Bookkeeping for
Attorneys &
Law Firms.
Client money and firm money can't mix. A retainer moved to operating before it's earned, or client ledgers that don't tie to the trust bank balance, are the problems bar trust rules exist to prevent. We keep your IOLTA and operating books separate, keep a ledger for every client, and reconcile trust every month.
Flat monthly pricing · Cancel anytime · Dedicated bookkeeper
Built for Every Type
of Law Practice
Hourly, flat-fee or contingency, every law practice has two sets of money to keep straight: the firm's and the clients'. We keep both accurate and apart, every month.
Solo Attorneys
You practice law, run intake and do the books at night. We take the bookkeeping off your plate, keep trust and operating apart, and send you reports that are quick to read.
- Hourly, flat-fee and retainer billing
- IOLTA and operating kept separate
- A client ledger for every matter
- Monthly trust reconciliation report
- Bar dues, CLE and malpractice premiums
- Quarterly numbers ready for your CPA
Small Law Firms
More attorneys means more matters, more retainers in trust and a payroll to run. We keep client ledgers tied to the trust bank balance and show fee revenue by practice area or attorney.
- Multiple attorneys and practice areas
- Fee revenue by practice area
- Staff payroll reconciled to the books
- Owner draws and distributions
- Client receivables aging
- Trust and operating accounts reconciled
Contingency & PI Practices
Contingency work means long gaps between paydays, case costs you front for months and settlement checks that split several ways. We track every advance by case and record each disbursement.
- Case cost advances tracked by matter
- Settlement checks deposited to trust
- Client, fee, cost and lien splits
- Medical lien payoffs recorded
- Recovered costs matched to each case
- Cash flow view across long case cycles
The Financial Headaches
We Fix
Most law firm bookkeeping problems start in the same place: where client money and firm money meet.
Trust and operating money get mixed
A firm bill paid from trust, a new retainer deposited to operating, or card processing fees pulled from the trust account. Small slips like these are what client-fund rules exist to prevent. We keep each account's activity where it belongs and flag anything that looks off.
Client ledgers don't match the bank
The trust bank statement says one thing, your trust register says another, and the total of your client ledgers says a third. Without a monthly three-way reconciliation, nobody knows which number is right or which client's balance is short.
Retainer transfers nobody recorded
Unearned retainers sit in trust, and earned fees move to operating as you bill. When those transfers aren't recorded against the invoice and matter they belong to, client ledgers and your fee income both drift. We record each transfer to the right client.
Case costs buried in general expenses
Filing fees, expert witnesses, depositions and records requests add up fast on contingency matters. When they're lumped into general expenses, you can't see what each case has cost you or what you should recover when it settles.
Every Month
Everything You Need,
Nothing You Don't
Every service below is set up for a law practice: trust and operating kept apart, money tracked by client and matter, and books that match what Clio, MyCase or PracticePanther show for the same period.
Monthly Bookkeeping
Every account reconciled, every transaction categorized, every month. You get a clean P&L and balance sheet you can read and use to make decisions.
See Full Details →Financial Reporting
A monthly P&L, balance sheet and cash flow for the firm, plus a trust reconciliation report and client ledger balances. Fee revenue by practice area if you want it.
See Full Details →Bank Reconciliation
Every business account and credit card matched and verified each month. No mystery charges. No unresolved transactions. No surprises.
See Full Details →Accounts Payable & Receivable
We track unpaid client invoices and aging, match LawPay and card deposits to the right account, and record vendor bills like court reporters, experts and legal research.
See Full Details →Catch-Up Bookkeeping
Months or years behind? We clean it all up before monthly service starts, at a flat price per month behind that we quote up front.
See Full Details →Payroll Support
Payroll for associates, paralegals and staff runs through Gusto, and Gusto files the payroll taxes and W-2s. We reconcile every run so wages and owner pay land correctly.
See Full Details →"He is very personable, and if I have a question, he promptly gets back with me!"
Attorneys & Law Firms
FAQ
Questions we hear from Attorneys & Law Firms before they sign on with Tides.
Based in Greenville, SC —
Serving Clients Nationwide
100% remote bookkeeping for small businesses across South Carolina and throughout the United States.
Beyond Attorneys & Law Firms,
We Serve All These Businesses
Tides Bookkeeping specializes in bookkeeping across 12 distinct industries. Industry-specific expertise means fewer errors, better categorization, and a bookkeeper who already understands how your business makes money.
Finance terms worth knowing
Plain-English explainers, no jargon.
You Practice Law.
We'll Keep the
Books Clean.
Schedule a free 15-minute call. We'll review your current setup, answer your questions, and give you a flat monthly quote — no pressure.
No credit card required · No long-term contracts · Cancel anytime
Simple, Flat-Rate Pricing
Flat monthly plans scaled to your business — no hourly billing and no surprise invoices. You always know the price up front.
★★★★★ 5.0 · 8 client reviews on Intuit's ProAdvisor directory
✔ Reviewed by Daniel Cope, Advanced QuickBooks ProAdvisor · Updated August 2026