Accountants Law Pod™

What does financial disorganization really look like in a law firm? Sarah Prevost and Steve Libhart dig into a phrase from Sarah and Lynda’s recent ethics presentation that Sarah couldn’t stop thinking about. They explore how disorganization is rarely intentional, but how small slips like unclear engagement letters, mixed fee structures, and rushed settlement disbursements can snowball into billin...

Thinking about selling your firm someday, or wondering what's driving all the private equity deals in professional services? Sarah, Lynda, and Steve sit down with Randy Crabtree, CPA, co-founder and partner of Tri-Merit Specialty Tax Professionals and his son Matt Crabtree of Breakaway Advising for a candid, father-and-son look at the M&A world. Matt brings the advisor's perspective, and Randy...

"Do you have time for a quick question?" might be the most loaded phrase in professional services. In this episode, Sarah Prevost and Steve Libhart dig into client communication and boundaries from both sides: how attorneys manage their own clients, and how accountants and bookkeepers manage their attorney clients. They talk through why attorneys are trained to question everything (and why that is...

Engagement letters aren't just paperwork, they're your best defense against scope creep. In this episode, Sarah and Lynda dig into what makes a strong engagement letter for legal bookkeepers and accountants working with law firms. They cover why signature authority matters (and what happens when it's ignored), how to define the entity and responsible party up front, and why listing out bank accoun...

Revenue is not the same as profit, and this episode dives into exactly why. Lynda, Sarah, and Steve unpack what "truly profitable" actually looks like for a law firm, from net profit margins and gross profit per matter to profitability per partner and attorney. They talk through the real cost of scope creep, why busy doesn't mean profitable, how retainer balances can be misleading, and why write-o...

Partnership accounting changes everything, and most law firm bookkeepers find out the hard way. In this episode Lynda Artesani, Sarah Prevost, and Steven Libhart break down exactly what happens to a firm's finances when a new partner enters the picture. From setting up capital accounts and documenting buy-ins correctly, to understanding the difference between a partner draw and a salary, to naviga...

Burnout is real, and it hits legal bookkeepers and accountants harder than most people realize. In this candid episode, Sarah Prevost and Steven Libhart dig into what burnout actually looks like in the day-to-day: the mental load of trust accounting, the disruptive phone calls, the feeling of always being "on call" for clients. They talk through practical ways to set healthy boundaries without dam...

Attorney fee structures are shifting fast, and AI is a big reason why. In this episode, Lynda, Sarah, and Steve dig into what's driving the polarization between skyrocketing hourly rates at top firms and the growing push toward alternative fee arrangements, fixed fees, phased billing, and evergreen retainers. They talk through the fear attorneys have around underpricing fixed fee work, how AI-driv...

Teaira is still on her honeymoon, so we're revisiting a fan favorite! Hosts Linda Artesani, Sarah Prevost, and Steven Libhart break down the accounting concepts that confuse even the most experienced attorneys, and explain why getting them right matters so much. In this episode: Trust accounts vs. IOLTA vs. operating accounts, and why keeping them separate protects you Why reconciling monthly (or...

Teaira is away on her honeymoon, so we're revisiting one of our favorite conversations! Hosts Linda Artesani, Sarah Prevost, and Steven Libhart dig into the essential bookkeeping and accounting strategies every small law firm needs, from day one through eventual exit. In this episode, we cover: Why spreadsheets don't cut it long-term, and how to know when it's time to invest in real software The m...

This episode comes to you live from XeroCon 2026 in Denver, recorded inside a vintage Airstream turned podcast studio! Lynda, Sarah, Steve, and producer Teaira dish on why Xero has become such a viable platform for law firms, from its accountant-friendly pricing and reporting tools to its seamless Clio integration and app ecosystem. They talk through the differences between Xero and QuickBooks for...

Shahram Zarshenas from Financial Cents joins Lynda, Sarah, and Steven for a deep dive into what's new in practice management software, and how AI is reshaping the way accounting and bookkeeping firms operate. They cover major product updates like automated file renaming, month end close automation, document tagging, and the upcoming profit and loss and cash flow reporting features. The conversatio...

Zelle is fast, convenient, and wildly popular. It is also one of the most dangerous payment platforms an attorney can use for client transactions. In this episode Steve Libhart and Sarah Prevost break down exactly why peer-to-peer payment platforms like Zelle create serious compliance exposure for law firms, from the commingling of funds when payments land in the wrong account, to the complete abs...

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 h...

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...

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 sepa...

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 vac...

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, t...

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, la...

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 puttin...

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 go...

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 s...

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 c...

Here are the updated versions without em dashes: Spotify Description Trust accounting is one of the most compliance-heavy areas in legal bookkeeping, and post-tax season is exactly the right time to audit where things stand. In this episode, Lynda and Steve dig into the common traps law firms fall into with their IOLTA and trust accounts: timing issues with Clio Pay and e-checks, commingling funds...

Your paralegal is great at their job. That is exactly why they should not be doing your books. In this episode of Accountants Law Pod, Lynda and Steve make the case for why assigning bookkeeping to your paralegal is one of the costliest mistakes a law firm can make. From trust account disasters and reconciliation nightmares to payroll privacy risks and bar audit exposure, they break down the real...