This guide will walk you through the process of integrating LeanLaw and QuickBooks Online. You will learn how to set up your income account, choose existing products or services, and enable QuickBooks Online sync for client expenses. Additionally, you will differentiate between hard costs and soft costs, and where each is recorded. Finally, you will connect your trust account and in the end have a fully integrated system between LeanLaw and QuickBooks Online.
To complete the integration between LeanLaw and QuickBooks Online, watch this video or follow the step-by-step instructions below.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Access LeanLaw Settings:
Log in to your LeanLaw account.
Click on the settings gear icon located in the top right corner.
Navigate to QuickBooks Integration:
Scroll down in the settings menu and find the “Integrations” option.
Click on “QuickBooks.”
Connect to QuickBooks:
Click on “Connect to QuickBooks.”
If you have multiple companies in QuickBooks, search for and select the company you want to connect to LeanLaw.
Click “Next.”
Verify the connection by clicking “Connect” again.
QuickBooks Account Setup:
After connecting, you’ll see a pop-up box titled “QuickBooks Account Setup.”
Click “Next.”
Set Income Account for Legal Fees:
Choose the income account where you want to record legal fees from the drop-down list.
Click “Next.”
Enable QuickBooks Sync for Advanced Client Costs:
If you have expenses that you pay for clients (Advanced Client Costs), enable QuickBooks sync to push those expenses from QuickBooks to LeanLaw.
Click “Enable QuickBooks Sync” and select the account named “Advanced Client Costs” from the list.
Click “Next.”
Set Soft Costs Account:
This differentiates between hard costs (expenses recorded in QuickBooks) and soft costs (expenses recorded in LeanLaw).
Choose “Billable Expense Income” from the list as the account for soft costs.
Click “Next.”
Save the Expenses Integration Settings:
If a pop-up appears after this step, you can click “Cancel” if you’ve received a green confirmation message at the bottom.
Enable “Create Client Right Away in QuickBooks”:
This option ensures that every time you create a new client or matter in LeanLaw, it is automatically added to QuickBooks.
Turn on the “Create Client Right Away in QuickBooks” button.
Save changes.
Connect the Trust Account:
Scroll down in the LeanLaw settings to find “Trust Accounting” under “Firm Setup.”
Click on “Create Vendor” under Trust Payee Vendor
Your Operating account should populate automatically in the box above
Save Changes
Click on “Add Trust Account.”
The IOLTA trust account should be automatically recognized and populated.
Click “Save Changes” to confirm the trust account.
Set up the Liability Account (if needed):
LeanLaw will recognize whether you have a liability account or not.
If you don’t have one, LeanLaw will instruct QuickBooks to create it for you during the integration process.
Finalize the Integration:
Refresh the page to see your newly connected trust account.
The little green dot indicates that it is successfully connected to QuickBooks.
The liability account (e.g., “Funds Held in Trust”) should be set up automatically.
Now, your LeanLaw and QuickBooks Online integration is complete. The accounts are mapped, and the systems are connected, allowing for streamlined billing, expense tracking, and trust accounting between the two platforms.
What’s Next?
After setting up the initial connection and configurations, enhance your LeanLaw and QuickBooks Online integration by exploring further capabilities:
Client and Matter Accounting: Learn how to effectively use accounting features specific to legal practices.
Import Clients from QuickBooks Online: Simplify client management by importing existing client data into LeanLaw.
Class Tracking Setup: Organize your accounting more effectively by setting up class tracking.
Expenses Sync Setup: Ensure all client-related expenses are synchronized between LeanLaw and QuickBooks.
Configure Team Settings: Customize settings to fit your team’s needs and workflow.
Invite Users: Expand your team's access to LeanLaw by inviting new users and setting appropriate permissions.