Law Firm Bookkeeping, Accounting and RPC-Compliant IOLTA Trust Services

At FinOp Group, we offer precisely this solution, allowing companies to delegate critical operational accounting functions to our team of skilled professionals. Yes, QuickBooks lets you customize invoices to reflect your practice’s logo, information, and billing rates. You can also schedule invoices to automatically generate and go out to clients on specific dates or at set intervals. Have hard and soft costs sorted for you, from direct or third-party products or services you’re paying on behalf of the client, to assets and debts.

We understand it’s your law firm, and you want to know what’s going on with your numbers. We pride ourselves on providing accurate and timely reporting, and we’ll take the time to explain everything we do. Eventually, you’ll understand your firm’s finances to the extent that you can pivot quickly and leverage our data to make decisions that help grow the firm and achieve your personal financial goals.

Maximize Billable Time & Cash Flow

Double-entry bookkeeping or double-bookkeeping accounting is a method that keeps track of where your money comes from and where it’s going. Every financial transaction involves at least two accounts, including debit and credit. Every entry to an account requires a corresponding and opposite entry to a different account. Additionally, the total debits recorded must equal the total credits recorded. Total assets are also required to equal total liabilities plus equity (net worth or capital) of a law firm). With the accrual method, you record revenue when it’s earned and expenses when they’re incurred—whether they’re paid right away or not.

It’s also a good place to store money you’re setting aside for taxes and emergencies. Make sure you’re clear on all of the law firm accounting obligations related to managing and growing your business. The goal of bookkeeping is to have an accurate picture of your current financial standing. For example, law firm bookkeeping you might think you have plenty of money in the bank and buy a new computer before realizing you forgot to record that check to the court reporter. A simple mistake could send your firm into the red for the month. Or, you might lose track of critical transactions that affect your taxes.

Next Up: A Certified Public Accountant

On the other hand, income refers to what is left over after the firm’s costs and expenses have been deducted from the revenue. Taxes, property expenses, legal dues, and payroll are typical expenses law firms must deduct from revenue to get income. Mixing up the two can give you a false picture of your firm’s financial health. Law firms need to ensure that their financial and accounting practices are up to par in order to grow their businesses.

• Accrual accounting gives you an idea of what income and expenses you have during a period of time, but doesn’t give a good picture of your actual cash flow.
• Three-way reconciliations are an important part of practicing law and must be performed on a regular basis to ensure accuracy in your financial records.
• In order to stay afloat financially, a well-thought-out budget is essential for a law firm.
• Every law firm has a responsibility to stay compliant with ethics regulations, and your firm is no exception.
• These best practices all come back to one idea — staying organized.

Using key performance indicators will help you know sooner if you’re on track. We strongly recommend that you contact Free Cash Flow (FCF) if you need assistance with Bookkeeping for the law firm. Having worked with law firms for years, FCF has a wealth of experience in this field. Make sure to keep all of your records organized and in one place.

Features

It’s OK to admit if you don’t really understand where to check your trust. In 2018, only 85% of what lawyers billed got collected (2018 Legal Trends Report). Keeping up on numbers daily, weekly, and monthly helps you remember what is happening to avoid these leakages from occurring on your watch. When this happens, the company could have compliance issues with their books getting found to be inaccurate.

• Although you now understand the common mistakes in accounting for law firms, you’re still an accountant or bookkeeper.
• On top of that, ZipBooks is more than reasonably affordable; it’s highly affordable compared to many options.
• Double-entry bookkeeping or double-bookkeeping accounting is a method that keeps track of where your money comes from and where it’s going.
• The most powerful solution to this problem is taking the time to update your books frequently (or outsourcing your bookkeeping to a team that will reconcile the numbers for you).
• That’s why we recommend you should hire a professional legal account.
• Clients (and employees) talk, and if your finances are in shambles due to negligence, that could spell disaster for your credibility.

That’s why we recommend you should hire a professional legal account. Now, you can dedicate your valuable time to growing your business. Beyond just staying organized and compliant, following best practices for accounting for law firms will help you identify growth opportunities. Bookkeepers record the financial transactions and balance the financial accounts for your firm.