Currently available for select engagements

Hire Bookkeeper for Law Firms

The owner of a law firm did not start it to reconcile accounts.

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Law Firms — Bookkeeper

A senior bookkeeper for law firms

The owner of a law firm did not start it to reconcile accounts. The books here cover billable hours, disbursements, and trust-account movements, split by matter. That is the bookkeeper's job: a set of books that is current, categorised, and ready for review whenever it is needed.

What breaks first is visibility. Matters, deadlines, and client documents compete with billable hours every day. Without monthly reconciliation, the owner cannot tell which work is profitable, which clients pay late, or what the next tax bill will look like.

Rather than a year-end rescue, the first project is a single clean month: transactions categorised, accounts reconciled, and a report that shows where the business actually stands. That month becomes the template.

The customers are clients with disputes, deals, and family matters. The customers are clients with disputes, deals, and family matters. The chart has to cover billable hours, disbursements, and trust-account movements, split by matter.

What you get

What this engagement covers for law firms

Chart of accounts and categorisation — Transactions are categorised against a chart built for this business: billable hours, disbursements, and trust-account movements, split by matter. Categories match how the owner thinks about the business, not a generic template.
Invoicing and receivables — The invoicing routine matches how the business actually charges: matter invoices with time and disbursements separated, trust accounts never mixed. Ageing reports show who owes what, and follow-ups are sent on a rhythm the owner approves.
Payables and expenses — Payables are tracked per supplier and per job, with due dates visible and payments approved by the owner. The books show what is owed, not just what was paid.
Payroll and contractor pay — Staff and contractor pay is handled as part of the monthly close: fee earners on salary plus support staff, with trust accounting reconciled strictly. Payroll figures reconcile to bank payments, and contractor invoices are tracked per person.
Monthly close and reports — Month-end means reconciled accounts and a readable report: what came in, what went out, what is owed, and what stands out. The owner sees the business, not a ledger dump.
Tax-season preparation — Tax season is prepared for all year: trust accounts reconcile monthly without exception, and matter profitability at close. Records are kept in a form an accountant can use directly, so year-end is a review, not a reconstruction.

The systems law firms businesses actually run

Built on your stack, not on top of it

A practical setup is straightforward: Xero and practice-management reports, connected bank feeds, and a shared folder for receipts and invoices. The owner keeps full access to their own books throughout.

There are limits to the role, and they protect the owner: bookkeeping is recording and reporting, not tax advice or audit. Returns and advice stay with a licensed professional, fed by books that are actually ready.

The first project should have a visible finish line: a month closed cleanly, with reconciliation done and a report the owner understands. That close is what turns a trial into a routine.

The chart has to cover billable hours, disbursements, and trust-account movements, split by matter. What is on offer is litigation, transactions, and advisory work. What is on offer is litigation, transactions, and advisory work.

How it works

From kickoff to delivery for law firms

Books review and cleanup
Existing books are reviewed: what is categorised, what is reconciled, and what is missing. Cleanup comes before routine, so the monthly close starts from true balances. For law firms, that includes billable hours, disbursements, and trust-account movements, split by matter.
Chart and routines set up
The chart of accounts and monthly routines are set up around the business's real activity, with categorisation rules and a receipt routine the owner can actually follow. For law firms, that includes matter invoices with time and disbursements separated, trust accounts never mixed.
Monthly close
Each month closes on a rhythm: transactions categorised, accounts reconciled, invoices and payables reviewed, and a short report produced for the owner. For law firms, that includes fee earners on salary plus support staff, with trust accounting reconciled strictly.
Tax-season readiness
Records are kept ready all year, so tax season is a handover of organised files to the accountant, not a frantic reconstruction of twelve months. For law firms, that includes trust accounts reconcile monthly without exception, and matter profitability at close.

Why Omer

Why hire Omer

Tax-season readiness built in — records are kept in a form an accountant can use directly For law firms, that means billable hours, disbursements, and trust-account movements, split by matter.
No invented figures, no estimates dressed as facts — reconciled numbers only, with unusual items flagged, not smoothed over For law firms, that means matter invoices with time and disbursements separated, trust accounts never mixed.
Your books, your access — work happens in the owner's own accounting software, fully visible at any time For law firms, that means fee earners on salary plus support staff, with trust accounting reconciled strictly.
Reports the owner can read — income, spending, receivables, and payables in plain language, not ledger dumps For law firms, that means billable hours, disbursements, and trust-account movements, split by matter.
One clean close before any long commitment — the first month proves the routine before the rhythm continues For law firms, that means matter invoices with time and disbursements separated, trust accounts never mixed.

Outcomes

What changes in practice

What changes in practice is visibility. Instead of guessing from a bank balance, the owner sees monthly income, spending, receivables, and payables, and can spot a late payer, a rising cost, or a profitable line of work before it becomes a surprise.

The books live in Xero and practice-management reports. The books live in Xero and practice-management reports. The recurring problem is that matters, deadlines, and client documents compete with billable hours every day.

That is the standard this engagement is measured against: reconciled books and readable reports, not hours logged. <a href="/hire/">Browse all hire engagements</a> or <a href="/contact.html">discuss your books</a> directly.

FAQ

Questions, answered

What does the chart of accounts cover for law firms?

The books here cover billable hours, disbursements, and trust-account movements, split by matter. Categories follow how the business actually earns and spends, so monthly reports read as business sense rather than accounting jargon.

How does invoicing work for law firms?

Matter invoices with time and disbursements separated, trust accounts never mixed. Outstanding invoices are reviewed monthly, so late payers surface while a follow-up can still recover them.

What do you need to start?

Access to the existing books and bank feeds, plus a short conversation about how the business charges, pays staff, and handles receipts. Cleanup comes before routine.

How are late-paying customers handled?

Receivables ageing is reviewed monthly, and follow-ups go out on a schedule the owner approves, so late payers surface early rather than at year-end.

How often are the books updated?

Transactions are categorised through the month, and the books close monthly with reconciliation and a short report. Nothing is left to accumulate until year-end.

Currently available for select engagements