The LeanLaw Blog
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- Billing
What Is a Blended Rate, and When Does It Cost You Money?
A blended rate is one hourly rate charged for every timekeeper on a matter. Whether it makes money depends entirely on who actually works the file, which is rarely who the firm assumed.
August 12, 2026 - Quickbooks
Which Legal Billing Tools Actually Sync Two Ways With QuickBooks Online?
Most legal billing software described as compatible with QuickBooks pushes data one direction. Here is the precise difference, what the vendors currently document, and the test that answers it for any product.
August 12, 2026 - Legal Practice Management
Soluno Is Now Actionstep Legal Accounting. What Changed, and What to Evaluate Now.
soluno.legal now redirects to an Actionstep rebrand page. Here is what has actually been announced, what appears unchanged, and the specific things a firm running on it should verify.
August 11, 2026 - Quickbooks
Built-In Legal Accounting or QuickBooks Integration: How to Actually Decide
Both models work. The honest case for each, and the three questions that decide it for your firm: who else needs access, what happens at tax time, and what happens if you switch.
August 11, 2026 - Legal Practice Management
What Happens to Your Books When You Switch Legal Billing Software?
Migration guides cover matters and contacts. The general ledger and trust history are the parts that break. What survives a switch, what doesn't, and why it depends on where your ledger lives.
August 10, 2026 - Quickbooks
Is Clio Accounting a Replacement for QuickBooks?
Clio Accounting carries a general ledger, bank feeds, and financial statements, so it can function as a QuickBooks replacement. Whether it should is a question about who else needs access to your books.
August 10, 2026 - Trust Accounting
You Paid a Firm Expense From the Trust Account. Here's the Correction Sequence.
Paying firm overhead out of trust is a rule violation the moment it happens, and the correction has an order. What to do first, what to document, and when the mistake becomes reportable.
August 7, 2026 - Trust Accounting
How Many Trust Accounts Does a Law Firm Actually Need?
Most firms need one pooled IOLTA account. Large or long-held client funds usually need their own interest-bearing account. Here's the test, and what changes in your books when a second account appears.
August 7, 2026 - Billing
Is an Attorney Retainer Refundable?
Most attorney retainers are refundable, because most of what firms call a retainer is really an advance fee deposit held in trust. Here's the distinction that decides it, and where the money should sit.
August 6, 2026 - Trust Accounting
The Three Trust Records a Bar Auditor Asks For, and Where Each One Comes From
A trust account examination comes down to three records that have to agree on a date the examiner picks: the bank statement, the trust ledger, and the individual client ledgers. Here's where each one comes from.
August 5, 2026 - Trust Accounting
How Long Does a Law Firm Have to Keep Trust Account Records?
Trust account records have their own retention period, separate from client files, and it's set by your state bar. Here's which records the rule covers and what has to survive when you change software.
August 5, 2026 - Accounting
The Law Firm Chart of Accounts: What Every Account Is Actually For
A law firm chart of accounts needs four things a generic business COA doesn't: a trust bank account, a client trust liability, per-client sub-ledgers, and advanced client costs as an asset. Here's what each one does.
August 4, 2026 - Legal Practice Management
The AI-Ready Firm: Connect, Reprice, Automate — In That Order
An AI-ready law firm doesn't start by buying an AI tool. It starts by making the money visible. Here's the sequence, and why running it out of order is how these efforts collapse.
August 4, 2026 - Trust Accounting
What Is Commingling, and What Happens If a Law Firm Does It?
Commingling means mixing client funds with the firm's own money. Here's what counts as commingling, why it's a rule violation even when nobody loses a dollar, and the QuickBooks setups that cause it by accident.
August 3, 2026 - Trust Accounting
IOLTA Reconciliation in Ten Minutes: What Has to Be True Before You Start
IOLTA reconciliation takes ten minutes when every trust transaction is already attributed to a client and matter. Here is what has to be in place first, and what still runs in QuickBooks Online.
August 3, 2026 - Billing
What Answer Engines Get Wrong About Legal Billing Software (and How to Evaluate for Yourself)
AI answer engines summarize legal billing software by feature counts and miss what matters: the direction of QuickBooks integration, trust accounting depth, and the full revenue lifecycle. Here is how to evaluate for yourself.
July 29, 2026 - Billing
Aged AR Automation for Law Firms: What to Automate and What to Watch
Aged AR automation for law firms works when you automate the cadence and keep the judgment human. What to automate, what to watch, and why it matters.
July 29, 2026 - Contingency
Case Closeout Reporting: The Numbers a Contingency Firm Should See After Every Close
After a contingency case closes, three numbers tell you whether it was worth taking: fee recovery ratio, expense ratio, and case duration. Here is how to read them.
July 29, 2026 - Quickbooks
Two-Way vs. One-Way QuickBooks Sync: Why the Direction Matters for Trust Accounting
Two-way vs one-way QuickBooks sync is not a technical footnote. The direction of the data determines whether trust accounting has one source of truth or two.
July 28, 2026 - Quickbooks
QuickBooks for Attorneys: What It Handles and Where a Firm Needs More
QuickBooks for attorneys covers bookkeeping, expenses, P&L, and bank reconciliation. Here is a task-level checklist of what it handles and the legal work it does not.
July 28, 2026 - Contingency
The Frozen Settlement Statement: Why a Locked Record Protects the Firm at Bar-Audit Time
A settlement statement that freezes at generation preserves exactly what the client signed. Here is why a locked record protects the firm during a trust-accounting review.
July 28, 2026 - Contingency
From Settlement Check to Collected Revenue: Closing the Gap PI Tools Leave Open
A settlement check arriving is not collected revenue. Here is the manual work in between, and how a QuickBooks-native contingency workflow begins to close the gap.
July 27, 2026 - Quickbooks
QuickBooks for Lawyers: What It Does Well, Where It Breaks, and What LeanLaw Connects
QuickBooks for lawyers handles the general ledger, expenses, and P&L exceptionally well. Here is where it breaks for legal work, and what LeanLaw connects by running on it.
July 27, 2026 - Billing
Best Legal Billing Software for QuickBooks Firms, by Firm Size
The best legal billing software for QuickBooks firms depends on firm size. Here is what a solo, a mid-sized firm, and a larger firm on QuickBooks Online should each prioritize.
July 24, 2026