Fairfax VA Law Firm Bookkeeping Services | Legal Accounting & Trust Compliance

If you run a practice in Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun, Alexandria, Falls Church, Prince William, Reston, or McLean, you already know legal accounting is its own world. Retainers, trust funds, LEDES formats, partner draws, reimbursements, and ethics rules do not play nicely with generic bookkeeping. TriLedger’s law firm bookkeeping services are built for firms like yours. We keep your books accurate, compliant, audit-ready, and useful for decisions, so you can focus on clients.

Why Law Firms Need Specialized Bookkeeping

Legal billing is complex. You are juggling operating funds, client retainers, trust balances, cost advances, fee allocations, and time entries across matters. One slip in a trust account can create ethics headaches, fee disputes, and bar complaints. That is why legal bookkeeping is not a job for a generalist.

What makes it different:

• IOLTA and client trust compliance. Every dollar held for a client must be tracked by matter. You need daily detail ledgers, three-way reconciliations, and proof that no co-mingling ever occurs.
• Retainers and cost advances. Upfront retainers, evergreen balances, and advanced client costs require consistent rules and clean cutoffs so invoices and reimbursements reconcile to the penny.
• Legal billing standards. From hourly to contingency to flat fee, each model has different revenue recognition and WIP impacts. Many corporate clients demand LEDES invoices and narrative clarity.
• Ethics and audit risk. When your trust accounts are tight, audits are routine and painless. When they are not, you risk penalties or worse.

What Makes TriLedger Different (and Local)

• Legal-industry specialists. We work with solo attorneys and multi-office firms across Northern Virginia.
• Northern Virginia compliance fluency. We map your workflows to Virginia Bar trust account requirements and multi-state rules when your firm crosses borders.
• Monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting. Close on a predictable cadence with partner-level dashboards.
• Secure software integrations. We connect Clio, LeanLaw, QuickBooks Online, MyCase, TimeSolv, Gusto and your merchant tools so time, expenses, invoices, and payments flow automatically.
• A dedicated legal bookkeeper. One point of contact, backed by our senior review.
• AI-assisted checks. Pattern-based anomaly flags for duplicate disbursements, trust balance near-breach, and misapplied retainers. Human-in-the-loop review every time.

Complete Law Firm Bookkeeping Services We Provide

1) Trust Accounting and IOLTA Management

• Daily trust ledger updates by client and matter
• Three-way reconciliation monthly: trust bank balance, client-by-client subsidiary ledgers, and trust balance in the general ledger
• Client funds tracking with evergreen retainer alerts and automatic replenishment triggers
• Co-mingling prevention with system rules, separate chart of accounts, and approval workflows
• Audit packages pre-assembled with bank statements, cleared checks, deposit records, and client trust summaries

2) Law Firm Accounting and Financial Management

• Income and cost categorization by practice area and matter type
• Retainer and fee recognition matched to invoices and payment timing
• Advanced client costs handled as assets with simple, automated recovery when billed/paid
• Overhead analysis by department and utilization so partners see what drives profit
• Cash flow forecasting that respects contingency pipelines and seasonality

3) Legal Billing and Accounts Receivable

• Invoice preparation consistent with your billing guidelines and matter budgets
• LEDES billing support and narrative checks that reduce client pushback
• Payment posting across trust and operating with clean audit trails
• Collections cadence that is firm but professional, keeping DSO down without hurting relationships

4) Payroll for Attorneys, Paralegals, and Staff

• Attorney compensation models supported: salary, draw, bonus, origination, realization
• Bonus and SPIF tracking tied to collections and KPIs you care about
• Payroll tax compliance and W-2/1099 accuracy with integrations to Gusto or your existing provider

5) Compliance Reporting for Northern Virginia Firms

• Virginia Bar trust compliance reports ready on demand
• Multi-state filings coordination when your bank accounts and matters cross state lines
• Audit-ready financials with documented procedures and reconciliations every month

How We Support Different Types of Law Firms

Solo attorneys. Simple, compliant trust setup, turnkey monthly close, light-touch dashboards, and a single contact for all bookkeeping.

Family law. Retainers, fee shifting, and payment plans; cost advances tracked carefully; clear monthly statements for clients.

Immigration firms. High-volume flat fee matters, installment plans, and refund handling with clean trust workflows.

Criminal defense. Upfront retainers, evergreen retainers, and documented draw-downs aligned to milestones.

Personal injury firms. Contingency pipelines, settlement disbursements, lien tracking, and trust compliance when handling client funds.

Corporate law. Hourly and flat fee blends, LEDES compliance, multi-entity clients, and evergreen retainer policies.

Estate planning. Flat fee packages, out-of-pocket cost tracking, and seasonal revenue planning.

Real estate attorneys. High-frequency trust transactions, wire controls, disbursement checklists, and strict segregation.

For each practice, we align billing models, trust needs, expense structures, and ethics requirements to a simple, enforceable playbook.

