In this short promotional video, Linda Artesani, owner of Artesani Bookkeeping, outlines the essential factors law firms and attorneys should consider when selecting a bookkeeping service. She emphasizes the need for reliable, industry‑savvy customer service, trust and security with a remote, cloud‑based firm, and deep expertise in the specific software stack used by law firms (QuickBooks Online Advanced, LeanLaw, Hubdoc/Receipt Bank). Artesani stresses the importance of compliance with trust‑account regulations, proactive expense management, and rigorous month‑end close and reconciliation processes, including proper receipt attachment. She highlights the value of detailed reporting and key performance indicators (KPIs) for multi‑partner firms, such as partner revenue and commission tracking, facilitated by tools like Fathom and LeanLaw. Professionalism, respect, and a collaborative attorney‑accountant relationship are presented as vital cultural fit. The video also notes the advantage of working with certified professionals (QuickBooks Advanced, LeanLaw Accounting Pros) and offers a flexible service menu with options ranging from basic assistance to full‑service bookkeeping, even a free first‑year tax return. Contact information (phone 239‑349‑2004, ask for Linda) is provided for interested firms.
Chapters
Hi there, Linda Artesani, Artesani Bookkeeping. So for today's video, it's just going to be a short one, but I wanted to just touch upon how as a law firm or an attorney's office that you are hiring a bookkeeper and you've got the right bookkeeping firm or the right bookkeeper working for you. So we have an accounting firm, we do full-service bookkeeping from write-up work. If you just want some assistance, maybe you're just starting out as your firm, or maybe you're a larger firm and you need more help, bookkeeping help. And you need someone to assist you offsite, we work remotely. We are cloud-based. We use QuickBooks Online Advanced. We use QuickBooks Online. We use LeanLaw. So we pair those— that app, and we use Hubdoc, Receipt Bank. There's a lot of different apps that we use. But before you commit to a law firm bookkeeping service, it's important to know which elements are essential, what you need to get the most reliable and accurate service. Super important. So number one, let's go over excellent customer service. You want to be able to call that firm up. You don't want to be calling up and maybe getting one person answering the phone and then maybe getting another person answering the phone. You're going to need a firm that you're going to get reliable service. You'll be able to reach out to that person, they're going to answer the phone, they're going to be able to help you with your books, they're going to understand your industry. That's really important. Sometimes you have to pay for that expertise. The service may cost a little bit more, but you'll get an expert that's worked with multiple law firms, multiple types of law firms, and they've got the knowledge and the background of your industry. You want a good bookkeeping firm that's flexible. You want one that has— that can adapt to your needs. So we have a specific workflow that we use, but we're also able to work with maybe different apps that you like to use, ones that you like to customize with. So you want to have that bookkeeping service that you can trust, one that you know that you're, you're giving them sensitive information. So you really want to make sure that they They are the type of firm that you can trust with your records and your book— your books and your bank accounts and all of that. So really super important. You want a bookkeeping firm that has software expertise. So like I mentioned earlier, we use LeanLaw. We find that's one of the best apps that works best with QuickBooks Online. So you want to find a firm that has that expertise, that knows the software in and out, that's not learning the software on the fly. You want someone that knows it. perfectly, that has knowledge in that, and they've used it for maybe, maybe several years. So that's important to really find someone that's familiar with software. You want someone that can give you wise advice. So if you have questions about your trust account, or maybe where you need to be compliant, maybe one that— an accounting firm that will look up the laws in your state to make sure that you stay with exact records with being compliant. So those are really important. You want a bookkeeper that, you know, can manage your money and your firm's money. They'll be able to talk to you about the expenses, maybe help you lower any expenses or give you ideas of where you can work to mitigate some of your expenses. So those are important things. You want someone that can close the month. You don't want to be looking at your records and finding out that their books haven't been closed for months or the records haven't been reconciled for months. We see that all the time when people come to our firm. They think their records are up to date, but they really don't realize that they haven't been reconciled. Really important piece, reconciling, attaching documents. We like to make sure that the documents are attached, attached, the receipts are attached. Really important there. You want some good detailed reports. This is where QuickBooks Online Advanced comes in. We've got Fathom built into the product and it really works well with learning things that are important to your business, maybe checking in with your firm as opposed to other firms that are similar, getting some KPIs, you know, key performance indicators. You want to really find a firm that can analyze maybe if you're a multiple partner firm, which partner's making more or doing more work. You want to be able to check that to make sure everybody's working on the same playing field. Maybe find out which services that you're providing are making you the most money. So those are important things to be looking at when you really work through your law firm. Maybe you're working through a multiple partner firm and it's commission-based. So you need to figure out the commissions and the pieces that are put together to find out how much maybe one partner moved to refer to another partner and that partner, the first partner, gets a piece of that money that comes in, the revenue that comes in on that job. So you want to make sure that that's all tracked properly and efficiently. And LeanLaw does a really great job of that. There's really excellent reports in that product that are not maybe in QuickBooks but are available through the app LeanLaw. And of course, you want to find somebody in the firm that's respectful and compassionate. So we're both professionals, right? We're professional firms. This is a professional accounting firm. Your professional firm is a law firm. And it's real. That's what I love about working with attorneys because we can work together and are very, very respectful. I ask an attorney for a piece of paper or a document, I get it right back. We've got that ability to communicate and really work in a firm that we can work in a relationship that is cohesive and complementary to each other. And truly, the best, best firms you can get have someone that's been certified in the software. So you've got someone that's certified that works with— like LeanLaw has Accounting Pros. QuickBooks has several certifications. They've got the regular general certification where you have to take a test, and there's the advanced test. And there's very few of us that have actually passed that test. When you look at the scheme of how many passed the regular test and how many passed the advanced level. It takes more time to be able to pass that advanced level. So it's important to find a firm that has that ability to take the time to get the knowledge, to get the expertise to move forward with your needs. So that's basically what I wanted to talk about when you're looking to hire somebody to do your books. So there's a lot of different people out there and it's really important to do your due diligence, do your, do your homework to find the right firm. And hopefully it will be our firm if you're interested to find out what we do, how we service, how we can service you. There's many ways we work different levels. We have different services available, a different menu of things that you can pick right down to maybe a free tax return the first year you're with us. So let us know, reach out. We'd love to talk to you. Artesani Bookkeeping. The phone number is 239-349-2004. Ask for Linda Artesani. That's me. I'm the owner of the firm and I really look forward to working with you. Bye now. Bye.
