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Brief Accounting
What Brief Accounting is
Brief Accounting combines legal billing, trust accounting, and office accounting for law firms. Brief Billing covers time-slip entry, prebills, invoice processing, accounts receivable, and batch receipts. The included Brief EnCounter application supports default rates and one-click start and stop timing. Invoice formats include consolidated-client, split-billing, task-based, and LEDES options. Trust accounting handles multiple bank accounts, reconciliations, transaction audit trails, trust ledgers, and compliance reports. Office Accounting adds accounts payable, a general ledger, automated tax tracking, financial statements, and bank reconciliation. Billing reports can be exported and opened in Excel. The company says it can import Excel and other machine-readable data, and regularly converts Timeslips and PCLaw users. Timekeeper licenses are required for users billed under their own names; assistants entering time for lawyers do not need separate licenses. Subscriptions include unlimited telephone and email support, plus an online knowledge base and training materials. The maker describes the product as suitable for solo practitioners and firms of different sizes. Brief Accounting Pro is a client/server option for larger teams that need simultaneous access for multiple bookkeepers or office administrators. The Brief Office Accounting add-on costs $30 a month. Brief Legal Software says it has served law firms since 1985 and develops, sells, and supports Brief Accounting across North America.
Who it suits
Brief Accounting suits solo practitioners and law firms that want billing and trust accounting alongside office finances. Larger teams needing simultaneous access for multiple bookkeepers or office administrators may consider Brief Accounting Pro. Assistants who enter time for lawyers can use the workflow without a separate timekeeper license.
What it does well
- Combines legal billing, trust accounting, and office accounting.
- Supports multiple invoice formats, including LEDES.
- Includes trust ledgers, reconciliations, and compliance reports.
- Subscriptions include unlimited telephone and email support.
- Can import Excel and other machine-readable data.
What to know first
- The Brief Office Accounting add-on costs $30 a month.
- Brief Accounting Pro pricing requires contacting the maker.
Limits
The Brief Office Accounting add-on costs $30 a month. Brief Accounting Pro is for firms needing simultaneous access and its price requires contacting the maker.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Per Feature, Per Month · Pricing shown by Capterra; feature-based billing | C$24.95 a month |
| Brief Office Accounting add-on | $30/month · General office accounting and financial reporting | $30 a month |
| Brief Accounting subscription for small and medium sized firms | Setup, training, unlimited telephone and email support, updates and version upgrades | On request |
| Brief Accounting Pro | Contact for pricing · Client/server solution for firms needing simultaneous access for multiple bookkeepers or office administrators | On request |
As brieflegal.com lists them, read 21 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Visit the Brief Accounting website.
- Choose a subscription for a small or medium-sized firm, or contact the maker about Brief Accounting Pro for simultaneous access.
- Add Brief Office Accounting for general office accounting and financial reporting at $30 a month, if needed.
- Arrange setup and training through the subscription.
- Import Excel or other machine-readable data if migrating existing records.
Verdict
Choose Brief Accounting if your firm wants billing, trust records, and office accounting in a single product, with support and training included in subscriptions. Its timekeeper licensing also lets assistants enter lawyers’ time without their own licenses. Larger teams needing simultaneous access can consider Pro, while firms should account for the separate $30 a month office accounting add-on when selecting that plan.
Questions
How much does Brief Accounting cost?
The Brief Office Accounting add-on costs $30 a month. Prices for the small and medium firm subscription and Brief Accounting Pro are not provided here.
What is included with the small and medium firm subscription?
It includes setup, training, unlimited telephone and email support, updates, and version upgrades.
What is Brief Accounting Pro for?
It is a client/server solution for firms needing simultaneous access for multiple bookkeepers or office administrators. Contact the maker for pricing.
Which operating systems does Brief Accounting support?
Its listed platforms are macOS and Windows.
Do assistants need their own timekeeper licenses?
Assistants entering time for lawyers do not need separate licenses. Users billed under their own names need timekeeper licenses.
Who makes Brief Accounting?
Brief Legal Software develops, sells, and supports the product across North America. The company says it has been in law firms since 1985.
Facts from Brief Accounting's own pages
- Accounts receivable
- Accounts-receivable tools include receipts, payments across matters, aged receivables reports, client ledgers, statements, flat-fee invoices, and integrated accounting entries. · brieflegal.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Architecture
- The product uses web-based time entry alongside a desktop client/server accounting application for billing, trust, receivables, payables, and reporting. · brieflegal.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Billing
- Brief Billing supports slip entry, prebills, invoice processing, accounts receivable and batch receipts. · brieflegal.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Company founded
- LinkedIn lists Brief Legal Software Inc. as founded in 2002. · ca.linkedin.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Company size
- LinkedIn lists Brief Legal Software Inc. as privately held with 2–10 employees. · ca.linkedin.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Data control
- The maker says firms retain control of accounting data, backups, and the hosting environment. · brieflegal.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Data import
- The company says it can import data from Excel or other machine-readable formats and regularly converts Timeslips and PCLaw users. · brieflegal.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Documentation
- The Zendesk help center organizes documentation into time and billing, receivables, office accounting, trust, general ledger, payables, reports, exports, installation, permissions, and troubleshooting sections. · brief.zendesk.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Extensibility
- Brief EnCounter exchanges matter lists and slips with Brief Accounting through text export and import files. · brief.zendesk.com, 21 Oct 2026
- File-sharing integrations
- The support documentation describes shared folders, Dropbox, Google Drive, or email as ways to move EnCounter exchange files. · brief.zendesk.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 1985 · brieflegal.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Headquarters
- The maker identifies Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada as its location and lists a Vancouver contact address. · brieflegal.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Historical pricing
- A 2007 Canadian Lawyer software survey listed Brief Accounting's starting cost as $995 and its current release year as 2007. · canadianlawyermag.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The maker describes Brief Accounting as suitable for solo practitioners and firms of varying sizes, with Brief Accounting Pro for larger teams needing simultaneous access. · brieflegal.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Invoice formats
- Invoice options include consolidated client, split-billing, task-based and LEDES formats. · brieflegal.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Licence
- The reviewed official pages do not identify an open-source licence or state that Brief Accounting is open source. · brieflegal.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Limit: scale
- That Capterra reviewer said the product became uncomfortable for a larger operation handling roughly 100 to 1,500 daily operations. · capterra.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Limit: workflow clicks
- The G2 reviewer described the interface as sometimes clunky and wished it required fewer clicks. · g2.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Maker history
- Brief Legal Software says it has been in law firms since 1985 and develops, sells and supports Brief Accounting across North America. · brieflegal.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Migration
- Brief Legal offers review and conversion of client and matter data, unbilled time and disbursements, trust and receivables balances, chart of accounts, and trial balance. · brieflegal.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Module purchasing
- Billing, Trust, and Office Accounting are integrated but can be purchased according to the firm's requirements. · brieflegal.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Office accounting
- Office accounting includes general-office cheques, accounts payable, vendor invoices, a general ledger, chart of accounts, and adjusting journal entries. · brieflegal.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Offline operation
- The maker says the central accounting team can continue working when internet connectivity is unavailable. · brieflegal.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Operating history
- The maker says it has been in law firms since 1985 and serves clients across North America. · brieflegal.com, 21 Oct 2026
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