The Biggest Bookkeeping Mistakes Law Firms Make (and How We Fix Them)

1. Skipping three-way reconciliations. A bank rec alone is not enough. We perform true three-way reconciliations monthly and provide signed workpapers.
2. Treating retainers as revenue. We book retainers to trust liability and recognize revenue only when earned and invoiced.
3. Misclassifying advanced client costs. We book them as assets, not expenses, then relieve them when reimbursed.
4. Not tracking client costs tightly. We sync time and expenses from Clio or LeanLaw daily so nothing is missed.
5. Co-mingling operating and trust funds. We hard-block any posting that mixes these and enforce dual approvals for trust disbursements.
6. Poor revenue forecasting. We build matter-stage pipelines with probabilities so partners can manage hiring and cash with confidence.

Why Northern Virginia Law Firms Choose TriLedger

• Local to Fairfax with coverage across Arlington, Alexandria, Loudoun, Falls Church, Prince William, Reston, and McLean
• Transparent pricing with packages for every stage of growth
• Security first with encryption, MFA, role-based access, and documented controls
• Legal-specific expertise so you never have to teach your bookkeeper the difference between an evergreen retainer and a cost advance
• Outsourced but fully managed so the work gets done without adding headcount

Keywords we reinforce here: outsourced law firm bookkeeping, legal accountant near me, law firm bookkeeping in Fairfax VA.

What Our Packages Include and How Pricing Works

Every firm is different, but clarity should not be. We keep pricing simple and scalable.

Monthly Bookkeeping

• Bank, credit card, and trust reconciliations
• Month-end close and management reports
• Matter-level profitability snapshot
• Email support and quarterly review call

Trust Accounting Package

• Daily client trust ledgers
• Three-way trust reconciliations
• Deposit and disbursement workflows
• Audit binder with documentation

Billing and AR Add-On

• Invoice prep and LEDES formatting
• Payment posting and collections cadence
• Retainer replenishment alerts

Payroll and Partner Comp

• Payroll processing and compliance
• Bonus and draw schedules tied to collections
• Year-end support

CFO and Planning for Law Firms

• Cash flow and staffing models
• Pricing strategy by practice area
• KPI dashboards for utilization, realization, and collection

Tell us your team size, matter volume, and software stack. We size a plan that fits today and scales for tomorrow.

Request a custom quote for your firm. Call 571-999-7210 or email info@triledger.com.

Our Process: Simple, Secure, Predictable

1. Discovery and mapping. We learn your practice areas, billing models, and trust workflows.
2. System setup. Clean chart of accounts, trust ledgers, and integrations with Clio, LeanLaw, QuickBooks, and payroll.
3. Month-end rhythm. Reconciliations, reviews, and reports delivered on the same date every month.
4. Quarterly strategy. We meet to tune billing, pricing, and cash flow and to eliminate snags.
5. Audit-ready always. Documentation, signoffs, and workpapers are kept current and easy to access.

Sample Reports You Receive Every Month

• Partner dashboard. Cash, AR aging, WIP, trust balances, and realization rate
• Matter profitability. Fees, costs, write-downs, and collection performance
• Trust summary. Client-by-client balances and exceptions list
• Cash flow view. 90-day forecast with retainer alerts and expected settlements

These reports are designed to be read in minutes and acted on the same day.

FAQs: Law Firm Bookkeeping Services

Q1: What is law firm bookkeeping?
It is the specialized recording and control of all financial activity inside a law practice, including trust accounting, retainers, client costs, invoices, collections, payroll, and compliance. The goal is accurate books that meet ethics rules and help leaders make decisions.

Q2: What is IOLTA trust accounting and why is it important?
IOLTA is a pooled, interest-bearing trust account where client funds are held. You must track every client’s balance separately, avoid co-mingling, and complete a monthly three-way reconciliation. It protects clients and keeps your firm in good standing with the bar.

Q3: How often should a law firm reconcile trust accounts?
Monthly at a minimum. Many firms review trust activity weekly, but the formal three-way reconciliation must be completed and documented every month.

Q4: Can TriLedger work with my legal billing software?
Yes. We integrate with Clio, LeanLaw, MyCase, TimeSolv, and others, and we connect them to QuickBooks Online for a clean general ledger and financials.

Q5: Do you serve firms in Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun, and Prince William?
We do. We also support practices in Alexandria, Falls Church, Reston, and McLean, with remote workflows that feel in-house.

Q6: Can you help us pass a trust audit?
Yes. We align your procedures with Virginia Bar requirements, maintain documentation, and assemble audit binders so auditors get exactly what they need.

Q7: Do you handle payroll for attorneys and staff?
Yes. We set up payroll, manage withholdings, and support compensation models for attorneys and paralegals, including draws and collection-based bonuses.

Q8: Can you manage LEDES and client billing guidelines?
Yes. We prepare LEDES invoices, validate narratives, and build templates that reduce rejections and speed up payment.

Work With Northern Virginia’s Trusted Law Firm Bookkeepers

TriLedger helps law firms stay compliant, accurate, profitable, and audit-ready all year long. If you want books you can trust and reports you will actually use, let’s talk. See us on Instagram & LinkedIn.