Accountants for Law Firms

Gabriela Díaz
Legal27
Published in
5 min readJul 6, 2023

Being in charge of financial management and tax compliance is no easy feat, especially if you are just breaking through in the legal field.

As you should know, accounting is not an area of study in law school.
Sure, you have mastered some skills for legal practice, but managing your business comes with a lot more responsibilities, and bookkeeping and accounting are not, most likely, your areas of expertise.
The problem is that there is no time to transform into an expert overnight, and you need an expert on these matters to avoid legal issues…

…Yes, those kind of legal issues.

Hence, you should hire an Accountant for your Law Firm.

An Accountant will assist you in budgeting and financial planning. They will be in charge of financial management and tax compliance, playing a crucial role in optimizing your firm’s resources and preventing trouble.

If they do their work properly, you should know the resources available to develop future projects beforehand. This will allow you to better map out your next financial moves and legal strategies, too.

Likewise, a qualified accountant will help reduce unnecessary expenses and avoid situations of debt, eliminating any possibility of debts that could compromise your firm’s financial soundness.

Additionally, Accountants can assist you in keeping watch of, according to CDA Audit:

  • Calculating Trust Funding.
  • Calculating Case Pricing.
  • Managing Partner Compensation Systems.
  • Analyzing Mergers and Acquisitions.
  • Handling Partner Withdrawal and Retirement Issues.
  • Firm-wide Strategic Planning, Forecasts and Budgets.
  • Managing Internal Control Reviews.
  • Tax Planning.

Keeping proper accounting records is crucial to fulfilling tax requirements and avoiding issues with authorities. Good accounting allows lawyers to maintain a good financial situation over the years, aiding them with external trouble. This frees up space and time for them to focus on other law firm-related chores and duties.

Essentials characteristics for your accountant

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were approximately 1,332,700 accounting jobs in 2020.

However, not every accountant performs up to the same standards.

Accountants worthy of their certification are expected to thoroughly analyze and report financial records.
Some essential qualities they require extend beyond the bare minimum demands of the job. But which skills are we talking about here?

  1. ⚖️Service-oriented mindsetAccounting is primarily a people business, despite the numbers involved in the job. They need basic abilities regarding people. Apart from being aware of all the outside factors, accountants need to be invested in their clients; this makes them better equipped to determine what courses of action will be the most beneficial for their specific needs.
  2. 💡Innovativeness Professional accountants should be able to implement unconventional yet effective approaches to problems that demand different approaches. You can’t solve all issues by book teachings, after all. For accountants, the skill to formulate an out-of-the-box strategy to deal with certain situations is highly appreciated.
  3. 🤝🏼Reliability and TrustworthinessInside an accountant-client relationship, the client places their trust in the accountant’s ability and willingness to keep vital information confidential at all times. This is both a matter of professionalism and basic ethics.
  4. 🗂️Strong Organizational Skills — Part of an accountant’s job is keeping data and paperwork accounted for at all times, no matter how minor they may seem. Well-organized accountants are capable of quickly accessing any material they need, which in turn optimizes productivity and frees up more time for the most important tasks at hand.
  5. 🔎Vigilance — It’s crucial for an accountant to always be aware of the latest amendments since the state of the economy and nuances of tax law are subject to change at any time. In addition, the field is constantly in flux. They must always keep current with their field to ensure their knowledge is still relevant and applicable.

At last…

Overall, it is their innovativeness, reliability, and organizational skills that will separate bare-minimum workers from true professional accountants.

What you must seek in any job applicant that is interested in working with you is a genuine interest in their field and a strong focus on providing a service even better than you expect to any client.

In the legal field, overachieving is perhaps the best standard policy for any role involved.

Introducing Legal27: Receptionist Services

For your law firm, it’s your responsibility to hire highly professional individuals. This pertains not only to accountants and bookkeepers but to every role you need to fulfill in the job, including Reception.

Legal27, an AI-driven receptionist team, offers law firms a unique solution to deal with client communication and enhance client service. Specifically tailored for lawyers, and with its advanced AI technology, Legal27 is far from a robot service. It provides assistance for law firms with their daily administrative tasks, freeing up your time to focus on more essential legal core duties.

The investments you make for your business are to make sure that you keep providing service beyond expectations while maintaining your financial records.
Although it may cost you a little, in the long run, your peace of mind and the seamless running of your business are worth it.

www.legal27.com

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Gabriela Díaz
Legal27
Writer for

✍🏻 Hey! I'm a Freelance writer and SEO. Spanish-English translator and teacher. Contact me if you want to work with me: gabdlatorre@gmail.com