Accountants Law Pod™

Holding the weight of someone else's compliance is one of the heaviest parts of legal bookkeeping, and in this episode Lynda Artesani, Sarah Prevost, and Steven Libhart get real about what that actually looks like in practice.

From attorneys who earned their fees but were too afraid to move the money, to the moment you realize a client is using trust funds as a cushion, to Steve's own experience having to take action against someone he genuinely liked and respected, this is the honest conversation about trust accounting compliance that nobody else is having.

The team covers how to say no with care, when to walk away, what to do when you spot something that looks wrong, and why having another set of eyes on the trust account is not optional. One of their most personal and important episodes yet.

01:10 Carrying Compliance Weight
01:44 When Advice Gets Ignored
02:19 Fear of Moving Earned Funds
04:24 Trust Accounting Mindset
07:04 Settlement Timing and Fraud
08:11 Education and Audit Readiness
10:30 Records and Validation Systems
14:35 State Rules and Timing Nuances
16:26 The Penny Problem
18:00 Spotting Misuse and Disengaging
19:46 Fixing Mistakes and Adding Oversight
20:49 Wins That Help Attorneys Sleep

Accountants Law Pod is hosted by Lynda Artesani, Sarah Prevost, and Steve Libhart and directed/produced by Teaira Burge and The Proper Trust. Music by ComaStudio from Pixabay - Edited by audiovideo_uk

Disclaimer: The content presented in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as legal, financial, or professional advice.

The stories we share from the field are meant to educate, never to shame. We have deep respect for attorneys and the complexity of running a firm, and we recognize that many of the mistakes we discuss happen simply because no one ever explained the rules.

Should you connect Clio to QuickBooks or keep them separate? Lynda Artesani, Sarah Prevost, and Steven Libhart settle the debate once and for all.

In this episode the team shares real stories from files gone wrong, walks through the most common integration mistakes and how to avoid them, and makes a passionate case for why connecting the two systems is almost always the right move.

From duplicate entries and one-way sync quirks to audit logs, undeposited funds, and the right way to set it all up before you flip the switch, this is the practical, no-fluff guide to the Clio and QuickBooks integration every legal bookkeeper needs to hear.

02:09 Why Integrate Clio
02:34 Integration Risks Setup
03:14 Revenue and AR Benefits
05:16 Audit Trail and Locks
07:10 Duplicates One Way Sync
09:25 Trust Clearing Account
11:48 Partial Integration Controls
13:22 Pro Tips Mapping Limits
14:50 Advanced Use Cases
18:25 Switching and Setup Checklist
20:47 Underutilized Software Mindset

🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes covering law firm bookkeeping, legal tech, and accounting practice tips.

📩 Have a question or topic idea? Email us at [email protected]

🧑‍💼 Join the Accountants Law Lab Mastermind: accountantslawlab.com

🌐 Visit us at accountantslawpod.com

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Accountants Law Pod is hosted by Lynda Artesani, Sarah Prevost, and Steve Libhart and directed/produced by Teaira Burge and The Proper Trust. Music by ComaStudio from Pixabay - Edited by audiovideo_uk

Disclaimer: The content presented in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as legal, financial, or professional advice.

The stories we share from the field are meant to educate, never to shame. We have deep respect for attorneys and the complexity of running a firm, and we recognize that many of the mistakes we discuss happen simply because no one ever explained the rules.

Building a law firm's chart of accounts by leaving QuickBooks or Xero on default settings almost never works, and it usually creates a mess someone else has to clean up later.

In this episode, Lynda Artesani, Sarah Prevost, and Steven Libhart break down why the default chart of accounts (built for contractors, not law firms) falls short, and what a proper setup actually looks like.

They cover separating operating accounts from IOLTA/trust accounts, common naming mistakes that confuse tax preparers, the $2,500 fixed asset rule and why it trips people up, handling attorney compensation versus distributions, avoiding accounts that expose employee names, and why housekeeping your chart of accounts once a year (hint: now is a great time) keeps your books usable instead of unmanageable.

If you've ever looked at a law firm's profit and loss and had no idea where to look, this conversation is for you.

01:20 Why Default COA Fails
02:03 Separate IOLTA and Operating
03:56 Align Books With Tax Return
05:48 Common DIY COA Mistakes
06:59 Estimated Taxes and Equity
07:40 Fixed Assets and Thresholds
10:34 Marketing Buckets and KPIs
14:00 Cost of Sales and Client Costs
16:05 Housekeeping and Subaccounts
18:34 Payroll and Bank Feed Pitfalls
22:47 When to Stop DIY

Have a question or topic you want covered on a future episode? Email [email protected] or reach out through accountantslawpod.com.

Join the Accountants Law Lab Mastermind at accountantslawlab.com.

Accountants Law Pod is hosted by Lynda Artesani, Sarah Prevost, and Steve Libhart and directed/produced by Teaira Burge and The Proper Trust. Music by ComaStudio from Pixabay - Edited by audiovideo_uk

Disclaimer: The content presented in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as legal, financial, or professional advice.

The stories we share from the field are meant to educate, never to shame. We have deep respect for attorneys and the complexity of running a firm, and we recognize that many of the mistakes we discuss happen simply because no one ever explained the rules.

