How to choose an accountant.

July 16, 2009 6:25 PM

I am looking for a good accountant in the Milwaukee, WI area. I am starting a two-person LLC, any tips on either what to look for in an accountant or know of good ones in the area?
posted by thebestsophist to Work & Money (1 answer total)

You should probably talk to a lawyer, not just an accountant. Yes, you're probably going to need an accountant anyways, but accountants are going to be better at helping you manage whatever corporate form you decide on, not helping you decide which form is best for you. Maybe you do want an LLC. But maybe you want an S corp or an LLLP. I don't know. I don't know a thing about your situation, and I not a Wisconsin lawyer anyways.

But you should talk to one. A licensed attorney will be able to fully advise you on the taxation and liability issues related to business entities in ways that an accountant will not. Go to your accountant when it's time to crunch the numbers, but go to an attorney for incorporation.

As to how to find a lawyer, try the Martindale-Hubbell attorney search service. It isn't exhaustive, but it's going to get all of the big firms and most of the more prestigious small firms and solo practitioners. You probably don't want to pay the $500+ an hour that Sidley Austin is going to charge you, but you can use the site to do a search for a small to mid-sized firm that will be much more reasonable. Look for a firm who seems to do a lot of corporate law and not a lot of personal injury but that has less than a hundred attorneys.
posted by valkyryn at 7:41 PM on July 16, 2009