§ MATTER NO. 01 · Law Firm Trust Accounting
IOLTA and non-IOLTA trust accounts managed in full compliance with bar association rules — so your firm's books and your clients' funds stay exactly where they should be.
What This Service Delivers
At the end of each month, your trust accounts reconcile cleanly. Every client's funds are tracked to their matter. Every deposit and disbursement is accounted for. The three-way reconciliation between your bank statement, trust ledger, and client sub-ledgers holds together without question.
That's what this service is built to deliver — not eventually, but as a matter of routine. The administrative weight of trust account compliance shifts away from your team, and what you receive instead is clear, documented records and confidence that everything is where it should be.
For a firm that handles client funds, that kind of order isn't a luxury. It's a professional necessity — and it's what Briefcount is specifically set up to provide.
What Many Firms Are Working Through
Trust accounting is one of the more technically demanding parts of law firm administration. The rules that govern how client funds must be tracked, held, and reported are exacting — and they don't accommodate the kind of informal processes that might work elsewhere in a firm's operations.
Many firms find themselves managing trust accounts with general-purpose accounting software that wasn't designed for legal practice, or relying on internal staff who handle it alongside a range of other responsibilities. The result is often a system that works most of the time — until it doesn't.
Discrepancies surface during audits. Reconciliation takes longer than it should. The firm's own records and the bank statement drift apart gradually. These aren't necessarily signs of mismanagement — they're often the natural result of applying tools and processes that weren't built for this particular requirement.
Common Pain Points
How Briefcount Addresses It
Briefcount manages your IOLTA and non-IOLTA trust accounts using processes built specifically for legal practice — not general accounting software adapted to a different purpose. Every client matter gets its own ledger entry. Every deposit and disbursement is tracked, documented, and traceable.
Monthly three-way reconciliation is completed between your bank statement, the firm's trust ledger, and individual client sub-ledgers. The result is a set of records that reflects what's actually held on behalf of each client — and that holds up clearly under examination.
The approach is built around the compliance requirements of bar associations, including the reconciliation and documentation standards that govern how client funds must be maintained. You receive monthly reports that show the full picture — organized to be useful for practice management and clear enough to address any question that might arise.
IOLTA Compliance
Full management of interest-bearing trust accounts with proper fund separation and reporting aligned to bar association rules.
Matter-Level Ledgers
Each client matter tracked individually so balances are always clear, movement is documented, and sub-ledger totals tie back to the trust bank account.
Three-Way Reconciliation
Monthly reconciliation across bank statement, trust ledger, and client sub-ledgers — completed consistently, not when time allows.
Disbursement Tracking
Every disbursement documented with proper attribution by matter, supporting clean records for clients and clear audit trails for the firm.
Working Together
We begin by reviewing how your trust accounts are currently maintained — what software is in use, how client matters are tracked, and where the reconciliation process stands. This gives us a clear starting point and surfaces anything that needs to be corrected before regular work begins.
Any existing discrepancies are identified and addressed. Ledger structures are set up to reflect your firm's matters and practice areas. Processes are documented so that the work is consistent month to month and doesn't rely on informal knowledge held by any one person.
Each month, trust account records are maintained and the full three-way reconciliation is completed. You receive a clear report showing the status of each client's funds, with documentation organized to support both day-to-day practice management and any bar association review that may arise.
Service Investment
Monthly Fee
$1,800 USD/month
The monthly fee covers ongoing trust account maintenance, complete three-way reconciliation each month, client matter ledger tracking, and preparation of trust accounting reports. The work is consistent, documented, and delivered on a fixed schedule so your firm's records are never behind.
For firms beginning the engagement with outstanding reconciliation issues, initial setup work is scoped separately and discussed during the initial file review.
What Is Included
Methodology and Approach
FRAMEWORK
Every procedure used in this engagement is structured around bar association trust accounting requirements — not general bookkeeping conventions. The reconciliation standards applied reflect what the rules actually require, not an approximation of them.
MEASUREMENT
Progress is measured by the consistency and accuracy of monthly reconciliation. Each month you receive a reconciliation that closes cleanly, with clear documentation of what was reviewed, what was found, and how the records stand.
TIMELINE
Most firms reach a clean, fully documented steady state within two to three monthly cycles. The first cycle addresses any existing gaps; subsequent months follow a consistent rhythm and require considerably less adjustment work.
Our Commitment
Before any ongoing engagement begins, we conduct an initial review of your current trust accounting records. This review is designed to give both you and Briefcount a clear picture of the current state — what's working, where the gaps are, and what the engagement will involve. There's no commitment to a monthly arrangement until that initial picture is clear and the scope is agreed upon.
If at any point during the first two months you feel the work isn't meeting the standard it should, that's a conversation we're prepared to have. The goal is a trust accounting process that your firm can rely on — and if the work isn't meeting that standard, we'd rather know and address it than continue on terms that aren't right.
In Plain Terms
How to Move Forward
Use the contact form to describe your firm's current trust accounting setup and what you'd like to address. A paragraph or two is sufficient — just enough for us to understand the situation.
We'll follow up to discuss your situation directly and conduct an initial review of your current records. This establishes the baseline and confirms whether and how Briefcount can help.
Once scope and fee are confirmed in writing, regular monthly trust accounting work begins. The first cycle includes any setup and correction work needed before the steady-state process takes over.
Law Firm Trust Accounting
Reaching out carries no obligation. Tell us about your current situation and we'll give you an honest assessment of what the work would involve and whether this service is a fit for your firm.
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