Law firms
Clean books and trust-account support for law firms that cannot afford surprises in the numbers.
Slate and Summit provides bookkeeping for law firms, IOLTA support where scoped, tax planning before year-end, and CFO help for partner-level decisions. We help small and mid-sized firms close the month, understand cash, track matter economics, and see whether draws, hiring, and growth plans are supported by numbers the managing partner can trust.
Management-prepared reports. No audits, reviews, compilations, CPA opinions, IRS representation, or legal advice.
The short version
Your firm should not have to guess about trust, cash, partner economics, or matter profit.
Who this is for
Small and mid-sized law firms, boutique practices, and growing firms with managing partners who need cleaner numbers and clearer visibility.
What is probably not working
The books are late, the trust account is a recurring worry, partner draws are hard to read, and matter-level profit is not clear enough for decisions.
What we fix
Monthly close, reconciliations, trust-account support where scoped, matter economics, tax planning, cash forecasting, and partner-level reporting.
What you can decide
Whether draws are sustainable, whether the next hire is affordable, which matters or practice areas are working, and what tax exposure needs attention before year-end.
Trust-account support
Trust-account questions should not sit in the back of every partner meeting.
Law firm books carry professional responsibility pressure that ordinary small-business bookkeeping can miss. We help organize the monthly process so the bank activity, firm ledger, client-level records, and open questions are reviewed on a steady rhythm.
Where IOLTA or trust-account reconciliation is in scope, we support the bookkeeping workflow. Your firm remains responsible for legal and professional compliance, and state-specific rules should be reviewed with counsel or the appropriate bar resource.
What we fix
Three connected layers for law firm numbers
Most firms do not need more reports. They need current books, tax planning that starts before tax season, and plain-English answers before cash, partner, or hiring decisions get expensive.
Books & Monthly Close
Bookkeeping for law firms starts with current, reconciled records. We close the month, organize open questions, and prepare management reports that help the firm see cash, profit, and balance-sheet issues.
- Bank and credit card reconciliation
- Trust-account support where scoped
- Practice management platform and GL coordination
- Monthly summary of what changed
Tax planning before year-end
Tax planning is most useful while there is still time to act. We help organize the books, identify watch items, and coordinate with licensed CPA or EA partners when regulated tax work is required.
- Quarterly planning checkpoints where scoped
- Partner and entity tax watch items
- Cleaner records for the tax preparer
- No tax-savings guarantees
CFO help for bigger decisions
Once the books are clean, we help partners read the numbers before decisions about draws, staffing, practice areas, case timing, lender conversations, or growth.
- Cash forecasts
- Matter profitability reporting
- Partner draw and compensation reporting
- Hiring and growth scenarios
Monthly Numbers Snapshot
A simple monthly view of the questions partners actually ask
The Pulse Deck is the monthly numbers snapshot. It is designed to show what changed, what needs attention, and what decisions are coming up next.
- Cash position and expected cash pressure
- Revenue, fees, retainers, and timing questions
- Matter, practice area, or partner reporting where data supports it
- Tax watch items and open records
- A plain-English “what this means” line
Partner draws
Are draws supported by collections, expenses, and tax set-asides?
Matter economics
Which matters, practice areas, or fee types are worth a closer look?
Cash decisions
Can the firm afford the next hire, case spend, distribution, or slowdown?
How we work
A clean path from messy books to monthly clarity
01
Books & Cash Review
We ask what is current, what is late, what is unclear, and what decision pushed the firm to look for help now.
02
Secure onboarding
We set up secure access, connect the systems, collect records, and confirm what will and will not be handled by Slate and Summit.
03
Clean-up and first close
The first job is to make the numbers trustworthy. Cleanup comes before forecasts, dashboards, or partner-level advice.
04
Monthly rhythm
Each month, the firm receives clean books, open questions, management reports, and plain-English notes about what the numbers mean.
Responsibility split
What we own, and what we coordinate
We can own
- Monthly bookkeeping and reconciliations
- Trust-account workflow support where scoped
- Management-prepared reports
- Cash forecasts and decision support
- Tax planning support and records organization
We coordinate or refer
- Audits, reviews, and compilations
- CPA opinions or attestation work
- IRS representation
- Legal advice or ethics opinions
- State-specific bar compliance determinations
Example path
From trust-account anxiety to a repeatable review rhythm
Before
The managing partner has trust-account records but does not feel confident that the bank, ledger, and client-level records tie out cleanly.
What we fix
We review the records, clean up the reconciliation process, standardize monthly review, and build a repeatable trust-account support workflow.
After
The partner has a clearer monthly view and can stop treating trust-account questions as a recurring source of anxiety. This is an example structure, not a published client result.
Source and scope notes: ABA Model Rule 1.15 describes the general safekeeping-property principle for client and third-party property: ABA Model Rule 1.15. The ABA’s IOLTA overview explains the purpose and operation of Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts: ABA IOLTA overview. AICPA SSARS resources describe preparation, compilation, and review standards for unaudited financial statements: AICPA SSARS resource. Slate and Summit does not provide audits, reviews, compilations, CPA assurance, legal advice, or IRS representation.
Law firm FAQs
Questions managing partners usually ask first
Do you support IOLTA or trust-account reconciliation?
Yes, where scoped. We can support IOLTA bookkeeping and trust-account reconciliation workflows, with careful attention to the firm’s responsibilities and applicable rules. State-specific legal compliance requirements should be reviewed with appropriate counsel or bar resources.
Can you help with partner draws or matter profitability?
Yes. We can help organize reporting around partner draws, practice areas, matters, origination, fee timing, and firm profitability so the partners can make clearer decisions.
Are your law firm reports audited?
No. We do not perform audits, reviews, or compilations. Our reports are management-prepared and designed to help the firm run the business.
Do you replace our CPA?
No. We handle monthly books, reporting, tax planning support, and CFO-level help in our lane. Licensed CPA or EA partners handle work that legally requires their credential.
Can you help us understand cash when fee timing is uneven?
Yes. We can help build cash forecasts and reporting that account for payroll, case expenses, retainers, contingency-fee timing, collections, tax set-asides, and planned draws.
What happens in the first 90 days?
We set up secure access, review the books, clean up what needs attention, build the close calendar, and deliver the first useful reports. If tax planning or CFO support is included, we also start the tax baseline, cash forecast, or monthly numbers snapshot.
How do you keep sensitive data safe?
We use secure systems for files and access. We do not accept sensitive information by email. Access is controlled, and important work is reviewed before delivery.
Are you a CPA firm?
No. Slate and Summit is not a CPA firm. We do not perform audits, issue CPA opinions, or represent clients before the IRS. We do the recurring books, tax planning support, reporting, and CFO-support work most growing firms need before a full-time CFO makes sense.
Next step
Know what your firm can afford before the next partner decision.
Bring the books, trust-account questions, cash worries, tax timing, and partner reporting needs into one clear conversation. We will tell you what needs cleanup, what belongs in scope, and what should be handled by a licensed CPA, EA, attorney, or state bar resource.
Plain-English disclaimer: Slate and Summit is not a CPA firm. We do not perform audits, reviews, or compilations. We do not issue CPA opinions or represent clients before the IRS. Our reports are management-prepared and intended to help clients run their business. Licensed CPA or EA partners handle work that legally requires their credential.
