Tetrault Wealth Advisory Group Wealth Management for Lawyers:
Associates on the Partnership Track
Equity Partners & Law Firm Owners
Sole Practitioners & Small Firm Owners
Litigators with Contingency-Based Income
What We Do
Legal careers carry a financial routine that doesn’t get discussed enough in law school. Wealth management for lawyers, in our hands, means understanding the difference between an associate’s steady salary and a partner’s draw against firm profits.
A litigator working on contingency faces income that arrives in lump sums, sometimes years apart. A partner buying into equity faces a loan structure that changes everything about cash flow planning. Our team builds around whichever version of a legal career you’re living, using numbers that come from your practice.
Discover the Tetrault Wealth Difference!
Rob Tetrault started his career as a litigation lawyer at Aikins MacAulay Thorvaldson after graduating from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Courtroom background gives Tetrault Wealth something most advisory firms lack: a working understanding of how a law firm operates from the inside.
An MBA in Finance from the Asper School of Business and a more recent PhD rounded out that legal foundation with a rigorous financial toolkit. Our back office through CG Wealth Management adds institutional research and technology on top of that firsthand legal perspective. Lawyers who choose our team get an advisor who has sat on the other side of the billable hour.
Personal Wealth Planning for Lawyers
“An associate three years out of law school and a name partner at an established firm sit at very different financial points.”
Our financial planning approach starts by figuring out where you land. Working with our team, lawyers can expect:
- A review of your current financial position, including bar admission debt and any partnership buy-in loans
- Retirement projections that account for irregular partner draws or contingency fee timing
- Estate and legacy planning, with attention to wills, powers of attorney, and beneficiary designations
- Tax planning strategies built around partnership income allocations and T4 versus T4A earnings
- Cash flow planning that smooths out lump-sum settlements or year-end profit distributions
- Insurance needs analysis, including coverage that protects your income if a health issue sidelines your practice
- Investment portfolio audits that watch for overexposure to legal sector or firm-related holdings
- Charitable giving strategies for lawyers who sit on boards or support causes tied to the profession
- Family wealth planning that covers spousal income splitting and education funding
Our process begins with a discovery meeting and moves into a plan presentation. It also includes an annual update and up to four review meetings where your accountant can join the discussion.
Wealth Planning for Law Firm Partners & Firm Owners
“Equity partnership changes the financial picture in ways an associate’s salary never does, and sole practitioners running their own shop face a different set of questions altogether.”
Our estate and legacy planning services extend into the business side of legal practice, covering:
- Partnership buy-in and buy-out planning, including financing strategies for equity stakes
- Trust account and firm compliance considerations that intersect with personal financial planning
- Corporate structure reviews for lawyers operating through a professional corporation
- Succession planning for sole practitioners preparing to sell a book of business or wind down a practice
- Retained earnings strategies inside a law corporation, including corporate-owned insurance options
- Partner compensation modeling, including origination credit and profit-sharing formula reviews
Running a practice or managing a partnership stake takes hours most lawyers don’t have left in the day. Our team steps into that gap and keeps the financial side of your career moving.
Why Lawyers Choose Us
Lawyers bring their finances to Tetrault Wealth for reasons rooted in shared experience as much as track record. Rob Tetrault has appeared on Wealth Professional’s Top 50 Advisors in Canada list multiple times, and our team carries over a century of combined wealth management expertise. A few reasons lawyers across Canada choose our group:
- A founder who practiced law before practicing wealth management
- A fiduciary standard applied to every recommendation, without exception
- Institutional-grade research and technology through our partnership with CG Wealth Management
- Full protection through the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF) and oversight from the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO)
- Direct experience navigating partnership structures, trust accounts, and contingency-based income
Serving Lawyers Across Canada
Lawyers work with our team from Winnipeg, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and cities throughout the country. A firm’s location never limits how closely our planning fits a legal career.
No matter if you practice litigation, corporate law, or run a boutique firm with a handful of partners, our approach starts with the specifics of your practice rather than a one-size answer.
Speak with an advisor who has practiced law and now builds financial plans around it. Ready to put a legal career’s financial side in order? Reach out to our team and get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you plan around income that comes from contingency fees?
Contingency income often lands in large sums after long stretches with nothing coming in. Our cash flow strategies smooth that timing so a lawyer’s spending and saving don’t depend on when a case settles.
What's involved in financing a partnership buy-in?
Buying into equity usually means taking on a loan tied to future firm profits. We look at repayment terms alongside your broader financial picture so the buy-in doesn’t strain your day-to-day finances.
Do you help lawyers structure a professional corporation?
Yes, many lawyers practice through a law corporation, which opens up retained earnings and dividend planning options. Our team reviews that structure alongside your accountant to find what fits.
