Industries · Law Firms

Accounting & Trust Bookkeeping for Law Firms

IOLTA three-way reconciliation. Indiana Rule 1.15 compliance. Practice management software integrated cleanly. A CPA who knows the bar's rules as well as the IRS's.

Trust accounting mistakes cost more than your accountant does

A CPA who solves problems with modern tools. Not your typical CPA firm.

Lawyers face a unique accounting risk. The same recordkeeping mistake that would mean a few hours of cleanup at any other business can mean bar discipline at a law firm. Indiana Rule 1.15 is unforgiving on trust account handling, and any audit, complaint, or fee dispute will surface trust accounting problems first.

We work with solo practitioners and small firms across Indiana. We perform monthly three-way reconciliation, integrate your practice management software with QuickBooks, and keep your books in a state where any bar inquiry would be a non-event. We also handle the firm-as-a-business side, partner draws, practice area profitability, and growth planning.

Modern tools make this faster and more reliable than legacy methods. But what you are paying for is a CPA who understands both the practice of law and the rules that surround its money.

The pain points we fix most often

Trust account out of balance

A missed deposit, an unrecorded transfer, or a returned check can throw the trust account out of balance without anyone noticing. Monthly three-way reconciliation catches these early, when they are still easy to explain.

Earned fees still sitting in trust

Failing to transfer earned fees out of trust is a Rule 1.15 violation. We set up a clear cadence for invoiced-and-earned transfers, with documentation, so nothing stays in trust longer than it should.

Client ledger that doesn't tie to the bank

If your client ledger and your trust bank balance do not agree at month-end, something is off. We find what, document it, and correct it before it becomes a complaint or audit issue.

Practice management not synced to books

Time, billing, and trust data in Clio or MyCase that doesn't flow into QuickBooks means double entry, missed transfers, and inconsistent reporting. We connect the systems properly so each one stays a single source of truth.

No visibility into practice area profitability

Most firms can tell you total firm revenue but not what their family law, estate, or transactional work actually contributes after costs. We build the reporting that shows it.

Partner draws made on intuition

Draws should be tied to actual cash availability, profitability by partner, and origination credit. Without that data the conversation gets uncomfortable. We give you the numbers that make it straightforward.

The full stack, scoped to your practice

01

Bookkeeping & Trust Accounting

Monthly bookkeeping with IOLTA three-way reconciliation, client ledger maintenance, and Rule 1.15 compliant recordkeeping built in from day one.

More on bookkeeping →
02

Payroll for Firms

W-2 employees and 1099 contract attorneys handled correctly. Year-end W-2s and 1099-NECs prepared and filed on time.

More on payroll →
03

Outsourced CFO

Practice area profitability, partner draw planning, origination tracking, and the strategic finance work that turns a firm into a business.

More on outsourced CFO →

Your time and billing software, connected cleanly

QuickBooks Online is the books, your practice management is the time and billing. We make them work together.

Clio

The most common practice management platform we encounter. Full QBO integration, trust handling, reporting.

MyCase

Strong fit for solos and small firms. Clean QBO sync once configured properly.

Caret Legal

All-in-one platform with built-in trust accounting. Strong fit for firms looking to consolidate practice management and books.

Other platforms

Smokeball, CosmoLex, TimeSolv, others. If your platform exports data, we can work with it.

Things attorneys ask us

Do you handle IOLTA three-way reconciliation?

Yes. Three-way reconciliation matches your IOLTA bank statement, your client ledger, and your trust account ledger every month. It is the standard required by Indiana Rule 1.15 and any bar audit. We perform it monthly and document the result so you have evidence of compliance if you ever need to produce it.

Are you familiar with Indiana Rule 1.15 requirements?

Yes. Indiana Rule 1.15 governs how attorneys handle client funds, separation of trust and operating accounts, recordkeeping, and reporting. We set up your books to meet those requirements and keep them that way. If your current setup is not Rule 1.15 compliant, we will tell you exactly what to fix and how to fix it.

Can you work directly with Clio, MyCase, or Caret Legal?

Yes. We integrate practice management platforms with QuickBooks Online so billing, time tracking, and trust activity flow cleanly into your books. Clio is the most common, but we work with MyCase, Caret Legal, and others. If you are evaluating which to choose, we can help you decide based on how your firm actually bills and operates.

What happens if my trust account is out of balance?

We find it, document what caused it, and help you correct it the right way. Trust account discrepancies usually come from a small number of root causes. We investigate, document our findings, and walk you through the correction. Hidden trust account problems do not stay hidden, and the longer they sit the harder they are to explain.

How do you handle client retainers versus earned fees?

Retainers sit in trust until earned. Transfers from trust to operating happen against a recorded invoice with documentation. We track unearned retainers by client so you always know how much you are holding, and we transfer earnings on a clear cadence. The whole point is that you can answer a client or a bar inquiry about any specific dollar at any time.

Can you help with partner draws and profitability decisions?

Yes. For small partnerships and PCs, partner draws, profitability by practice area, and origination tracking are the financial questions that drive long-term decisions. We set up reporting that shows what each practice area actually earns, what each partner originated, and how draws compare to actual cash availability.

Ready for trust accounting that would survive any bar audit?

Book a confidential 30-minute conversation. We will walk through your trust setup and tell you exactly what we would change.

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