Law Firm Bookkeeping Services

IOLTA compliance built in. Trust accounting done right.

Clio Certified Partner โ€ข MyCase Partner โ€ข QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor

25+ Years in Legal Bookkeeping โ€ข Serving Law Firms Nationwide โ€ข Attorney at Work Contributor

What Law Firm Bookkeeping Covers

Law firm bookkeeping is bookkeeping built around attorney trust accounting and IOLTA rules. It includes monthly three-way trust reconciliation, individual client ledger maintenance, fund-transfer tracking between trust and operating, and financial reporting that meets your state bar's documentation requirements.

Accounting Atelier does this for solo and small firm attorneys nationwide. Books are closed by the 10th of each month, every engagement includes three-way trust reconciliation, and the work happens in the software your firm already uses (Clio, MyCase, QuickBooks Online).

Bookkeeping for Law Firms, Built Around Trust Compliance

Accounting Atelier provides bookkeeping services for solo and small law firms across the United States. Every engagement includes monthly three-way trust account reconciliation, IOLTA compliance documentation, client ledger maintenance, and financial reporting delivered by the 10th of each month.

Founded by Amy Coats, a QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor and Clio & MyCase Certified Partner with more than 25 years in legal bookkeeping, the firm works exclusively with attorneys.

Law Firm Bookkeeping At A Glance

  • Who it's for: solo and small firm attorneys (1โ€“10 attorneys), nationwide

  • Included every month: transaction coding, bank and credit card reconciliation, three-way trust reconciliation, individual client ledgers, IOLTA compliance documentation, P&L and balance sheet, AR aging

  • Delivery: books closed by the 10th of each month

  • Software: Clio (Certified Partner), MyCase (Partner), QuickBooks Online (ProAdvisor), LeanLaw

  • Investment: ranges from around $500 to over $2,000 per month depending on the services you need, transaction volume, and trust complexity; every engagement is custom-quoted

  • Terms: month-to-month after onboarding, no long-term contract

Why Law Firms Need Specialized Bookkeeping

Standard bookkeepers reconcile bank accounts. They don't reconcile trust compliance.

If your bookkeeper has never completed a three-way trust reconciliation, your firm has a compliance gap. Standard bookkeepers reconcile bank accounts. Law firm bookkeeping requires IOLTA expertise, client ledger tracking, proper fund transfer timing, and documentation that satisfies your state bar's requirements.

Law firm bookkeeping requires IOLTA expertise - three-way reconciliation, client ledger tracking, proper fund transfer timing, and documentation that satisfies bar requirements. Most bookkeepers have never done a three-way reconciliation. They don't know the difference between earned and unearned funds. They treat your trust account like an operating account.

If your bookkeeper doesn't understand these rules, your books might look fine until the bar audits your trust account.

We provide bookkeeping services for law firms exclusively. IOLTA compliance is built into everything we do.


What's Included in Our Law Firm Bookkeeping Services

Complete Bookkeeping

  • Transaction categorization for all accounts

  • Bank and credit card reconciliation

  • Monthly P&L and balance sheet

  • Books closed by the 10th

IOLTA Trust Account Management

Financial Reporting

  • Profitability insights by practice area

  • Cash flow visibility

  • Accounts receivable aging

  • Reports formatted for your CPA

Your reports should show you where profit comes from and where it's disappearing. For more on what to track, see law firm financial metrics and our guide to law firm financial reports.

Who Our Legal Bookkeeping Services Are For

Solo Practitioners

You're practicing law and running the business. Bookkeeping keeps falling to the bottom of the list, and your trust account reconciliation is months behind.

You need a law firm bookkeeper who handles everything - IOLTA compliance included - so you can focus on clients. Books closed monthly, nothing for you to manage.

Small Firms (2-10 Attorneys)

You have staff, payroll, and enough transaction volume that complexity is increasing. Your current bookkeeper isn't sure about trust accounting, and you're not confident everything is being done correctly.

You need professional bookkeeping for lawyers that matches your firm's complexity. Full trust accounting, clean financials, and reports that help you make decisions about hiring and growth.

Firms Behind on Compliance

Your trust account hasn't been reconciled in months. You might have a bar audit comingโ€”or you've already received notice.

You need someone to fix the mess. We offer trust account cleanup to get you current, followed by monthly legal bookkeeping services to keep you compliant. We've helped firms recover from years of backlog.

How Our Law Firm Bookkeeping Works

1. Consultation
We'll discuss your firm's situation, current state of your books, and trust accounting needs. We'll determine if we're the right fit.

2. Proposal
You'll receive a custom quote based on your firm's specific requirements - accounts, transaction volume, trust complexity, and any cleanup needed.

3. Onboarding
Within 48 hours of signing, you'll receive everything needed to get started. Our streamlined system makes providing information simple. We connect to Clio, MyCase, and QuickBooks Online.

4. Monthly Service
We take over. Books closed by the 10th. Trust account reconciled. Three-way reconciliation completed. Reports delivered. Ongoing support included.

Why Law Firms Choose Us

Law firm bookkeeping services  for solo attorneys & small law firms..

Because guessing isnโ€™t a strategy.

โ€œAmy fixed more in 60 days than our last two bookkeepers did in two years.โ€
โ€” Managing Partner, Small Litigation Firm

โ€œI didnโ€™t even know we were doing it wrong. Now I sleep better.โ€
โ€” Solo Attorney, Estate Planning

โ€œFinally someone who actually understands IOLTA.โ€
โ€” Boutique Firm, Immigration Law

โ€œThis is the first time Iโ€™ve felt like someone was protecting me.โ€
โ€” Partner, Business Law Firm

Still with a bookkeeper who โ€œmostly gets itโ€?

