How to Structure a Law Firm Chart of Accounts
A practical framework for a law firm chart of accounts that separates operating activity, trust liabilities, case costs, owner activity, and reporting needs.
Read the guideSpecialized bookkeeping for law firms
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.
Example workflow, not client data.
A useful close answers questions
Do bank and credit-card balances agree to outside statements?
Do trust records agree to the bank and all client ledgers?
Can case costs and settlement-related entries be traced?
Are unresolved transactions named, assigned, and dated?
Services
Start with the account or period causing the uncertainty. The scope can then move from repair to a repeatable monthly close.
Operating-account close, balance-sheet review, reporting, and an open-item trail.
Trust-register and client-ledger records prepared for a controlled reconciliation process.
Compare adjusted bank, trust-register, and client-ledger totals as of the same date.
Clarify the chart of accounts, correct historical issues, and define system ownership.
The monthly process
Every engagement has a written scope. The exact steps depend on the firm's accounts and systems, but the control sequence stays visible.
Gather complete statements, source documents, system reports, and prior open items.
Tie bank and card activity to outside records and investigate differences.
Check balance-sheet accounts, matter-related activity, and unusual entries.
Deliver the monthly statements with a clear list of decisions and unresolved items.
Trust accounting boundary
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
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
A practical framework for a law firm chart of accounts that separates operating activity, trust liabilities, case costs, owner activity, and reporting needs.
Read the guideA repeatable close sequence for bank activity, balance-sheet accounts, case costs, trust records, open items, and management reports.
Read the guideA practical checklist for comparing the adjusted bank balance, trust register, and total client ledgers as of the same date.
Read the guideQuestions before a call
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.
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.
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.
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
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.