Bookkeeping for Law Firms

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Trust accounting done right. We keep your client trust and general accounts cleanly separated, reconcile trust every month, and run your firm's books in QuickBooks Online, so your ledgers stay ready for a Law Society of Ontario spot audit.

Book a free consultation Call (613) 410-8202

★★★★★ 5.0 from 80+ Google reviews

Bookkeeper reconciling a law firm trust account in QuickBooks Online

Built for legal practices

Trust accounting that keeps your firm compliant

Few businesses face the record keeping rules a law firm does. Client retainers have to sit in a trust account that is kept entirely separate from your operating money, and that trust has to be reconciled on a regular schedule under Law Society of Ontario rules. We handle that discipline for you every month, so your trust ledger, your general ledger, and your bank all agree, and nothing puts your licence at risk.

The trust rule at the centre of it all

Money a client gives you before it is earned is trust money, and Law Society of Ontario rules require it to be held separately from your general account and reconciled at set intervals. We build your bookkeeping around a monthly three way trust reconciliation, matching your trust bank balance, your trust ledger, and the total of your individual client balances, so the three always line up. You can review the requirement in the Law Society of Ontario guidance on reconciling a trust account.

What we do for your firm

Law firm bookkeeping, handled

Trust account bookkeeping

Every retainer, disbursement, and transfer recorded against the right client file.

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Monthly trust reconciliation

A three way match of trust bank, trust ledger, and client balances, every month.

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Financial reporting

Clear reports on billings, receivables, and work in progress across the practice.

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HST and GST tracking

HST on your legal fees tracked correctly and ready for filing each period.

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The details we watch

Where legal bookkeeping gets tricky

Trust and general kept apart

We never let client money and firm money mix. Retainers stay in trust, your fees move to general only once billed and earned, and each transfer is documented.

Disbursements tracked to the file

Court fees, expert costs, and other disbursements are posted to the matter they belong to, so recoverable costs are never lost between billings.

Work in progress you can see

We track unbilled time and costs so partners always know what is sitting in work in progress and what is ready to bill.

HST on legal fees, done right

Legal fees carry HST, and it needs to be tracked cleanly. We keep your HST and GST tracking tidy period to period.

One platform

Your whole firm, running in QuickBooks Online

We work exclusively in QuickBooks Online. If your firm is already there, we step straight in. If you are on desktop software, spreadsheets, or another cloud tool, we onboard you and switch your books over so everything lives in one clean, cloud based system.

We review your setup

We look at how your trust and general accounts, matters, and billing are currently tracked.

We move you to QBO

We onboard or switch your firm onto QuickBooks Online with a clean chart of accounts.

We reconcile monthly

Trust gets a three way reconciliation every month, alongside your general account.

You get clear reports

You receive plain reports on billings, receivables, and work in progress on schedule.

Let us take trust bookkeeping off your desk

Book a free 30 minute consultation. We will look at how your firm tracks trust and general today and show you what clean, compliant books in QuickBooks Online look like.

Book your free consultation

Client reviews

Rated 5.0 by our clients on Google

    
 
 
         
   Robby Brown 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. E-commerce can get complicated fast with fees and multiple payment platforms. Better Books Canada broke it down in a way that actually made sense. Reports arrive on time and highlight what needs attention. It’s been easier to focus on growth instead of trying to reconcile transactions late at night.
  
 
        
   Emily Tomlinson 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Books are current and organized. Makes day to day operations easier. Happy with the support!
  
 
        
   Ezekiel Luanda 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. This firm is amazingly detail focused and client centric. I have been using them since the conception of my business and without their expertise and dedication to the numbers of it all I would not be able to flourish the way I am. Furthermore, Bashar is personable, patient, incredibly knowledgeable, timely, trustworthy, genuine and all around a total win to have on any team for financial services.
  
