Fractional CFO
Better partner payouts.
Compensation models, capital plans, and distribution strategy that pay owners what the firm actually earns.
For solo, small partnership & boutique law firms
Fractional CFO, profitability & growth advisory — built exclusively for law firm owners.
We help solo, small partnership, and boutique law firms strengthen cash flow, improve profitability, and design partner compensation that finally makes sense — through structured CFO leadership and a clear operating cadence.
20+ yrs
Financial leadership
Solo→3 partners
Right-sized for boutique firms
Flat fee
No hourly billing
The signature problem
Law school didn't teach you this.
Being a great attorney does not automatically prepare someone to run a successful law firm. You were trained to practice law — not to price work, plan cash, hire associates, or build the financial engine behind a growing practice.
Hiring
Knowing when the next associate, paralegal, or operations lead is actually affordable — and what they need to bill to pay for themselves.
Cash flow
Trust accounts, contingent matters, slow receivables. Knowing what's coming in before payroll is due.
Profitability
Per-matter, per-attorney, per-practice-area economics — and which work is actually worth chasing.
Partner compensation
Owner draws, profit splits, retained capital. A model that's fair, predictable, and doesn't break under growth.
Pricing
When to move beyond hourly. How to package, fix-fee, and present pricing without leaving money on the table.
Growth
What it really costs to add a practice area, a satellite office, or another partner — before you commit.
Leadership
Running the firm as a business: KPIs, scorecards, and the operating cadence partners actually use.
Operations
The systems, capacity, and workflow that turn a busy practice into a calmly run firm.
We help law firm owners build more profitable firms — not more complicated ones.
Founder · CPA · Operating Partner
Meet Sarah Justin
She's been where you are — running the business side of a professional services practice.
Sarah is a CPA, business owner, growth strategist, and former franchise operator who has spent 20+ years inside privately held professional services firms. She has built, scaled, and sold a service business — and she has lived every line item on a law firm's P&L from the operator's chair.
CPA & financial leader
20+ years inside professional services
Built, scaled & sold a service business
Top 25 franchise owner in North America
Active real estate investor
Growth advisor to boutique firms
"Most CFOs read your numbers. I've lived them. I know what it feels like to make payroll, hire your first associate, and bet on the next quarter — because I've done it."— Sarah Justin
Specialization, not generalization
Built specifically for law firms.
Most advisors work with everyone — restaurants, contractors, agencies, dentists, attorneys. We intentionally work with one kind of business. The more specific the focus, the deeper the expertise.
01
Solo Firms
Owner-operators who finally want a real financial partner — not another bookkeeper.
02
Small Partnerships
2–3 partner firms where compensation, profit splits, and capital decisions need a steady hand.
03
Growing Practices
Firms scaling past their first hires — and the financial systems that need to scale with them.
04
Boutique Firms
Specialty practices where pricing, packaging, and positioning drive partner economics.
05
Founder-Led Firms
Owners ready to run their firm like a business and stop being the highest-paid associate.
The business side of your law firm
We don't help you run the books. We help you run a stronger law firm.
Every service we deliver is reframed around outcomes. You don't hire us for reports — you hire us for the decisions, profitability, and confidence those reports unlock.
Profitability Improvement
Improved profitability.
Per-matter, per-attorney economics — and a clear plan for the work worth chasing and the work to retire.
Cash Flow Management
Healthier cash flow.
Forward-looking visibility through trust accounting, contingencies, and slow receivables — no more surprise crunches.
Strategic Planning
More confident hiring decisions.
When to add the next associate, paralegal, or operations lead — and the revenue they need to support themselves.
Financial Reporting
Greater operational clarity.
A monthly scorecard partners actually read — KPIs that matter to a law firm, not a generic small business.
Growth Advisory
Sustainable growth.
A 1- and 3-year plan for the firm — new practice areas, offices, and partners — built on real numbers.
Decision Support
Smarter, faster decisions.
An on-call thought partner for the high-stakes calls between board-room and case work.
Annual Targeting
Targets the partners agree to.
Annual revenue, profit, and payout targets the partner group commits to and tracks against.
Operating Cadence
A firm that runs, even when you're in court.
Monthly reviews, bi-weekly touchpoints, and the operating rhythm of well-led firms.
Our proprietary methodology
Your One Clear Path™
The Rêve operating model — a structured, partner-led path from where your firm is to where it should be. Not generic CFO consulting. A clear sequence built for law firm owners.
- I
Vision
What kind of firm — and what kind of life — are you actually building? We start with the owner, not the ledger.
- II
Targets
Annual revenue, profit, and partner-payout targets the partnership commits to in writing.
- III
Financial Clarity
Clean books, the right chart of accounts for a law firm, and a single dashboard the partners trust.
- IV
Strategy
Pricing, capacity, hiring, and practice mix — a 12-month plan built on the numbers, not gut feel.
- V
Accountability
Monthly strategic reviews and bi-weekly touchpoints that keep the plan moving and the partners aligned.
- VI
Growth
Reinvest profitably — new associates, satellite offices, practice areas — without breaking what's working.
- VII
Success
A firm that pays its owners well, runs without chaos, and is worth more every year it stays open.
Outcomes, not deliverables
Law firm owners don't hire CFOs because they want reports. They want better outcomes.
We measure ourselves by what changes for the partners — profitability, cash, payouts, and the calm that comes from finally knowing what's going on.
+38%
Average partner payout lift
After 12 months of structured pricing, profitability work, and compensation redesign.
60 days
Cash buffer rebuilt
From two weeks of runway to a real operating reserve — without a capital call.
3×
Confident hires made
Associates and paralegals added with revenue targets they actually hit.
100%
Partner alignment
One scorecard. One plan. One clear path — agreed to in writing.
"Sarah is the first person who looked at our firm as a business and not a stack of timesheets. Our partner draws are higher, our hiring is calmer, and I finally enjoy running this place."
The engagement
What working with Rêve feels like.
Proactive. Structured. Collaborative. Executive-level. You get a partner who runs the business side of the firm with you — not a vendor who hands over a stack of reports.
See engagement details →Annual Financial Targeting
Revenue, profit, and partner-payout targets the partnership commits to — set together, in writing, every year.
Monthly Strategic Reviews
A standing partner meeting with Sarah on the agenda — numbers, decisions, and what changes next month.
Bi-Weekly Touchpoints
Two working sessions a month between formal reviews — for the questions that can't wait until next quarter.
Unlimited CFO Access
Text, call, or email Sarah when you need a thought partner. No meters. No hourly clock. No friction.
Flat Fee Pricing
One predictable monthly fee — built for the relationship, not the timesheet. You know what you're paying for.
Collaborative Planning
Plans built with the partners, not for them — so the firm actually executes what we agree to.
Strategic Guidance
The voice you call before every meaningful business decision — new hire, new office, new practice area.
From Sarah's desk
Thought leadership for law firm owners.
Profitability
The four numbers every law firm owner should know on the 5th of every month.
A short field guide to the partner scorecard we run with every firm we work with.
Read →Compensation
Why most partner compensation models break the second you add a third partner.
How to design splits that survive growth — and the conversation that has to happen first.
Read →Cash Flow
Trust accounts, contingencies, and the cash-flow trap waiting for growing firms.
A practical playbook for keeping operating cash separate, visible, and never a surprise.
Read →Private consultation with Sarah
Build a more profitable law firm — with financial leadership designed for legal practices.
A 45-minute introductory call with Sarah Justin. No pitch. We listen to where the firm is, what's working, and where the financial picture isn't matching the effort. You leave with real insight either way.
For solo, small partnership, and boutique law firms · Engagements by referral and application