You donโ€™t need to switch tomorrow.
But you do need to know where the risks are hiding.

Letโ€™s start there.

What Makes Our Legal Bookkeeping Services Different

Law Firm Exclusive
Our systems are built specifically for legal accounting and IOLTA compliance. When you hire a bookkeeper for your law firm, you want one who does this every day.

IOLTA Specialists
Three-way reconciliation completed every month. Client ledgers maintained. Documentation audit-ready. We've seen what bar auditors look for.

Certified & Integrated
Clio Certified Partner. MyCase Partner. QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor. We work within your existing practice management software - not around it.

Month-to-Month
No long-term contracts after onboarding. Clients stay because the work is done right.

Your Investment

Law firm bookkeeping ranges from around $500 a month to over $2,000 a month for solo and small firms. What you pay starts with which services you actually need: some firms need cleanup first to bring the books current, some need trust reconciliation only, some need bookkeeping only, and others want a fully outsourced bookkeeping department. From there it comes down to your transaction volume, the complexity of your books and trust activity, how much touch your books need month to month, and the specific services you're looking for.

Every engagement is custom-quoted. See what law firm bookkeeping costs for a full breakdown by firm size.

Frequently Asked Questions About Law Firm Bookkeeping

  • Yes. Accounting Atelier provides bookkeeping services for law firms exclusively. We don't serve other industries. Our systems, workflows, and expertise are built specifically for legal accounting and IOLTA compliance.

  • A law firm bookkeeper understands trust accounting rules, three-way reconciliation requirements, the difference between earned and unearned funds, and bar compliance documentation. General bookkeepers typically lack this specialized knowledge - which puts your license at risk.

  • Many clients come to us behind on reconciliation. We offer trust account cleanup as a one-time project to get you current and compliant, followed by monthly legal bookkeeping services to maintain it. We've cleaned up backlogs spanning years.

  • Yes, every month. We reconcile your trust bank balance, trust ledger, and individual client ledgers as part of our standard service. This is non-negotiable and included in every engagement.

  • We work in QuickBooks Online and are certified ProAdvisors. We also integrate with Clio (Certified Partner), MyCase (Partner), and LeanLaw for legal-specific billing and trust accounting.

  • CPAs focus on tax preparation and planning. We focus on day-to-day bookkeeping, monthly IOLTA compliance, and delivering financials that help you run your firm - not just file your taxes. We work with your CPA to confirm they have what they need.

  • By the 10th of each month. Earlier timelines available if needed - let us know during your consultation.

  • Book a consultation. We'll discuss your needs, current state of your books, and trust accounting requirements. If we're aligned, you'll receive a custom proposal within a few business days.

  • Yes. We're a Clio Certified Partner and provide bookkeeping for lawyers using Clio, MyCase, PracticePanther, and other legal practice management software. We integrate your practice management data with QuickBooks Online for complete financial visibility.

  • Law firm bookkeeping ranges from around $500 to over $2,000 per month for solo and small firms, depending on the services you need, your transaction volume, and the complexity of your trust activity. Every engagement is custom-quoted. Compare that to doing it yourself: an attorney billing $200 per hour who spends three hours per week on bookkeeping is losing $2,400 per month in billable time.

  • The best bookkeeping service for a law firm is one that specializes in legal accounting and includes IOLTA trust compliance as part of its standard service. Look for a provider that completes monthly three-way trust reconciliation, maintains individual client ledgers, integrates with your practice management software (Clio, MyCase, or similar), and delivers books by a predictable date each month. General bookkeeping firms that serve multiple industries rarely have the trust accounting expertise that bar compliance requires.

  • Both, but for different reasons. A bookkeeper handles day-to-day transaction coding, monthly reconciliation, trust accounting, and financial reporting. A CPA handles tax preparation, tax planning, and advisory work. Most solo and small law firms need a specialized bookkeeper for ongoing monthly work and a CPA for annual tax prep. Your bookkeeper should deliver financials in the format your CPA needs, reducing year-end scramble and CPA fees.

  • Yes. We're a Clio Certified Partner and a MyCase Partner, and we integrate practice management data with QuickBooks Online so your billing, trust activity, and books stay aligned. We also work with PracticePanther and LeanLaw. Connecting your practice management software to your accounting is one of the most common things general bookkeepers get wrong, so we set it up and reconcile it as part of the engagement.

  • Three-way trust reconciliation compares three balances every month: your trust bank statement, your trust account ledger, and the total of all individual client ledgers. When the three agree, your IOLTA records are in balance. Solo and small firms need it the same as larger firms, because state bars expect the documentation regardless of firm size. We complete it monthly for every client.

  • For most solo and small firms, yes. An attorney billing $200 per hour who spends three hours a week on bookkeeping and trust reconciliation gives up about $2,400 a month in billable time. Trust accounting is also the area where a mistake carries bar consequences. Specialist bookkeeping for solo and small firms ranges from around $500 to over $2,000 a month depending on scope.

  • Yes. We work with solo and small firm attorneys across the United States. Trust accounting rules vary by state bar, so we set up reconciliation and documentation to match your jurisdiction's IOLTA requirements.

  • If your firm holds client funds in trust, hire a specialist. A generalist can code transactions and reconcile a bank account. Trust accounting needs three-way reconciliation, client-ledger tracking, and bar-ready documentation that most generalists have never done. We go deeper on the tradeoff in legal bookkeeper vs. general bookkeeper.