Lynda is back after a trip to California that ended with a broken shoulder and a great story, and the team is diving into two topics that the community has been asking about.

First up: Dear Attorney, Your Bookkeeper Deserves a Vacation. Lynda, Sarah, and Steve talk about why every bookkeeper needs time off, how to set up coverage so nothing falls through the cracks, and why they actually added vacation language to their engagement letters.

Then the team tackles a listener question from their legal software showdown episode: what about Caret Legal, TimeSolv, and Rocket Matter? The hosts share their honest takes on all-in-one versus integrated systems, the real cost of a data migration gone wrong, and why support quality matters more than any feature list when you are locked into a platform.

01:37 Why Bookkeepers Need Breaks
05:45 Coverage Plans and SOPs
08:18 Setting Client Expectations
11:42 Legal Software Question
15:35 All in One vs Integrations
18:55 Support and Switching Costs

Accountants Law Pod is hosted by Lynda Artesani, Sarah Prevost, and Steve Libhart and directed/produced by Teaira Burge and The Proper Trust. Music by ComaStudio from Pixabay - Edited by audiovideo_uk

Disclaimer: The content presented in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as legal, financial, or professional advice.

The stories we share from the field are meant to educate, never to shame. We have deep respect for attorneys and the complexity of running a firm, and we recognize that many of the mistakes we discuss happen simply because no one ever explained the rules.

Advisory services are no longer optional for accountants and bookkeepers. They are the future of the profession.

In this episode, Sarah Prevost and Steven Libhart dig into what it really means to be a trusted financial partner to your law firm clients in the age of AI. From beverage machines that diagnose themselves to bank transitions handled with a single phone call to a senior vice president, the conversation covers what AI can and cannot do, why human relationships and institutional knowledge are irreplaceable, and how bookkeepers and accountants can step confidently into the advisory role without being overwhelmed.

Practical, honest, and genuinely fun, this one is for every accountant who has ever wondered what being a trusted advisor actually looks like in practice.

05:17 Advisory Services 101
06:55 Follow Up and Add Value
08:26 Apps and Adoption Pitfalls
11:34 KPIs Need Human Coaching
15:13 Be Included in Decisions
17:12 Bank Switch Success Story
20:53 Guiding Firm Transitions
25:22 Tool Risks and Confidentiality
28:32 Practical Steps for Advisors

🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes covering law firm bookkeeping, legal tech, and accounting practice tips.

📩 Have a question or topic idea? Email us at [email protected]

🧑‍💼 Join the Accountants Law Lab Mastermind: accountantslawlab.com

🌐 Visit us at accountantslawpod.com What does being a trusted advisor look like in your practice? Drop it in the comments!

Accountants Law Pod is hosted by Lynda Artesani, Sarah Prevost, and Steve Libhart and directed/produced by Teaira Burge and The Proper Trust. Music by ComaStudio from Pixabay - Edited by audiovideo_uk

Disclaimer: The content presented in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as legal, financial, or professional advice.

The stories we share from the field are meant to educate, never to shame. We have deep respect for attorneys and the complexity of running a firm, and we recognize that many of the mistakes we discuss happen simply because no one ever explained the rules.

If you hate numbers, this episode is exactly for you. Sarah Prevost and Steven Libhart make the case that the attorneys and firm owners who avoid their financial reports are the ones who end up in the biggest messes, and that understanding your numbers does not require loving them.

The conversation covers KPIs, AI as a financial tool and its very real limitations, partner compensation planning, labor costs, and why your firm administrator is probably making you more money than you realize.

00:31 Why Numbers Matter
01:45 Entrepreneur Mindset Shift
02:28 AI Needs Context
05:14 Garbage In Garbage Out
07:39 KPI Case Study
10:04 Finding the Real Issues
12:55 Hidden Admin Money Leaks

Accountants Law Pod is hosted by Lynda Artesani, Sarah Prevost, and Steve Libhart and directed/produced by Teaira Burge and The Proper Trust. Music by ComaStudio from Pixabay - Edited by audiovideo_uk

Disclaimer: The content presented in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as legal, financial, or professional advice.

Evergreen retainers are one of the most powerful tools a law firm can use to protect cash flow and reduce accounts receivable headaches — but only when they are set up and monitored correctly.

In this episode, Sarah Prevost and Steven Libhart break down exactly what evergreen retainers are, how they work, and the nuances that attorneys, bookkeepers, and accountants need to understand before putting them in place. From engagement letter requirements and bar rules to dispute management, milestone billing, and the tickler system trick.

If you work with law firm clients or are an attorney managing your own billing, this one is worth a listen.

00:39 Episode Topic Evergreen Retainers
01:30 Why Evergreens Help Cashflow
04:00 Definition and Simple Example
06:07 Tracking and Tickler Systems
06:49 Client Communication and Budgets
08:46 Disputes and Reconciliation Risks
11:11 Complex Cases and Outside Costs
13:44 Tools Payments and Transparency
15:31 Wrap Up and Call to Action

🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes covering law firm bookkeeping, legal tech, and accounting practice tips.

