of these stages, the right strategy can save you a significant amount, and missing one can cost you just as much.
Timing matters too. Decisions like hiring, setting up a retirement plan, or adding employee benefits all carry tax consequences. So do other moves, like expanding, buying property, bringing on or buying out a partner, or selling your business. Once the decision is made, most of your options are locked in. Planning ahead lets you structure each move the smart way from the start, instead of discovering the tax cost after it's too late to change.
If you're not sure whether planning is worth it, we recommend getting our free tax diagnostic. Think of it as a second opinion on your taxes. Many clients are surprised by how much they've been leaving on the table.
Do you only work with personal injury firms?
We specialize in personal injury and other contingent fee firms, building plans that serve both the practice and its owners. We also work with law firms in other practice areas. See how we work with business owners and law firms →
Can you help with trust account compliance?
Yes. We can help with maintaining IOLTA records, three-way reconciliations, and client ledgers in line with your state's trust accounting rules, so you're prepared if the bar ever asks. Under most states' rules, the attorney remains ultimately responsible for trust account compliance. We will support you to meet that responsibility with confidence.
We already have a bookkeeper. Do we need to switch?
No. We can work alongside your bookkeeper, review their work, and focus on tax strategy.
What does the free tax diagnostic cover?
We analyze your last 2 to 3 years of firm and personal returns for IRS red flags, errors, and missed opportunities, then give you an upfront savings estimate. Think of it as a second opinion on your taxes. Many attorneys are surprised by how much they've been leaving on the table.
How much does it cost?
We keep pricing simple. You pay a one-time fee to build your tax plan, then a fixed retainer that covers ongoing planning, tax filings, and unlimited consultations throughout the year. No hourly billing, and no surprise invoices.
Do you offer any guarantees?
Yes, we offer two guarantees related to our initial tax plan.
45-day satisfaction guarantee. Get to know us risk-free. If we're not the right fit, you can request a full refund within your first 45 days, no questions asked. That gives you time to see how we work before your tax plan is delivered.
3x value guarantee. Your tax plan will identify tax savings or other financial benefits worth at least three times our fee. If it doesn't, the plan is free.
Plan for your next big settlement before it lands.
Send us your last 2 to 3 years of your firm and personal tax returns. We'll analyze them for IRS red flags, errors, and missed opportunities, then discuss your potential savings.
Get your free tax diagnostic