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Trust-account specialists · Australia-wide

Your trust account,
reconciled to the cent — every month.

We're a bookkeeping practice built only for law firms. Certified experts in LEAP, Smokeball and Clio, we monitor and reconcile trust accounts for practices right across Australia — catching discrepancies early and telling you exactly how to fix them, so a statutory deadline never becomes your problem.

Registered BAS Agents Certified: LEAP · Smokeball · Clio Xero specialists
Trust-account compliance first Registered BAS Agent 25251799 LEAP · Smokeball · Clio certified Serving firms Australia-wide
Why a general bookkeeper isn't enough

A law firm's books aren't like anyone else's.

Money you hold in trust isn't your firm's money — and the rules that govern it are unforgiving. One mishandled reconciliation can put a practising certificate at risk. That's the entire reason we exist.

01 / TRUST

Trust money is regulated, not routine

Receipts, transfers and ledgers must follow strict statutory rules — kept separate, recorded promptly, and reconciled every month without exception.

02 / DEADLINES

Statutory deadlines don't move

Monthly trust reconciliations and annual external examinations run to fixed dates. We build your calendar around them so nothing is ever late.

03 / EXAMINATION

Built to survive an examiner

We keep your records in the shape an external examiner expects — clean trails, matched balances, and documentation ready before it's asked for.

What we look after

What we look after for your firm.

Trust account monitoring & reconciliation

We keep an eye on the trust ledger through the month, reconcile it, and flag anything that doesn't sit right — with a fix, not just a query. Includes end-of-month reports and Statutory Deposit calculations for NSW firms.

Office account & BAS/IAS

Day-to-day office books, GST, and BAS/IAS lodgements kept current and accurate to the ATO's expectations.

Payroll & superannuation

Solicitors, paralegals and support staff paid correctly and on time, with super and STP handled end-to-end.

Training your team on trust entries

Trust entries are day-to-day work that belongs inside the firm, so we train your staff to do them properly in LEAP, Smokeball and Clio — receipts, transfers and disbursements — and the ledger stays clean between reconciliations.

Rescue & catch-up

Behind on reconciliations or facing an examination? We untangle the backlog and get you back to compliant.

Certified partners

LEAP, Smokeball and Clio experts — not generalists.

Most bookkeepers learn legal software on your account. We're certified partners in all three of the platforms Australian law firms actually run on, so your trust ledger is reviewed by someone who already knows it inside out — and we can train your own staff to enter trust transactions correctly in any of them.

LEAP
Certified partner

Trust and office accounting inside LEAP, set up and maintained the way it's meant to work.

Smokeball
Certified partner

End-to-end bookkeeping within Smokeball, from receipting through to month-end.

Clio
Certified partner

Clio Manage and Clio Accounting kept reconciled and reporting-ready.

Xero
Gold Partner

The office side of your books, integrated cleanly with your legal platform.

Getting started

A calm, four-step start.

No long tie-in, no jargon. We learn your practice, fix what needs fixing, then keep it running to a steady monthly rhythm.

STEP 01

Discovery call

A short conversation about your firm, your software and where the books stand today.

STEP 02

Trust health-check

We review your trust and office ledgers and give you a clear, honest picture — no surprises later.

STEP 03

Onboarding & cleanup

We tidy the backlog, set the ledgers up correctly and agree the reporting you'll receive.

STEP 04

Monthly rhythm

Reconciliations, BAS and reports delivered on a dependable schedule, ahead of every deadline.

From the principals we work with

What the firms we look after actually say.

Starting a law firm from scratch is an incredibly stressful process, particularly when it comes to managing the financial obligations that come with building a business.

Yuji, Nora and the team at SmartEgg have been outstanding from day one. They have consistently gone above and beyond to assist me, and have always been patient, even when I asked the same question in ten different ways.

Their knowledge, professionalism and genuine care have made a difficult process far more manageable. They are truly masters of their craft, and I could not recommend them more highly.

