Law Firm Bookkeeping Cost: How to Compare Scope
Understand the factors behind law firm bookkeeping cost, what a useful proposal should include, and how to compare monthly, trust, and cleanup scopes.
Read the guideSpecialized bookkeeping for law firms
Know what is reconciled, what is unresolved, and what needs your decision.
Monthly bookkeeping, trust-record support, QuickBooks cleanup, and financial reporting organized around the way law firms actually move money.
Bookkeeping support, not legal or tax advice. The firm retains control of client funds and professional obligations.
Month-endReconciliation desk
In review
Operating accountsReconciled✓
Trust registerTied to ledgers✓
Open items2 need firm input2
Adjusted bank$ =
Trust register$ =
Client ledgers$
Example workflow, not client data.
A useful close answers questions
Can your books explain the month without another round of guesswork?
01
Do bank and credit-card balances agree to outside statements?
02
Do trust records agree to the bank and all client ledgers?
03
Can case costs and settlement-related entries be traced?
04
Are unresolved transactions named, assigned, and dated?
Services
Build the records in the right order.
Start with the account or period causing the uncertainty. The scope can then move from repair to a repeatable monthly close.
01↗
02↗
03↗
04↗
05↗
View all bookkeeping services
Monthly law firm bookkeeping
Operating-account close, balance-sheet review, reporting, and an open-item trail.
IOLTA bookkeeping support
Trust-register and client-ledger records prepared for a controlled reconciliation process.
Three-way trust reconciliation
Compare adjusted bank, trust-register, and client-ledger totals as of the same date.
QuickBooks setup and cleanup
Clarify the chart of accounts, correct historical issues, and define system ownership.
Law firm bookkeeping cleanup
Reconcile overdue periods, document corrections, and establish a dependable starting balance.
The monthly process
A close you can follow from source to report.
Every engagement has a written scope. The exact steps depend on the firm's accounts and systems, but the control sequence stays visible.
- 01
Collect
Gather complete statements, source documents, system reports, and prior open items.
- 02
Reconcile
Tie bank and card activity to outside records and investigate differences.
- 03
Review
Check balance-sheet accounts, matter-related activity, and unusual entries.
- 04
Report
Deliver the monthly statements with a clear list of decisions and unresolved items.
Typical monthly packet
- Operating reconciliationsIncluded by scope
- Profit and lossCurrent period + comparison
- Balance sheetReviewed for unusual balances
- Trust reconciliationWhen trust work is in scope
- Open-item summaryOwner, question, next action
Trust accounting boundary
Records can support compliance. They do not replace the lawyer's judgment.
We can prepare authorized entries, client-ledger records, reconciliations, and exception reports. The lawyer controls client funds, approves disbursements, interprets the applicable rules, and remains responsible for professional obligations.
Read about IOLTA bookkeeping supportA proper three-way reconciliation compares the adjusted bank balance, trust register, and total client ledgers as of the same date.
See the State Bar of Arizona trust-account guidance.
Pricing guidance
Ongoing bookkeeping from $1,497 per month.
Trust work, multiple entities, higher volume, cleanup, and custom reporting are scoped after a short review. Every proposal states what is included and what the firm retains.
View pricing approachAuthority through useful work
Practical guidance, tied to primary sources.
QuickBooks for Law Firms: A Setup Checklist
A practical QuickBooks setup checklist for law firms covering account structure, source-system ownership, trust records, integrations, and month-end controls.
Read the guideIOLTA Bookkeeping Mistakes: Seven Controls to Check
Seven IOLTA bookkeeping mistakes that appear in incomplete ledgers, reconciliation differences, unsupported transfers, and unreliable monthly records.
Read the guideQuestions before a call
Clear answers, including the limits.
What makes law-firm bookkeeping different?
Law-firm records often connect operating accounts, trust accounts, client or matter ledgers, case costs, settlement activity, and practice-management software. The workflow needs to define which system owns each record and how the balances are checked.
Is bookkeeping the same as trust-account compliance?
No. Bookkeeping can maintain records, prepare reconciliations, and identify discrepancies. The lawyer remains responsible for trust funds, approvals, legal and ethical obligations, and obtaining jurisdiction-specific advice.
Can you clean up prior months?
Cleanup can be scoped after the affected periods, accounts, source records, and known discrepancies are reviewed. The work should preserve prior reports and document material corrections.
What happens after I submit the form?
The request is reviewed for fit. If the service appears relevant, the next step is a short conversation about systems, accounts, timing, and the division of responsibilities before a proposal is prepared.
Start with fit
Request a 20-minute fit call
Tell us what needs attention. We will review the basics and follow up about fit and next steps. This is not legal or tax advice.
- No obligation
- Your information is used to respond to this request
- You will know what we need before any engagement begins