 
        
   Tatiana 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. As a consultant working with federal clients in Ottawa, I needed someone who understood proper documentation and clean records. The team organized everything and set up consistent reporting so nothing slips through the cracks. It has saved hours every month. Things just feel under control now.
  
 
        
   wesley bailey 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Appreciate the consistency. Reports come in on time and make sense. That’s really all that was needed.
  
 
        
   Pierre Frederick 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Bashar is incredibly competent, knowledgeable and honest. He is not a bookkeeper that likes to meddle in grey areas. He has worked for the CRA and does everything he can to protect and inform his clients. He provides an incredible amount of value compared to the amount that he charges, and it’s truly been a pleasure working with him. I highly recommend Bashar if anyone is looking for bookkeeping services in Ottawa.
  
 
        
   Rehoboth Mubedi 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Professional and well-run business. Bashar was friendly, efficient, and knowledgeable, and the office was clean and easy to access. Everything was handled smoothly from start to finish. Highly recommend.
  
 
  
  
 
 
      Verified by Trustindex  Trustindex verified badge is the Universal Symbol of Trust. Only the greatest companies can get the verified badge who has a review score above 4.5, based on customer reviews over the past 12 months. Read more

$10M+

accounts managed

1,000+

months of books completed

offices across the Ottawa region

5.0

average Google rating

More ways we help

Beyond the books

Clean trust bookkeeping is the foundation, and it feeds everything else. When it is time to file, our tax for law firms service handles corporate and personal returns. See the full range of industries we serve across the Ottawa region and beyond.

Talk to us about your firm

Help center

Law firm bookkeeping FAQs

Yes, this is the heart of what we do for law firms. We record every retainer, disbursement, and transfer against the right client file, keep trust and general fully separate, and run a monthly three way trust reconciliation that matches your trust bank balance, your trust ledger, and the total of your client balances, so your records stay ready for a Law Society of Ontario review.

Absolutely. Client money stays in trust until it is billed and earned, firm money stays in your general account, and every transfer between the two is documented. Keeping them apart is a core Law Society of Ontario requirement, and we build your bookkeeping around it.

We work exclusively in QuickBooks Online, so yes, your firm's books will live there. If you are on desktop software, spreadsheets, or another tool, we onboard you and move your books over as part of getting started, with a clean chart of accounts set up for trust, general, and matters.

Legal fees carry HST, and we track it cleanly on every billing so your numbers are correct and ready to file each period. If you would like us to prepare and submit the returns as well, our HST and GST tracking service covers that.

No. We are fully virtual and work from secure digital records, so there is nothing to drop off or pick up. You share documents digitally, we work in your QuickBooks Online, and we support firms across Canada from our Ottawa region offices.

No. We have four offices across the Ottawa region, and because everything runs in the cloud with secure digital records, we work with law firms and sole practitioners throughout Canada.

Locations

Find us across the Ottawa region

Downtown Ottawa

116 Albert St, Suites 200 & 300
Ottawa, ON K1P 5G3

(613) 410-8202

Kanata

1000 Innovation Dr, Suite 500
Ottawa, ON K2K 3E7

(613) 509-1309

Orléans

114 Chancery Crescent
Orléans, ON K4A 4N3

(613) 454-1399

Embrun

867 Notre-Dame St
Embrun, ON K0A 1W0

(613) 510-0230

Open Monday to Friday, 8AM to 8PM at every location.

Trust accounting that keeps your firm compliant

The trust rule at the centre of it all

Law firm bookkeeping, handled

Trust account bookkeeping

Monthly trust reconciliation

Financial reporting

HST and GST tracking

Where legal bookkeeping gets tricky

Trust and general kept apart

Disbursements tracked to the file

Work in progress you can see

HST on legal fees, done right

Your whole firm, running in QuickBooks Online

We review your setup

We move you to QBO

We reconcile monthly

You get clear reports

Let us take trust bookkeeping off your desk

Rated 5.0 by our clients on Google

Beyond the books

Law firm bookkeeping FAQs

Find us across the Ottawa region

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