Articles by

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Fixing Realization Rate Upstream in Law Firm Billing

Understand why realization rate is where law firms lose earned revenue, and how to fix it before invoices are cut.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

IOLTA Account vs Escrow Account: What's Right for Your Firm?

The management of client funds carries both ethical weight and enforceable legal requirements.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

How Can Businesses Use Technology to Navigate Financial Uncertainty?

Paul W Carlson, CPA

8 Types of Financial Statements Every Business Should Know About

Paul W Carlson, CPA

The Importance of Accurate and Timely Financial Statements for Businesses

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Key Performance Indicators for Your Law Firm

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Advanced Client Costs for Contingency Matters are Capitalized as Loans and are Not Deductible Business Expenses

Review best practices in applying advanced client costs and keeping an accurate firm balance sheet.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Collections by Timekeeper for Actionstep Flat Fee Matters

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Optimize Your Law Firm’s Finances with MyCase Payments

Managing client payments efficiently is crucial for any law firm. MyCase Payments offers a seamless way to track time, send invoices, and collect fees—all contained within the practice management platform.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Law Firm Financial Dashboards: Turning Data into Decisions

A financial dashboard turns complex performance data into clear, actionable insights that help firms run more efficiently and profitably.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Legal Time Tracking Software: Core Features & Best Options

Time tracking software helps law firms capture billable hours accurately while streamlining billing and performance analysis.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Billing Rate Setup in MyCase - Part of our MyCase Hourly Firm Guide

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Ultimate Guide to Law Firm Lead Generation

Struggling to get consistent leads? Here’s how to get the most out of your marketing efforts.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Law Firm Payment Plan Systems: An Implementation Guide

The days of "pay upfront or find another lawyer" are over, as more firms discover that payment plans actually strengthen their bottom line.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Law Firm Financials: Cash Flow & Income Statement Explained

Decode your law firm’s financial statements to understand the numbers driving your success and profitability.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Managing Advanced Client Costs: Best Practices for Law Firms

Unlock faster settlements with secure cost management

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Client Invoices for Contingency Matter Fees - Soluno

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Activity Codes in Soluno

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Batch Check Print - Soluno

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Forecast Cash and Revenue - Contingency Based Law Firm - Pipeline Report

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Legal Matter Management Software: Your Operational Backbone

A smarter way to manage matters helps law firms stay organized, profitable, and client focused.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Single Matter Trust Ledger Report in Soluno

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Trust Receipts in Soluno

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Adding Contacts in Soluno

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Create and Edit Budgets in QuickBooks Online

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Attorney Referral Agreement: What It Is & Why It Matters

A practical guide to attorney referral agreements, from fee rules to ethical compliance and tracking.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Print IOLTA Checks From QuickBooks Desktop Hosted Right Networks

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Payroll for Law Firms: Best Practices & Software Solutions

Managing compensation in legal practices requires navigating unique challenges that don't necessarily exist in traditional business environments.

Immigration law practice management software

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Best Software for Immigration Law Practice Management

Streamline your immigration practice, reduce errors, and stay compliant with the right law firm management software.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Three Way IOLTA Reconciliation Guide

IOLTA trust account reconciliation represents one of the most critical compliance responsibilities for attorneys.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Client Balances and Accounts Receivable IOLTA Draws

Learn the best way to standardize your billing process to avoid unpaid balances from customers.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Manage Client Trust Balances with Clio Matter Balance Summary Report

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Clio Prepaid Flat Fee Process - Matter, Invoice, and Payment

Generate an invoice within Clio for prepaid flat fees.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Clio Matter Budgets - Summary Management Report

Learn how to use Excel to make your budget summary report.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Clio Matter Budgets - Options and Example Management Report

Review the options available to run budget reports.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Clio Consultation Invoices and Payments

Learn how to create a consultation invoice and payment within Clio.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Aggregate IOLTA Draws in Clio

Making IOLTA trust account draws.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Clio Billing Rates: Scale Cleaner, Protect Revenue

Learn the decisions, timing, and guardrails behind hourly billing rates in Clio so your rate structure remains stable, compliant, and straightforward to verify.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Client Invoice Guide for Law Firms Using Clio

Understand the strategy, timing, and controls behind client invoicing in Clio so your billing stays predictable, compliant, and easy to reconcile.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Clio Trust Requests for Retainers or Advance Fees

Join us in learning about the best way to request advance retainers using Clio.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Track EIDL Loan: Balance, Due Date & Payment Allocation

Managing your Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) effectively starts with staying informed.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Forecast Cash and Revenue - Contingency Based Law Firm - Pipeline Report

In this video blog post, we outline a specialized process for utilizing a pipeline report to accurately forecast revenue and cash flow in contingency-based law firms.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Keeping Firm Funds in IOLTA for Account Maintenance

This blog post outlines a specific exception that allows law firms to deposit their own funds into an IOLTA trust account

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Example IOLTA Trust Account Reconciliation

In this video post, we offer a valuable resource for law firms by presenting a video overview of a complete IOLTA Trust account reconciliation—an example of which is often hard to find.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Law Firm Automation: Why It Matters & How to Get Started

Running a law firm shouldn’t mean drowning in repetitive tasks; automation offers a smarter way to reclaim your time and focus on what matters.

Taxes

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Can a Law Firm Be an S Corp?

Gain a clearer picture of what opting for an S Corp means for your law firm's bottom line and make a more informed decision.

Taxes

Paul W Carlson, CPA

Are charitable donations made by your law firm direct business tax deductions?

Navigating charitable donations within the legal structure of a law firm can be complex, with tax benefits depending largely on the type of tax return your firm files.

Paul W Carlson, CPA

IOLTA FAQS – How do we handle client over payments?

This blog post outlines the right and wrong ways to manage such overpayments, detailing why depositing the full amount into an IOLTA account is the most compliant and cleanest option for handling overpayments.