Law Firm Bookkeeping & Accounting Services in Miami

Resource Repository for Law Firms in Miami

To help you maintain oversight of your firm’s regulatory and tax obligations, we have gathered these key Florida Bar and Miami-Dade compliance resources. While these requirements are likely familiar, we’ve centralized them here to serve as practical checkpoints for your internal procedures. These links help ensure your everyday processes remain aligned as local conditions and bar requirements evolve.

Florida Bar Trust Accounting Resources

Trust accounting in Florida is governed by a small set of rules and tools that directly influence how books are kept and reconciled. The links below cover the standards firms are expected to follow and the systems available to support compliance.

• Florida Bar Rules Regulating Trust Accounts (Chapter 5): The rule set that dictates how client funds must be recorded, reconciled, and safeguarded.
• Trust Account Compliance Certificate & Pro-Bono Form: You must certify compliance annually. This portal provides the instructions and forms (Rule 5-1.2) required to prove your firm is adhering to safety standards for client property.
• Nota for Florida Bar Members: The Florida Bar now provides Nota, a trust accounting platform, as a free member benefit. It is designed to help firms strictly adhere to Rule 5-1.2, including the critical three-way reconciliation process that we manage for our clients.

The following guides cover trust accounting procedures, recordkeeping standards, and audit expectations relevant to Miami-based firms.

• Basic Records & Procedures
• Compliance Certificate Instructions
• Info on bank failures & trust accounts in Florida

Ethics Opinions

When the rules leave room for interpretation, ethics opinions show how similar situations have been assessed in practice. They’re often the fastest way to sanity-check a decision before it becomes a problem.

• Applying fees and expenses from multiple matters to a single settlement | 62-15
• Checks that identify the payee as an attorney | 65-14
• Client cost advances deposited into trust | 93-2
• Notifying third-party creditors about client funds held | 60-34
• Providing trust account records to outside parties | 72-3, 93-5, 12-4
• Holding disputed funds in trust pending resolution | 02-4, 02-6
• Determining which fees belong in trust accounts | 93-2
• Funds held for a designated or limited purpose | 82-2, 87-12
• Responding to IRS requests for records | 72-3
• Maintaining multiple trust accounts to maximise FDIC coverage | 72-37
• Authorising nonlawyer staff as account signatories | 64-40, 64-40 (Rec)
• Treatment of nonrefundable retainers | 93-2
• Use of payment apps for client funds | 21-2
• Placing client funds in interest-bearing accounts for firm benefit | 72-13
• Depositing settlement proceeds into an account in the client’s name | 00-2, 00-2 (Rec)
• Providing records to a title insurer during an audit | 93-5, 12-4
• Handling writs of garnishment served on attorneys | 66-78

For the full Subject Index of Ethics Opinions, see the Ethics Department’s complete index. Questions about any of the opinions listed above can be directed to the Ethics Hotline.

Miami-Dade Business Operations & Taxes

Local business taxes, licensing, and court-related requirements create recurring costs and compliance deadlines that need to be reflected in your financial records. Following are a few resources covering the local obligations that typically affect how Miami firms structure expenses and manage operations:

• Miami-Dade Local Business Tax Receipt: Law firms in Miami-Dade are required to maintain a BTR for the firm and for each individual attorney practicing at that location. We ensure your ledger accounts for these recurring local renewals so you don’t face late penalties or potential interruptions.
• Municipal vs. County Licensing: If your office is in Coral Gables, Miami Beach, or the City of Miami, you are likely required to hold both a city and a county tax receipt. We help track these distinct compliance deadlines to keep your firm in good standing across all jurisdictions.
• Certificate of Use (Zoning): Before opening or moving a Miami office, you must secure a CU to prove your space is zoned for legal services. This is a prerequisite for your BTR and a critical step in any firm expansion or relocation project.
• 11th Judicial Circuit Administrative Orders: Keep track of administrative orders that affect fee schedules and court costs in Miami-Dade courts, as these directly impact your firm's advanced client costs and reimbursement workflows.

Practice Management & Local Networking

How a firm runs is influenced by the people it hires and the systems it relies on. Here are references to local support and member resources that affect those operational choices:

• ALA South Florida Chapter (ALASOFLA): The local chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators is a prime resource for firm administrators. They offer specific education on Financial Management and Operations Management tailored to the South Florida market.
• Florida Bar Member Benefits: Your bar membership provides significant discounts on major practice management platforms like Clio, MyCase, and PracticePanther. Utilizing these discounts can significantly reduce your firm's technology overhead.‍
• Miami-Dade Bar Association Career Center: For firms in growth mode, this is a localized resource for finding legal talent and understanding the current salary landscape for associates and support staff in Miami.