📩 Have a question or topic idea? Email us at [email protected]

🧑‍💼 Join the Accountants Law Lab Mastermind: accountantslawlab.com

🌐 Visit us at accountantslawpod.com

Accountants Law Pod is hosted by Lynda Artesani, Sarah Prevost, and Steve Libhart and directed/produced by Teaira Burge and The Proper Trust. Music by ComaStudio from Pixabay - Edited by audiovideo_uk

Disclaimer: The content presented in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as legal, financial, or professional advice.

Why do law firms still rely on side spreadsheets?

In this episode, Lynda Artesani, Sarah Prevost, and Steven Libhart dig into the real reasons attorneys lean on manual spreadsheets for trust accounting, compensation tracking, and client costs, and what can go wrong when those spreadsheets are riddled with broken formulas, missing data, and no audit trail.

The team also gets into data migrations gone wrong, the power of Google Sheets over Excel, MyFirmData as a reporting game-changer, and why asking the right questions at onboarding can save you weeks of cleanup work.

00:52 Why Spreadsheets Persist
02:15 Common Spreadsheet Uses
04:06 Empathy and Client Habits
09:44 Audit Trails and Google Sheets
12:40 When Spreadsheets Help
13:42 Parsing Costs and MyFirmData
17:06 Setup Data and Migration Risks
22:35 Banks Security and Vulnerabilities
25:37 Grid Paper Throwback
26:36 AI Restaurant Story

🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes covering law firm bookkeeping, legal tech, and accounting practice tips.

📩 Have a question or topic idea? Email us at [email protected]

🧑‍💼 Join the Accountants Law Lab Mastermind: accountantslawlab.com

🌐 Visit us at accountantslawpod.com

Have a spreadsheet story of your own? Drop it in the comments. We would love to hear it.

Accountants Law Pod is hosted by Lynda Artesani, Sarah Prevost, and Steve Libhart and directed/produced by Teaira Burge and The Proper Trust. Music by ComaStudio from Pixabay - Edited by audiovideo_uk

Disclaimer: The content presented in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as legal, financial, or professional advice.

It's our three-year anniversary and we're kicking off Season 4!

In this episode, Lynda, Sarah, and Steve celebrate the milestone and dive into one of the most important things every law firm and accounting practice should be doing right now: the mid-year business review.

From checking payroll and 1099s to evaluating your tech stack, forecasting cash flow, and setting financial priorities for the second half of the year, this conversation is packed with practical, timely advice. Plus the team gets into AI, the new QuickBooks interface, and why the human touch still matters more than ever.

00:00 Podcast Anniversary Shoutout
00:35 Meet the Producer Teaira
01:22 Season Four Milestones
03:06 Midyear Review Kickoff
03:42 Client Check-Ins and Cleanup
05:38 Payroll and Tax Estimates
06:15 Software Costs and Tool Audit
07:47 AI Hype and Human Touch
11:28 AI Pitfalls and Verification
17:40 Planning Priorities and Vision
20:07 Hiring Interns and Apprentices
21:10 Cash Flow and Economic Risks
22:46 AR Review and Key Takeaways
23:42 Subscribe and Community Links

🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes covering law firm bookkeeping, legal tech, and accounting practice tips.

📩 Have a question or topic idea? Email us at [email protected]

🧑‍💼 Join the Accountants Law Lab Mastermind: accountantslawlab.com

🌐 Visit us at accountantslawpod.com

Accountants Law Pod is hosted by Lynda Artesani, Sarah Prevost, and Steve Libhart and directed/produced by Teaira Burge and The Proper Trust. Music by ComaStudio from Pixabay - Edited by audiovideo_uk

Disclaimer: The content presented in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as legal, financial, or professional advice.

Sarah is back, and she has a story to tell!

Fresh off an unexpected keynote at the Kudo Digital Accounting Conference in Kosovo, Sarah shares what it was like to present to a sold-out crowd on working with US-based accounting firms, complete with surprise keynote status, a massive curved screen, live translators, and an audience that was fully present and phone-free.

Lynda and Steve dig into the cultural differences, the energy of a young and engaged crowd, and why going global is more relevant than ever for accounting professionals.

A fun, candid episode you won't want to miss.

00:24 Sarah Returns and Kosovo Trip
00:52 Keynote Surprise and Tech Hiccups
02:37 Conference Highlights and Leaders
04:00 Cultural Differences and Translation
05:31 Audience Reactions and Etiquette
08:01 Sold Out Crowd and Media Coverage
09:53 Travel Notes and Local Impressions
10:46 Next Year Plans and Sign Off

🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes covering law firm bookkeeping, legal tech, and accounting practice tips.

📩 Have a question or topic idea? Email us at [email protected]

🧑‍💼 Join the Accountants Law Lab Mastermind: accountantslawlab.com

🌐 Visit us at accountantslawpod.com

Accountants Law Pod is hosted by Lynda Artesani, Sarah Prevost, and Steve Libhart and directed/produced by Teaira Burge and The Proper Trust. Music by ComaStudio from Pixabay - Edited by audiovideo_uk D

Disclaimer: The content presented in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as legal, financial, or professional advice.