This allows you to determine which cases are the most profitable, which ones drain the most resources, and where money is being spent but not made. Accounting for law firms is advanced and specialized, requiring reporting expertise and robust software to streamline it. And contrary to popular belief, the responsibility and penalties for proper/improper legal accounting fall squarely on law firms, not the accountant.

Powerful and 100% free accounting software that has everything you need to confidently manage your law practice. Project management features include Kanban boards for organization and document storage organized by matter. You can share documents securely with clients and request documents from clients for secure uploads. You can create templates for matters that you can apply to any cases in the future. The most advanced accounting solution is worth next to nothing if it’s not convenient to use.

How to Use Orion Legal Software in the Cloud in 2023

While it has many of the standard fare for legal case management, it also boasts a built-in email client for better managing the relationship between matters and communication, and a slick, minimalist design. Although legal accounting and bookkeeping are two separate tasks that could be performed law firm bookkeeping by two different professionals, most legal accounting programs include functionality that handles both. This makes sense because the two work closely together (and realistically an accountant could handle both tasks) but it can cause confusion for those newer to law firm accounting.

• Without a fully-integrated accounting solution, it can be hard to get a clear picture of your firm’s financial performance.
• We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence.
• However, leaving the task to an office manager or assistant can result in inconsistent, error-ridden financial records.
• In addition to billing, Clio also handles client intake, scheduling, document management, client relationship management and many other functions your growing law firm needs.
• Dealing with spreadsheets or manual accounting is time-consuming and leaves you at increased risk of human error.
• CosmoLex empowers law firms to accept credit card payments, debit card payments, and automated clearing house payments (ACH payments).

Accounting software helps optimize your billing processes, bookkeeping, and client communication in ways that make your firm more efficient and ensure more consistent payment overall. You can think of PCLaw as a strong accounting foundation, with lightweight law practice management features built on top. And if your law firm needs more comprehensive case and document management, PCLaw integrates with Time Matters. That being said, accounting software for lawyers can accurately keep billing for different matters straight, but it needs to be backed up by a clear billing process. Thankfully, these days, endless files and folders are less common because of advancements in legal technology, including law firm accounting software.

The Top Accounting Software For Law Firms – Our List

While there are many law firm accounting options to choose from, the key is to look for options that have the features that matter most to your firm. Suppose  you choose accounting software that automatically syncs payroll functionality with time-tracking and expense apps. In that case, you can also generate pay runs with the click of a button, for better efficiency.

Here, you will find the typical offerings of law firm accounting software, and be able to compare the features of each. Some programs offer only accounting features, while others will allow you to accept credit card payments online, manage your payroll, and more. Those who are looking for an all-in-one solution — including a general ledger package — for their law firm need look no further than PCLaw by LexisNexus. The one feature PCLaw lacks is payroll processing, though they do partner with ADP for payroll processing.

What is Law Firm Accounting?

In addition, your firm may need to supplement PCLaw with a dedicated Document Management System to securely manage firm documents and email. Bookkeepers track your finances so you can view at a glance how much money is entering and leaving your business. And because they’re tax compliant, you can feel confident they’ll keep your books organized and prepared for tax filing. For example, in Xero, you can easily edit the layouts of your financial reports to prioritize what’s most relevant for your firm. 4.4 out of 5 stars based on user reviews collected by G2Crowd as of Spring 2022. Kelly is an SMB Editor specializing in starting and marketing new ventures.

• By eliminating the lion’s share of manual tasks from the firm’s day-to-day, attorneys will be free to focus more on clients or pursue more strategic goals.
• As a result, you’re left with multiple platforms and an accounting system that is not tailored specifically for law firms.
• In fact, there is no “sync” between the two software programs — the integration is so deep, it happens automatically.
• This kind of accounting software is intuitive and easy to use, with all the functionality you need.
• A law firm accountant and bookkeeper typically work towards the same goal–they both want to track your firm’s financial performance and ensure that information is up-to-date and accurate.

She’ll walk you through the pros and cons of each kind of software and help you determine the right choice for your firm. In order to ensure your law firm is productive and profitable, you need to carefully track your billable hours in real time. If you lose track of how long each lawyer has spent on each task, you don’t have a clear idea of what to bill your clients.