Steven Leahy is the founder of the Law Office of Steven Leahy, a tax and business law firm based in Chicago, Illinois. A third-generation ironworker who worked his way through college and law school, he has been practicing for 25 years. He is a regular contributor to WGN Radio in Chicago, hosted the IRS Radio Hour and the Trust Radio Network for nearly a decade, and is currently building the Freedom Command Center at fightbacknow.com — a resource to help business owners take control of their tax and financial situations. He has two sons, both attorneys.
I asked Steve what led him to start his own firm.
"I always wanted to run my own business," he told me. "My dad ran a cleaning company, my grandmother had a dog grooming company. It was always in my blood. When I became an attorney, I just started my own firm. I never really worked for anybody else as a lawyer."
He came to law school in his late thirties, graduating after seven years of night school while working. He had a business degree from Loyola University, a master's in information technology law, and a finance background that shaped how he thought about problems. He started with bankruptcy and foreclosure work, learning the courts and building a client base through direct mail and persistence. When the 2008 financial crisis hit, he was already positioned to help the wave of homeowners and business owners in distress. That work led him to tax law - and to a realization that would reshape his entire practice.
"Tax problems are just a symptom," he said. "The real problem usually comes down to bookkeeping or cash flow. It only exposes itself through the IRS problem."
That insight became the foundation of his five-step framework: fix the tax problem, structure the business correctly, keep good records, do tax planning, and stay in compliance. Rather than resolving a crisis and moving on, Steve helps clients build the systems that prevent the next one.
The model he uses to deliver that work is also different. Steve works with clients through an ongoing engagement - because the work of keeping a business financially healthy never really ends. His team includes CPAs alongside legal staff, which means clients get both accounting expertise and legal advocacy. Accountants are good at putting numbers together, he explains, but a business owner dealing with the IRS needs someone who will fight for them. That's the role he plays.
"I want a lifelong client. I want to help them achieve what they're really trying to achieve — and that's the American dream of building a successful business."
HIs radio work built something else alongside the practice: a wide network of attorneys across Chicago that Steve can draw on when clients need help outside his practice areas. Nearly a decade of interviewing other lawyers gave him relationships that still serve his clients today.
Are you a business owner dealing with IRS problems or looking to get your finances in order? Connect with Steven Leahy and check out Law Office of Steven A Leahy and fightbacknow.com.