Legal, Financial & Accounting

Legal help: prepare the question and the documents

A lease renewal, ownership agreement, employment issue and estate plan call for different experience. Describe the matter in a few sentences, identify the people or businesses involved, and flag any notice, hearing or signing date when you first contact a lawyer.

Check the person’s entry in the Maryland attorney listing. The Judiciary says an “active” attorney is in good standing and authorized to practice. Then ask about experience with your particular issue and the jurisdiction involved.

Bring a focused first-meeting packet

• A short timeline, your desired outcome and the decisions you need to make.
• The complete contract, notice or other relevant document, including attachments and amendments.
• Related correspondence and a list of people or organizations involved.
• Your questions about timing, likely steps and the information still missing.

Ask before the engagement starts

• Does the first consultation have a fee, and what will it cover?
• Who will do the work, and how will I receive updates?
• Is the proposed fee hourly, fixed or another arrangement? Which expenses are separate?
• Which tasks and deadlines will you handle, and which remain mine?
• Can we record the scope, payment terms and change process in an engagement agreement?

Maryland resources: Hiring and working with your lawyer and finding private, free or reduced-cost legal help. Program eligibility varies.

Financial help: connect the service to a decision

Start with a concrete question: how to organize household goals after a move, evaluate retirement choices, fund equipment or manage uneven business receipts. Specify the decision date and the information you need back. Investment advice, lending, insurance and business forecasting involve different services and credentials.

For household planning and investment advice

Prepare a summary of income, regular expenses, debts, available savings, current accounts and your priorities. When comparing an investment professional, check registration and disciplinary disclosures through Investor.gov. Use the Maryland Attorney General’s investor resources for additional state guidance.

• What planning or account service will I receive, and who will be my regular contact?
• How are you and your firm paid? Ask for the total costs in dollars for your proposed arrangement, including product and account charges.
• Which conflicts of interest or limits on available products should I understand?
• What will you monitor, how often will we review the plan, and what changes should I report?

Where a firm provides Form CRS, its relationship summary, use it to compare services, fees, conflicts and disciplinary information. Ask the professional to explain the role they will perform for you.

For a business cash decision

Before committing to a hire, equipment purchase or expansion, build a weekly cash worksheet with your bookkeeper or financial adviser. Start with available cash, add receipts expected that week, subtract planned payments, and carry the closing balance into the next week. Keep uncertain customer payments visible and compare the forecast with actual results.

Include payroll, taxes, rent, supplier bills, debt payments and owner withdrawals. Run a second version with a delayed customer payment or larger expense. Bring that worksheet to a financing conversation so the amount, timing and repayment assumptions are explicit.

Background: SBA business finance and management guidance. The worksheet above is a planning prompt; its assumptions need to match your records and obligations.

Accounting and bookkeeping: agree on the recurring work

Begin with the tasks and reporting frequency. Ask a bookkeeper about transaction records and reconciliations; ask a CPA about the tax, accounting or assurance work you need; ask a fractional CFO service about forecasts, decision support and management reporting. Providers’ scopes differ, so put the actual deliverables in writing.

For someone offering CPA services, use the Maryland Board of Public Accountancy’s license-search guidance. For an individual tax preparer, review the Board’s credential and tax-fraud guidance, including its registration-search link. Check the credential the provider actually claims.

For related tax reading, see the CVA feature on Marc Morris, Brian Gallagher and solar tax credits above, then discuss how the issues relate to your own circumstances with your tax adviser.

A monthly scope worth discussing

• Accounts: which bank, credit-card, loan and payment-processor accounts will be reconciled?
• Review: who resolves missing receipts, unusual transactions and overdue customer invoices?
• Reports: which statements and management reports will arrive, on what date, with what explanation?
• Tax work: are return preparation, estimates, notices and year-end coordination included or separately priced?
• Access and handoff: who owns the files, approves access, keeps exports and transfers records if the relationship ends?

Bring recent statements, bookkeeping reports, prior returns, unresolved notices, payroll reports and a list of systems in use. Identify any period that needs cleanup. Ask the provider which records to send and use their agreed secure transfer method.

Switching payroll? Make the Maryland handoff explicit

Put the last pay run with the outgoing provider and the first run with the incoming provider on one calendar. Assign responsibility for year-to-date totals, employee information, deductions, corrections, tax deposits and each filing period. Confirm who will issue year-end forms and handle later notices.

• Maryland withholding: confirm the employer account, work and residence details used for withholding, assigned filing schedule and who checks the payment confirmation. Use the Comptroller’s current employer guidance.
• State tax access: review who is authorized to manage the business in Maryland Tax Connect and how the employer retains access to notices and payment history.
• Unemployment insurance: separately assign wage reports, contributions and notices in Maryland’s BEACON employer system, including any third-party agent arrangement.
• First-run check: compare the approved payroll register, deductions, bank activity and filing confirmations, and resolve differences with the provider promptly.

The IRS explains that federal payroll-tax responsibility depends on the third-party arrangement; outsourcing often leaves the employer responsible. Ask how your particular agreement allocates duties and how you will verify deposits. Read the IRS explanation of payroll providers and third-party payers.

Before you choose a professional

Maryland and federal resources reviewed November 2, 2026. Use these checklists to prepare a professional consultation; advice for your circumstances belongs in that engagement. Follow the responsible agency’s current requirements.