"Budget" is one of those words that makes attorneys' eyes glaze over. It sounds like a spreadsheet exercise — something finance people do in big corporations, not something a solo attorney or small firm owner needs to worry about. You know what came in last year. You have a rough sense of your expenses. Isn't that enough? It's not. And if you've ever been blindsided by a slow quarter, an unexpected expense, or a cash crunch right before payroll, you already know why. A budget

Every month, your bookkeeper (or your accounting software) produces a Profit & Loss statement and sends it your way. And every month, there's a decent chance it sits in your inbox — or gets a quick scroll — before you move on to more pressing things. You're not alone. Most attorneys didn't go to law school to become financial analysts, and a P&L can feel like a wall of numbers with no clear story attached. But here's the thing: your P&L is telling a story. A clear one, actua