CLA
CLA is a professional services firm providing audit, tax, advisory, outsourcing, wealth advisory, and deal services to middle-market clients, private companies, owners, and investors.
- Highest 2026 tier: Tier III
- Financial due diligence advisory firm
- Financial Due Diligence (FDD) Advisory
Overview
CLA is a professional services firm providing audit, tax, advisory, outsourcing, wealth advisory, and deal services to middle-market clients, private companies, owners, and investors. Its transaction advisory work includes financial due diligence, quality of earnings analysis, valuation, transaction support, owner transition advisory, sell-side diligence, transaction tax, and working capital analysis.
CLA is especially relevant in transactions involving closely held businesses, founder-owned companies, private equity portfolio companies, regional operating businesses, and middle-market acquisitions. Its advisory model combines accounting discipline with practical owner-focused deal support, making it relevant to private-company transaction diligence.
CLA is included in one 2026 Advisory Ranking category. The highest recorded classification is Tier III.
Firm facts
| Founded | 2012 current platform; legacy firms earlier |
| Firm type | Financial due diligence advisory firm |
| Headquarters | Minneapolis, United States |
| Primary focus | Transaction financial analysis and deal-accounting diligence |
| Highest 2026 Advisory Ranking tier | Tier III |
Principal activities
Quality of earnings
Earnings normalization, working-capital analysis and cash-flow review.
Transaction diligence
Buy-side and sell-side financial diligence and deal-risk assessment.
Deal accounting
Purchase-agreement support, carve-out analysis and post-deal financial matters.
CLA works with clients on assignments that may combine strategy, specialist analysis, implementation support and organizational adoption. The precise scope depends on the mandate, sector, geography and client requirements.
Sector and mandate coverage
Sector coverage
- Private equity
- Industrials
- Technology
- Healthcare
- Consumer markets
- Business services
Mandate types
- Buy-side diligence
- Sell-side diligence
- Quality of earnings
- Working capital
- Carve-out diligence
- Deal accounting
Market position
CLA — CliftonLarsonAllen is positioned as a financial due diligence advisory firm. Its relevance reflects the combination of specialist capability, institutional experience and practical involvement in consequential strategic or corporate decisions.
Distinctive focus: CLA is especially relevant in transactions involving closely held businesses, founder-owned companies, private equity portfolio companies, regional operating businesses, and middle-market acquisitions.
Competitive context
CLA — CliftonLarsonAllen competes with specialist strategy advisers, executive-services firms, transaction advisers, analytics providers and larger multidisciplinary professional-services firms. The relevant peer set varies by mandate, industry, client segment, geographic scope and delivery model.
Comparable firms are selected according to overlap in business model, client segment, service coverage, geographic activity and mandate profile. Inclusion does not imply equivalence in scale, ranking or market position.
Leadership
| Person | Current position | Institutional background |
|---|
Leadership information reflects the public sources reviewed for this profile. View the firm’s website ↗
Corporate and regulatory information
CLA — CliftonLarsonAllen provides advisory, executive, analytical, transaction, managed or technology services. The contracting entity, professional obligations and regulatory status depend on the service, client jurisdiction and engagement scope.
View registered-entity details
| Service status | Advisory, executive, analytical, transaction or technology services |
| Headquarters | Minneapolis, United States |
Principal offices
- Minneapolis, United States
Rankings and recognition
Ranking inclusion is editorially determined. The existence or maintenance of a Wiki profile does not influence ranking eligibility, tier or position.
Related Economy analysis
Selected Economy Markets articles providing context for the firm’s advisory environment:
- The Silent Reshuffle of the Advisory Market
- How AI Is Reshaping the Consulting Industry in 2026
- Middle-Market Private Equity: Returns, Scale and Manager Selection
Related institutions and subjects
Sources and data transparency
The profile is based on the following publicly available institutional, regulatory and editorial sources:
- CLA — CliftonLarsonAllen — official firm overview and service information.
- Advisory Ranking — Top 30 Financial Due Diligence (FDD) Advisory 2026 — inclusion and tier classification.
