In-house vs outsourced bookkeeper for your law firm.
Trust accounting, WIP, disbursements, payroll, BAS and management reporting — for one fixed monthly fee. We work inside LEAP, Clio, Actionstep, Smokeball and SILQ every day, and bridge them into Xero so your numbers actually reconcile.
What is outsourced bookkeeping for a law firm?
Outsourced bookkeeping for an Australian law firm is a fixed-fee service that takes ownership of trust account reconciliations, disbursement capture, payroll, BAS, monthly reporting and the integration between your practice management software (LEAP, Clio, Actionstep, Smokeball, SILQ) and Xero. Done well, it removes 8–20 hours of partner and admin time per week, eliminates trust deficits, and gives partners real numbers — profitability by matter type, lockup, fee earner contribution — without hiring an in-house bookkeeper.
Why most law firm bookkeeping is broken.
The principal is reconciling trust at 9pm. The practice manager is chasing disbursement receipts before month-end. Payroll is run by whoever happened to figure out Xero. The BAS gets done in a panic the night before lodgement. Three different bookkeepers in the last two years, none of them stayed long enough to learn LEAP properly.
None of it is billable. All of it has to get done. And every error in trust is a regulator-grade problem.
What “outsourced” actually means here
You don’t get a junior in another country reconciling your trust account at 2am. You get a finance team that’s lived inside Australian professional services for 30 years, working to a documented monthly rhythm, with Brett accountable directly to you.
One contact. One fixed fee. One source of truth for your numbers.
What we take off your desk.
Day-to-day bookkeeping
Daily transaction coding, supplier payments, bank reconciliations, AP, AR. Month-end close on a fixed timetable so partners always know when the numbers are final.
Trust account bookkeeping
Daily trust receipts and disbursements, monthly reconciliations, statement of trust money preparation, and external examination support — across NSW, VIC and QLD trust regimes. Full coverage in our trust account compliance guide.
WIP, lockup & disbursements
Disbursements captured against the right matter on the right day. WIP visibility for partners who need to know what’s billable now, what’s billable next, and what’s stuck. Lockup tracking so cash flow stops being a guess.
Payroll, BAS & STP Phase 2
Weekly or fortnightly payroll, super, leave accruals, STP Phase 2 lodgement, BAS and IAS prepared and lodged on time. Awards interpreted properly — no Googling the Legal Services Award at 9pm.
Practice software integration
LEAP, Clio, Actionstep, Smokeball and SILQ talking properly to Xero. Disbursement feeds reconciled. Trust mappings clean. The two systems no longer disagree about what you billed last month.
Monthly management reporting
P&L by practice area, contribution by fee earner, trust position, lockup, debtor ageing, cash forecast — delivered as a board-ready pack. Optional. Included if you want it.
You deal with Brett directly. Not a helpdesk, not an offshore queue, not a junior cycling through firms.
We speak your software.
Most bookkeepers can run Xero. Few know how to handle the legal layer on top of it. We work inside the practice management systems Australian firms actually use — every day.
Other platforms on request. We’ve also rebuilt botched migrations from MYOB and bespoke matter-management tools. If your numbers don’t reconcile between systems, that’s almost always where to start.
What does outsourced legal bookkeeping cost in Australia?
For a small-to-mid Australian law firm (1–15 fee earners), expect a fixed retainer for full-stack outsourced bookkeeping. That covers daily bookkeeping, trust accounting, payroll, BAS and monthly reporting.
Compare that to an in-house bookkeeper salary ($75K–$95K + super + leave + software + management overhead) and the maths usually tips before you’ve factored in trust expertise.
For a true side-by-side, see our in-house vs outsourced bookkeeper cost comparison.
Why firms choose Good Ledger.
Brett Rubin founded Good Ledger after 30 years inside professional services finance — running the books, the BAS, the management reporting and the operational layer that lets partners stop thinking about admin and start running the practice.
Every Good Ledger client deals with Brett directly. There is no account manager filtering questions to a junior. There is no offshore queue. There is one person who has seen the inside of a hundred professional services firms and knows what good looks like.
That’s the difference between a bookkeeper and a finance partner.
In family law, trust and compliance can’t slip. It’s a relief having The Good Ledger keep everything tidy, reconciled, and ready when a client question lands.Josie Blight · Principal, RBH Family Law
Fixed monthly fee
Pricing starts from $800 per month for established businesses. Fixed monthly fee — never hourly.
Trust + feeds
Trust receipts banked and recorded. Disbursements coded against matters. Bank feeds reviewed and exceptions resolved.
Pay + reconcile
Bank reconciliation finalised, supplier payments processed, payroll run, accounts receivable progress reviewed.
Close + report
Trust reconciliation signed off. BAS prepared (quarterly). Month-end close completed. Management pack delivered. Partner debrief if requested.
Lodge + audit-ready
BAS lodged. Statement of trust money prepared. External examination file readied. Year-end close coordinated with your tax accountant.
This rhythm is what separates structural finance from reactive bookkeeping. It is also what most in-house single-bookkeeper setups never quite achieve, because every absence breaks the cadence.
How an outsourced bookkeeping engagement starts.
Free Finance Health Check
Brett reviews your current setup, your trust position, your software stack, and where the cracks are. 60 minutes. No obligation. Walk away with a one-page diagnostic.
Scoped fixed-fee proposal
We write you a proposal with a fixed monthly fee, scope of services, deliverable schedule and onboarding plan. No hourly billing. No surprise invoices.
30-day onboarding
We clean up the books, reconcile trust, document the rhythm, and take ownership. By day 31 you stop thinking about it.
Frequently asked questions.
How much does outsourced bookkeeping for a law firm cost in Australia?
Is outsourced bookkeeping compliant with NSW, VIC and QLD trust account rules?
Do you replace our existing bookkeeper or work alongside them?
What practice management software do you support?
How is this different from my accountant?
What size law firm do you work with?
How long does onboarding take?
Find out what’s leaking, before you commit to anything.
The Finance Health Check is a free 60-minute diagnostic with Brett. He’ll look at your books, your trust position, your software stack, and what your monthly admin is actually costing you. You leave with a written action list — whether you engage us or not.