Crownmark LawyersNew practice · Australia

Legal Bookkeepers Melbourne have been an invaluable asset to our firm. They have advanced expertise with Smokeball and Statutory Trust Accounts.

They have a deep understanding of the intricacies involved in legal bookkeeping, ensuring compliance and accuracy at every step. Their professionalism, attention to detail, and prompt support have made managing our accounts seamless and stress-free.

We highly recommend Legal Bookkeepers Melbourne and the SmartEgg Team for any legal practice looking for reliable and knowledgeable bookkeeping services.

Oldham Family LawFamily law · Gippsland, VIC

I am sincerely appreciative of discovering Yuji, an outstanding bookkeeper.

His proficiency with CLIO software has enabled him to address my concerns expediently and effectively. Yuji's remarkable skills and professionalism should inspire confidence in anyone considering his services for their bookkeeping needs.

I have complete confidence in his ability to manage my trust reconciliation and all facets of my bookkeeping competently. I highly recommend him and his team.

New Chance Family LawyersFamily law · Australia
Questions law firms ask us

The things principals want to know first.

Can you take over an existing trust account mid-year?+

Yes. We regularly step in partway through a financial year, reconcile from where things stand, identify any gaps and set out how to clear them, then carry the ledger forward cleanly — including in time to prepare for an external examination.

Do you work alongside our external examiner?+

Absolutely. We prepare your records so the examination runs smoothly and liaise directly with your appointed external examiner, providing the reconciliations, ledgers and supporting documents they need.

Do you know the trust-account rules in my state?+

Yes — trust accounting isn't identical across Australia, and we work to the rules that actually apply to your firm. That means the Legal Profession Uniform Law for practices in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia; the Legal Profession Act 2007 for Queensland firms answering to the Queensland Law Society; and the relevant legal profession Act for firms in South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory.

Which software do we need to be on?+

We're certified partners across LEAP, Smokeball and Clio, and we handle the office ledger in Xero. We don't carry out the software conversion itself, but we're experienced in transferring and verifying opening balances when a firm moves from one platform to another — so the ledgers you land on are ones you can rely on.

Do you enter our trust transactions for us?+

We can, and sometimes do when a firm is short-handed. But we'd rather it wasn't the standing arrangement. Trust receipting and transfers are day-to-day tasks tied to your matters and your client instructions, so they sit best with the people already handling them. Our preference is to train your team to enter them properly, then keep our attention on monitoring, reconciling and catching problems early — which is where an outside set of eyes is actually worth something.

Can you train our staff to enter trust transactions?+

Yes — and it's often the most valuable thing we do. We train your team on receipting, transfers, disbursements and the day-to-day steps that keep the trust ledger accurate in LEAP, Smokeball and Clio. Most trust problems start at the point of entry rather than at reconciliation, so improving the entry habit prevents far more than correcting it afterwards does.

Do you handle Statutory Deposit calculations?+

Yes. For New South Wales firms we calculate the Statutory Deposit and monitor it as your trust balances move, so the required amount is worked out correctly and on time rather than estimated at the last minute.

Are you qualified to handle legal trust accounting?+

We're Registered BAS Agents specialising exclusively in law firms, and certified partners in LEAP, Smokeball and Clio. Our founder previously held an external examiner licence with the Law Society of NSW, so the books are kept to the standard an examiner tests against. We work strictly within the trust-account legislation that applies in your state — the Legal Profession Uniform Law, the Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld), or your territory's equivalent.

Get in touch

Book a free consultation.

Tell us how your practice runs today and we'll come back to you with an honest read on where your books stand — and whether we're the right fit.

Phone
1800 557 863
Email
info@smartegg.com.au
Melbourne
Suite 1077, 189 Queen Street, VIC 3000
Brisbane
Level 1, Suite 1071, 241 Adelaide Street, QLD 4000

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