Bookkeeping and Accounting for Solo Practitioners and Small Law Firms

As a solo or small-firm attorney, you are the lawyer, the manager, and often the bookkeeper too. Every hour spent reconciling accounts or chasing invoices is an hour you are unable to bill. Yet trust accounting rules apply to a solo practice just as strictly as to a large firm. A&W Associates gives solo and small firms the expertise of a dedicated legal bookkeeper without the cost of a full-time employee.

Trust Accounting Without the Stress

Trust account errors can have serious consequences for an attorney’s license. We maintain client ledgers and perform monthly three-way reconciliation of your IOLTA and trust accounts, so issues are identified and addressed every month.

Setting Up Books the Right Way

Whether you are opening a new practice or cleaning up years of do-it-yourself bookkeeping, we can set up a chart of accounts designed for a law firm, separate personal and business expenses, and get your records current.

Billing, Collections, and Cash Flow

We help you invoice consistently, track receivables, and understand your monthly cash flow, so you can make confident decisions about hiring, rent, and growth. Our WIP accounting shows you how much work is waiting to be billed.

Payroll for Your First Hires

When you bring on a paralegal or associate, we coordinate payroll and keep payroll records organized through our payroll coordination services.

What We Handle for Solo and Small Firms

IOLTA and trust account reconciliation
Law firm chart of accounts setup and cleanup
Accounts payable and receivable
Billing support and collections reporting
Payroll coordination
Monthly financial statements
Tax-ready books coordinated with your CPA

Why Solo Attorneys Choose A&W Associates

Our team brings over 25 years of financial and accounting experience and specialized training in legal bookkeeping, with no lengthy onboarding period. Contact us today to get your books in order.

Trust Account Basics for Solo Attorneys, State by State

A solo attorney is personally responsible for the trust account, and the minimum requirements depend on where the license is held. Here is a quick comparison of four large states where we work with solo and small firms remotely. It is not a complete list of each state’s rules.

Florida: Tampa, Miami, Orlando, and Jacksonville

Florida requires monthly trust account reconciliation, and every Florida Bar member answers a trust account compliance certificate on the annual membership fee statement. Our monthly reconciliations give a solo practitioner the records behind that answer.

Illinois: Chicago and the Suburbs

Illinois Rule 1.15A requires three-way reconciliation at least quarterly and seven years of trust records after a representation ends. Illinois also bars non-interest-bearing trust accounts: small or short-term funds go into an IOLTA, with interest paid to the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois.

Texas: Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin

Texas Rule 1.14 requires trust funds to be kept in an account designated as a trust or escrow account and complete records to be kept for five years after the representation ends. Many Texas solos practice in suburban counties around Houston and Dallas, and we serve them remotely just as easily.

New York: Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, and Buffalo

New York escrow accounts must carry a specific title, such as Attorney Escrow Account, and banks must report any check presented against insufficient funds to the Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection. A single bounced trust check can start a disciplinary inquiry, which is one more reason a solo benefits from monthly reconciliation.

Solo and Small Law Firm Bookkeeping Near You

A&W Associates supports solo and small law firms throughout Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and New Mexico, and works remotely with firms in Texas, Illinois, and New York. See our service area for the cities where we work with law firms, or contact us to ask about your location.

About A&W Associates

A&W Associates was founded by Angela Weicht, who brings over 25 years of financial and accounting experience, beginning in banking as a risk control specialist and fraud control analyst and continuing as an office manager and accounting manager for private businesses. The firm holds Certified Public Bookkeeper and QuickBooks ProAdvisor credentials and specializes in bookkeeping for law firms and nonprofits.