This session, led by Michael D. Hill, CPA, CLM, is designed to help law firm administrators better understand key financial concepts and metrics that drive firm performance. Drawing on his experience as a Chief Financial Officer and as an instructor for the finance portion of the CLM preparation course, Michael will break down financial information into practical, accessible insights.

Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of how to interpret financial data and apply it in day‑to‑day decision-making, making this session especially valuable for those preparing for the CLM exam or looking to strengthen their financial acumen in a law firm setting.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand key financial statements (income statement and balance sheet) and how they reflect a law firm’s overall financial health. 
2. Interpret core law firm financial metrics such as realization, utilization, and profitability to support better operational decision-making. 
3. Gain confidence in discussing financial results with attorneys, management, and other key stakeholders.
4. Strengthen readiness for the CLM exam by reinforcing foundational finance concepts relevant to the certification.

            Michael D. Hill, CPA, CLM

Michael D. Hill, CPA, CLM is the Chief Financial Officer at Gould & Ratner. In addition to his leadership role in law firm finance, he teaches the finance portion of the CLM (Certified Legal Manager) preparation course for the Chicago chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators. Through both his executive and teaching experience, Michael brings a practical, real-world perspective to financial management in law firms, helping administrators better understand and apply financial principles.

Business Partner Sponsor:

Thank you to our Diamond Business Partner Acrisure for sponsoring this session.

The Golden Gate Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators is an approved CLM provider. 
This session satisfies the required educational criteria in the following areas:

CLM® Recertification Credit:  1 hour in the subject area of Financial Management (FM).

CLM^® Application Credit for Functional Specialists: 1 hour in the subject area of Financial Management (FM) toward the additional hours required of some Functional Specialists to fulfill the CLM application requirements.

To view other registrants to this meeting, please click here and select the meeting name from the drop down box.

Media Disclaimer
Registrants to this meeting understand that publicity photographs, video and/or sound bites may be taken during the event and their image/photographic likeness/voice may appear in media taken during the event. By registering for the event, you hereby give permission that photos/video/audio containing your image/likeness/voice may be used for publicity or general information purposes including publication on the Golden Gate Chapter website, The Bridge newsletter or within other publicity which may be seen by the general public. The Golden Gate Chapter of the ALA will not seek any further permission nor provide any notification before using such media.

Golden Gate Chapter Refund Policy:  Refunds are provided at the discretion of the Chapter.  Please contact the [email protected] for further details.

Meeting contacts: Traci Yanez, Lilliane Villanueva, and Andy Hoedt.