How to Effectively Do Bookkeeping for a Law Firm Tips from an Accountant and Bookkeeper

Legal accounting software is designed to help law firms with bookkeeping, allowing them to keep track of their finances in an efficient and compliant manner. This type of software provides a range of features and benefits, such as auto-generated reports, secure data storage, and access from any device. Automation can also reduce the time spent on manual data entry tasks, making it easier for accountants and bookkeepers to remain up-to-date with ethical rules and client information. Additionally, cloud-based legal accounting software offers real-time insights into financials while eliminating the need for costly on-premise installations. Bookkeeping is a vital task for law firms, as it helps them to record and monitor financial transactions and keep accounts in balance. Accountants must ensure that bookkeeping for law firms is done properly in order to provide reliable financial data.

Legal bookkeeping takes place before any accounting can occur and is an important administrative task for any law firm. Keep accounting costs down by taking care of some financial tasks yourself. For example, you can record transactions and process payroll using online software. You enter amounts into the software, and the program computes totals for you. In some cases, payroll software for accountants allows your accountant to offer payroll processing for you at very little additional cost. It’s critical for CPAs to communicate their findings in a way that you can understand, including how they will affect your business.

Bookkeeping vs. accounting for law firms

When you incorporate your business, you essentially separate yourself from the business entity. It’s called the “corporate veil,” and it protects business owners and their personal assets from legal action taken against the company. Plus, the more time and effort your accountant has to put into organizing your transactions, the more you pay them. It’s similar to two-way reconciliation, where you compare your bank account balance to your company’s books to make sure it matches. The key to good accounting is keeping detailed records of every single transition coming in or going out of your IOLTA. It doesn’t belong to you, and if you claim it as such, you could face the consequences from regulators and have a more challenging tax season.

However, annual financial statements may not be enough to help you keep tabs on your business. Awarded by the CFA Institute, the CFA certification is one of the most respected designations in accounting. In this program, accountants learn about portfolio management, ethical financial practices, investment analysis and global markets. To complete the program, accountants must have four years of relevant work experience.

Advantages of an accountant

When looking at the importance of solid accounting, you’re really talking about looking at financial data on a regular basis. And you can’t do that if you’re not gathering and sorting it on a regular basis. This is a list of all your firm’s financial accounts, giving you a framework for where to record every transaction. Without proper attorney bookkeeping, it’s impossible to track what money is coming (and leaving your firm). This can cause serious issues and stunt your firm’s growth (more on that later).

If you’re the owner of a small law firm, you need to know the essentials of bookkeeping and accounting for law firms. This way, your firm can stay compliant with ethics rules—and you can ensure you aren’t leaving money on the table. Lizzette Matos is a certified public law firm bookkeeping accountant in New York state. She earned a bachelor of science in finance and accounting from New York University. Matos began her career at Ernst & Young, where she audited a diverse set of companies, primarily in consumer products and media and entertainment.