IOLTA & Trust Accounting
Have answers to
Does the trust bank balance tie to your accounting records?
Do individual client balances support your total trust liability?
Can you support every movement of client funds?
Are old outstanding checks and deposits being resolved?
Can you produce the documentation if someone asks for it?
Is your CTAPP and designated-licensee information current?
We help law firms identify, understand, and remediate trust-accounting issues before a State Bar compliance review. We review the numbers, trace transactions, identify exceptions, and give you a practical roadmap for addressing what we find.
Who this is for
Small and midsize law firms with an IOLTA or client trust account and real transaction volume.
Personal injury
Real estate
Family law
Estate & probate
Immigration
Business litigation
Firms handling significant settlement activity have more client-level movement to document, and more places for a balance to drift.
If the same person records, reconciles, and reviews the trust account, there is no second set of eyes on the numbers.
If the State Bar or CTAPP has been in touch, you have a deadline, and the records need to be ready before someone else reads them.
How to work with us
Most firms begin with a Health Check and go further only if the records call for it.
Package 1
Fixed-scope diagnostic
An independent second set of eyes on your trust-account records, without committing to a full engagement.
$1,500
per IOLTA account
A defined review period
Reconciliation and transaction testing
A written exception report
A management review meeting
Package 2
Structured procedures
A structured financial-record review designed to surface issues before someone outside the firm does.
$2,500
starting
Document collection and organization
Account and client-ledger testing
Exception identification
Remediation planning
Package 3
Recurring monitoring
Ongoing review so an exception gets caught in the month it happens, not a year later.
Inquire for pricing
Learn MoreMonthly or quarterly reconciliation review
Client ledger exception testing
Exception reporting
Quarterly management meetings
Upgrade credit: your $1,500 fee is Credited in full toward Package 2 if you upgradewithin 30 days of your findings meeting.
*Fees shown are starting points. We confirm the exact period, procedures, fee, and timing with you before any work begins.
Disclaimer: ¹Trace one transaction per month of the review period from start to finish.
*Assumes records are available electronically and monthly reconciliations have been prepared. Remediation services billed at standard hourly rates.
Peak Ventures Inc. performs accounting and financial record procedures only and does not determine whether any attorney has complied with the California Rules of Professional Conduct, and does not conduct official CTAPP compliance reviews, which the CA State Bar has stated are performed by State Bar–approved CPA firms and State Bar CPA staff. Attorneys remain responsible for safeguarding client funds and maintaining accurate records. Our services do not constitute legal or ethics advice, an audit, or an assurance engagement, and do not guarantee any CA State Bar or regulatory outcome. Questions about the Rules of Professional Conduct should be directed to qualified legal counsel.
IOLTA Health Check
A fixed-scope diagnostic for firms that want to understand the condition of their trust-account records without committing to a full engagement.
We review areas such as
Trust-account reconciliations
Client and matter ledgers
Outstanding checks and deposits
Selected transactions
Client balances
Supporting documentation
Accounting procedures
Trust-account controls
You'll receive
A written exception report
Prioritized remediation recommendations
A management review meeting
A clear picture of where additional work may be needed
$1,500
per IOLTA account
Ideal for firms that want an independent second set of eyes. Covers six months of trust-account activity, subject to scope and availability of records.
State Bar readiness review
A financial-record readiness review designed to help your firm prepare for a California State Bar client trust-account compliance review. The State Bar’s Client Trust Account Protection Program includes compliance reviews of selected lawyers.
01
We establish the records required for the engagement and organize the review.
02
We compare bank activity, accounting records, and client-level trust balances.
03
We trace selected transactions through the accounting records and supporting documentation.
04
We examine selected client and matter balances and activity.
05
We document discrepancies, unusual items, documentation gaps, and control weaknesses.
06
We prioritize findings and identify practical next steps.
07
After remediation, we can perform follow-up testing to determine whether identified accounting issues have been addressed.
08
We walk you through what we found, flag anything needing immediate attention, and agree on next steps.
Readiness reviews start at $2,500
Start Your Review TodayScoped to at least one year of trust-account activity, consistent with a State Bar compliance review.
Ongoing trust accounting oversight
For firms that want ongoing support, Peak Ventures provides recurring trust-account monitoring, monthly or quarterly.
Services can include
Reconciliation review
Client ledger exception testing
Outstanding-item review
Transaction testing
Documentation review
Exception reporting
Control and process review
Quarterly management meetings
Annual CTAPP readiness support
What we look for
Does the trust-account bank balance reconcile to the firm’s accounting records, and do individual client and matter balances support the total trust liability?
Can the firm explain and support the movement of funds?
Are old checks, deposits, and unexplained balances being identified and resolved?
Can the firm produce appropriate accounting support when requested?
Who can receive, move, record, reconcile, and approve client funds?
Is the firm’s trust-account information, designated-licensee information, reporting process, and annual self-assessment organized?
How it works
A Health Check follows the same path every time, so you know what happens next and who is doing it.
01
Fifteen minutes to confirm the accounts, the accounting system, transaction volume, where reconciliations stand, and whether the State Bar has already been in touch.
02
Scope, engagement letter, intake form, and a secure document request. You know the period, the procedures, the fee, and the timing before we begin.
03
We confirm the records cover the same account and period and hold enough detail to perform the agreed procedures. Missing items are logged before testing starts.
04
We work the testing checklist and record the procedure performed, the evidence reviewed, the result, and any exception.
05
Findings are written in plain English, quantified where the records support a reliable calculation, prioritized, and reviewed by a second person before issuance.
06
We walk you through what we found, explain what was tested and what was outside scope, flag anything needing immediate attorney attention, and agree next steps.
A standard Health Check runs roughly four to five hours of professional time. Those are target labor allocations, not a promise of completion regardless of record quality.
Why Peak Ventures
Peak Ventures already helps business owners maintain accurate records, reconcile accounts, analyze performance, and improve financial processes. Our trust-accounting service applies that same discipline to one of the most sensitive financial functions inside a law firm.
Accuracy
Reconciliation
Documentation
Process
Exception identification
Remediation
We don’t simply tell you that something doesn’t tie. We help you understand why it doesn’t tie, and what needs to happen next.
A note about our role
Peak Ventures provides accounting, financial-record review, and operational readiness services. Our services are not legal advice, an ethics opinion, or a guarantee of compliance or outcome in any State Bar proceeding. Attorneys and law firms remain responsible for their legal and professional obligations.
When an issue requires legal or ethics advice, we recommend that the firm consult qualified legal counsel.
You don’t have to wait for someone else to find out. Schedule a confidential conversation with Peak Ventures.
Schedule a Readiness Consultation