With all the options available, we know it’s difficult to choose which software is the best choice for your firm. After all, you have to sift through the options alone, convince your partners to agree, and pray that it works as it should. Learn more about the legal chart of accounts and view examples of formatting. And a lack of professionalism can lead to losing your clients, referrals, and growth opportunities. Whether intentional or through neglect, violations of compliance regulations—like mishandling client funds—can lead to serious repercussions. Offering insight into corporations in the U.S. and abroad, including corporations’ legal and tax functions, corporate leadership and strategy, and the impact of technology.

You can instantly run financial statements to see how business is doing. Generate statements such as cash flow, profit and loss, balance sheets, etc. Email reports directly to clients, banks, partners, or equity members. Award-winning support means talking to a real person for the help and info you need because we provide so much more than just online accounting software for law firms.

The Trust Accounting Guide for Lawyers

As a result, attorneys don’t earn a net income from this interest. But they still fulfill their ethical and fiduciary obligations by safeguarding their clients’ money. Sync your legal accounting software to apps that organize clients, billing, and documents in one place.

With all-inclusive pricing and no long-term contracts, CosmoLex is the safe legal practice productivity solution you have been looking for. To see how your firm can use our legal trust accounting software to streamline financial processes, fill out the interest form on our website and get started using CosmoLex today. Trust accounting is built-in, right alongside legal practice management, legal billing software, and general accounting. CosmoLex will do all your law firm’s trust bookkeeping—automatically, in the background, and in real-time. Trust accounting software makes the process of tracking, reporting, and transferring funds easier for law firms. When audit season rolls around, having detailed tracking and reporting of trust accounts is essential.

Bookkeeping Services

Double-entry accounting is a system of bookkeeping where every entry to an account (i.e., every financial transaction) requires a corresponding and opposite entry to a different account. A double entry system, therefore, has two equal and corresponding sides—or debits and credits—and creates a balance sheet consisting of assets, liabilities, and equity. The title can also be used in corporate entities where equity is held by shareholders.

We require two-factor authentication to be used by each CosmoLex user, to prevent unauthorized accounting system access. Finally, on each account, security permissions can be customized, so only the appropriate law firm employees can access the necessary information. It can be challenging balancing these opposing motivations, and we can help, with suggestions as to credit management, receivables control and collection, and regular review of accounts.

Actively Manage Your Finances and Financial KPIs

Someone needs to reconcile the accounts, record the entries and prepare the year-end financial reports. While I could easily do the financial reporting myself, I’m confident that my time is better spent in legal practice and legal billing. We recommend you reach out to a professional, like a legal accountant or bookkeeper, to assist with your business’ accounting. These are trained professionals who can keep you on track, ensure you’re always compliant and find ways to optimize your finances for future success. Many lawyers do this to solve problems like inadequate cash flow to deal with unexpected expenses.

Which method you choose will affect cash flow, tax filing, and even how you do your bookkeeping. Make sure to consult with a CPA before settling on the method you’ll use. It’s best to work with a CPA who has experience working with law firms. Ask other attorneys you know or ask your State Bar for referrals. Any CPA should be willing to sit down with you for a free consultation.

This is especially important when it comes to paying mandatory disability or worker’s compensation insurance. You can research this on your state government’s website, and consult with your CPA. The types of expenses you can deduct on your tax return will depend on the expenses you incur in the course of doing business.

Our fully-encrypted client portal is a safe, compliant way to share vital information with clients and colleagues. Share and receive files quickly and securely – safe in the knowledge they won’t fall into the wrong hands – and enjoy straightforward invoicing and payment processes so you get paid quicker. Many accountants and attorneys who go into private practice struggle until they build a client base, but they can be earning a six-figure salary within the first year. Many states or law firm bookkeeping jurisdictions now require 150 semester hours of education to obtain the CPA license—even to sit for the exam. Colleges and universities in these states/jurisdictions determine the curriculum for pre-licensure education of CPAs; it typically features a good balance of accounting, business, and general education. The career is often stigmatized as being boring and is a haven for math wonks and number crunchers, but many accounting duties require strong people skills and diplomacy.