Attorney feeSaver™
by
Elana Financial

Executive Benefits Plan for Attorneys

An executive benefits plan is a flexible, tailored compensation strategy for key executives that can help high-income attorneys build tax-advantaged wealth—without any coverage or participation requirements.

What Is an Executive Benefits Plan?

Designed with key employees and high-income professionals in mind—like attorneys and law firm owners—executive benefits plans go beyond your typical employee benefit packages. They’re built around life insurance-based strategies, allowing executives to accumulate wealth and access tax-free income later in life.

Attorney feeSaver™ combines this strategy with attorney fee deferral structures for a comprehensive, flexible solution, ideal for plaintiff attorneys with fluctuating contingency fee income.

Common Challenges Faced by Plaintiff Attorneys

Plaintiff attorneys face unique financial planning challenges that even the best executive benefits plans don’t fully address, including:

Significant tax liabilities during high-income years
Large contingency fees from settlements or verdicts can spike annual taxable income.
Limitations of traditional retirement plans
Options like 401(k)s and IRAs often come with contribution limits and participation requirements.
Lack of customizable planning strategies
Law firm owners and equity partners often need financial solutions that better align with fluctuating income patterns.
Balancing income planning with estate protection
Many high-income attorneys want strategies that provide both future income and long-term legacy benefits for loved ones.

How an Executive Benefits Plan Works

Executive benefits plans are typically established through a business entity and funded over time to support long-term financial goals. In the case of attorneys, they may serve as both the employee and the employer.

While every structure is customized, the process generally includes the following steps:

The employer or entity establishes the plan

The law firm or attorney-owned entity creates the executive benefits arrangement based on personalized goals.

The employer funds the benefit

The law firm or attorney-owned entity makes contributions to the plan over time according to the selected strategy.

The attorney owns the policy or benefit

The attorney typically maintains ownership of the policy or structure.

The plan grows over time

Funds may accumulate on a tax-advantaged basis during the growth period.

The attorney may access tax-free income later

Future distributions may be structured as tax-free policy loans, depending on the plan design.

Loved ones may receive a tax-free death benefit

Many executive benefits plans include legacy protection for loved ones.

Benefits

Executive benefit plans offer many benefits for high-income attorneys, including:

Potential for future tax-free disbursements
Attorneys may access their income later through tax-advantaged policy loan structures.
Tax-free death benefit protection for loved ones
Beneficiaries can receive death benefit proceeds without paying income taxes on them.
Additional long-term wealth planning opportunities
Attorneys may fund retirement, estate planning, and business succession goals over time through executive benefit plans.

Limitations

While these benefits are promising, certain limitations of executive benefits plans can get in the way. These include:

The attorney must be insurable
If an attorney is not in good health and not eligible for life insurance, they may not qualify for an executive benefits plan.
Plans can take time to establish
Executive benefits plans can take 1-2 months or longer to implement.
The attorney must “wear both hats”
Since executive benefits plans typically require an employer and an employee, attorneys must function as both of these roles.

How Executive Benefits Fit Into Attorney feeSaver

Attorney feeSaver™ combines the advantages of executive benefits plans and attorney fee deferral strategies, addressing the limitations of each to create a more advanced tax-planning solution for plaintiff attorneys. Rather than relying solely on traditional fee deferral structures—which may not fully address the challenges faced by high-income attorneys—Attorney feeSaver™ integrates long-term tax-free income planning and legacy protection into one coordinated strategy.

During the accumulation phase, attorneys defer legal fees and use those deferred fees to fund an executive benefits plan. Ultimately, this allows attorneys to accumulate tax-advantaged wealth with long-term flexibility—and protect their legacy.

How Attorney feeSaver™ compares to other options
Cash Out
$1,238,075
Deferred Only
(Fixed-Rate Return)
$2,040,071
Deferred Only
(Market-Based Performance)
$2,191,847
Attorney
feeSaver™
$10,130,066
$8,216,520
$790,573
$874,316
$939,963
$0 to minimal
Total Income After Taxes
Death Benefit at age 90
Lifetime Taxes Paid
I'm 40 Years Old
Average Annual Fees Deferred
$100,000
Total Fees Deferred (10 years)
$1,000,000
Begin Lifetime Income
Age 55
Assumed Death
Age 90
Attorney feeSaver™ Results
Death Benefit
$10,130,066
Assumed death at age 90
Annual Income After Taxes
$234,672
versus
Cash Out
$35,374
Deferred Only (Fixed-Rate Return)
$58,288
Deferred Only (Market-Based Performance)
$62,624
Compare this to the other options below!
Total After Tax Benefits
$18,346,586
Combined income + death benefit
See How it Works

Who Can Benefit from Attorney feeSaver™?

Attorney feeSaver™ may be an ideal solution for attorneys who meet the following criteria:

Annual income of $250,000 or more
Net worth of at least $2,500,000 including the value of a law firm
Equity ownership in a law firm or ownership of a corporate entity
Relatively good health and ability to qualify for underwriting or insurability requirements

High-earning plaintiff attorneys who regularly receive large contingency fees may particularly benefit from the flexibility and tax planning opportunities offered through Attorney feeSaver.

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FAQs

An executive benefits plan is a compensation strategy in which an employer funds a benefit program that may provide future tax-advantaged income and death benefit protection to their employee.

Yes. Executive benefits plans can be especially valuable for plaintiff attorneys and law firm owners seeking more flexibility than traditional retirement accounts may provide.

Many executive benefits plans rely on life insurance structures, meaning the attorney must qualify through underwriting. Health and insurability can impact eligibility, costs, and plan design.

No. Executive benefits plans are separate from traditional retirement accounts like 401(k)s. They often provide greater flexibility, fewer contribution restrictions, and additional legacy planning opportunities.

In many cases, yes. Executive benefits plans commonly include a tax-free death benefit that may provide financial protection for family members or business succession planning purposes.

Attorney feeSaver™ combines executive benefits planning with attorney fee deferral strategies. Deferred legal fees are used to help fund the executive benefits structure, creating the potential for future tax-free income, long-term growth, and death benefit protection.

Could Attorney feeSaver™ Be a Game Changer for You?

Complete our brief pre-qualification form to see if you qualify.

Attorney feeSaver™ is not appropriate for every attorney. But for those who qualify, it can be a game changer.

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