Trust Account Reconciliation Smart Financial Solutions for Law Firms

Trust Account Reconciliation in Ohio

Monthly 3-Way Reconciliation for Ohio Law Firms

We perform monthly 3-Way Reconciliation to confirm that the controlling trust account balances agree. At CPN Legal, we compare the trust ledger in your legal practice management system with bank records to help keep the account complete, accurate, and compliant.

Founded in 2011 by Peggy and Chris Gruenke, we provide accounting and bookkeeping services for attorneys, from solo practitioners to large legal partnerships. More than 300 legal practices nationwide trust us with their financial management.

We support trust accounting work in these legal practice management systems:

Clio
Smokeball
MyCase
Filevine

For firms using Clio, we also support its integration with QuickBooks Online. This allows us to reconcile records within systems already central to the firm’s financial workflow.

Discuss your monthly trust account reconciliation needs with us by calling (513) 463-1817.

Monthly Ohio Trust Account Reconciliation Requirements

Ohio Rule of Professional Conduct 1.15(a)(5) requires lawyers to perform and retain a monthly reconciliation of client fund records, bank account records, and bank statements. This makes reconciliation an ongoing recordkeeping responsibility rather than a year-end bookkeeping task.

The Three Balances That Must Agree

A three-way reconciliation compares three sources, each reflecting trust activity from a different recordkeeping perspective. All three balances must agree for the reconciliation to be complete.

The monthly comparison includes:

Bank statement balance: The balance reported by the financial institution for the trust account.
Internal trust account balance: The firm’s recorded balance for the complete account.
Individual client ledger total: The combined balances of all client sub-ledgers.

Trust Account Record Retention
Ohio Rule of Professional Conduct 1.15(a) generally requires trust account records to be preserved for seven years after termination of the representation or appropriate disbursement of the funds, whichever comes first. Retaining each monthly reconciliation and its supporting records creates a consistent history for future review.

Interest-Bearing Trust Accounts

Ohio Rule of Professional Conduct 1.15(h) addresses interest-bearing trust accounts for client or third-person funds that can’t earn net income for the client. These accounts are commonly associated with IOLTA, meaning Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts.

This information provides a general explanation of Ohio trust accounting requirements. It isn’t legal or accounting advice, and firms should evaluate how the rules apply to their circumstances.

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Why Choose CPN Legal?

Trusted by 300+ Law Firms Nationwide
From solo practices to growing firms, we help attorneys increase profitability and efficiency. Our flexible services scale with your needs.
Proven & Recognized

We’re a Clio Gold Level Consultant, QuickBooks Elite ProAdvisor, and multi-year Clio Partner Award winner. Our accolades reflect our commitment to quality and growth.
A Team You Can Rely On

Your firm gets a dedicated bookkeeper and team lead, plus the support of our 28-member team. We ensure accuracy, compliance, and financial clarity every step of the way.
Law Firm Accounting, Simplified

With over 12 years of experience, we provide bookkeeping, trust accounting, KPI reporting, payroll, and financial consulting—so you can focus on practicing law.

What to Expect from Our Reconciliation Support

Our service begins with structured onboarding and continues through recurring collaboration. We remain involved in the firm’s financial management, providing oversight that keeps monthly reconciliations current.

White-Glove Onboarding
We begin by understanding the firm’s existing trust accounting setup and workflows. We also review the bank statements and account records needed for the periods in question.

Recurring Reconciliation & Oversight
Each month, we review the relevant balances and investigate discrepancies by identifying which record differs and tracing the transaction responsible. Our ongoing collaboration model also allows us to address incomplete records before unresolved differences accumulate.

Trust Accounting Policies & Audit Readiness
We establish documented policies and procedures for handling and recording client funds. We also provide audit-readiness guidance focused on organized records, consistent reconciliation practices, and preparation for future review.

Keep Your Trust Reconciliations Current

A free initial consultation gives us an opportunity to discuss trust account reconciliation in Ohio and your broader bookkeeping needs.

We serve legal practices nationwide, from solo practices to large partnerships. Our contact form is available when you’re ready to tell us about your current records and support needs.

Call (513) 463-1817 to discuss your firm’s trust account reconciliation needs.

Resolving Backlogged Trust Account Reconciliations

Addressing a backlog begins with collecting the relevant records for each unreconciled period and working through them month by month. Missing records and unexplained differences must be resolved before each monthly reconciliation can be completed.

We trace discrepancies across the firm’s records and examine the workflows that allowed them to occur. This process identifies both individual errors and gaps in how trust account activity is recorded and reviewed.

Reconciliation support can address issues such as:

Bank activity that hasn’t been recorded correctly in the account-wide record.
Client sub-ledger totals that don’t equal the overall trust account balance.
Deposits or disbursements recorded in the wrong period.
Incomplete transaction records or missing supporting documentation.
Responsibilities that aren’t clearly coordinated among attorneys, administrative staff, and bookkeepers.

Internal Controls & Documentation

We provide internal controls that include approval steps, separation of duties, and documentation standards. These measures establish clear responsibilities for recording, reviewing, and supporting trust account transactions.

Our work also helps prevent commingling and misallocation in the records. Current procedures preserve the documentation needed for later review and give unresolved differences a defined path for investigation.

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