Software Capabilities
Deep working experience across the case management platforms personal injury firms run on - not just the screens, but the integration, limitations, and practical accounting impact.
We have worked with Centerbase on the trust accounting side of personal injury files - the Trust and Retainer Ledger, Checks, and Client Ledger tabs that actually drive a disbursement, not just the case management layer around them. A firm here runs one of two accounting paths behind that case data: the native Centerbase Legal Accounting module, or QuickBooks Online as a connected third-party engine.
Integration with Centerbase Legal Accounting
Centerbase and Centerbase Legal Accounting work well together, and since it is built natively into the same platform, there is no export step or separate login involved. Chart of accounts, trust ledgers, bank feeds via Plaid, check printing, and three-way reconciliation all sit inside the same platform as matter management. Trust accounts are managed at the matter level, with a default trust account created automatically for every new matter, and deposits, applications to invoices, disbursements, refunds, and matter-to-matter transfers are all initiated from the same Trust and Retainer Ledger page.
We have seen firms benefit from this close fit between matter data and accounting, since a trust deposit or disbursement never needs to be re-entered anywhere. Our role is to make sure the trust and payment workflows are set up correctly on a firm's actual matter data, so the check writing and accounting process stays clean.
Integration with QuickBooks Online
Centerbase and QuickBooks Online can work well together for firms not running the native accounting module, but the integration needs proper review. Billing codes, invoices, payments, and credits sync between the two systems, so a firm can keep working out of QuickBooks for reporting and billing history alongside Centerbase.
There are practical limitations that need to be understood before relying on the data completely. Our role is to identify these issues early, review the data, and make sure the check-writing and accounting process remains clean.
WIP, matter status, unbilled costs, fees collected, matter balance, and trust balance all get reviewed together before touching any disbursement, rather than working off a single figure in isolation.
Deposits, applications to invoice, disbursements, refunds, and transfers between matters for the same client all move through the same controlled process, with replenishment levels and minimum balances configured per matter so a trust balance never drifts unnoticed.
Where a matter carries more than one trust or retainer, each account gets named distinctly, since an undifferentiated balance figure is easy to mistake for the wrong account.
A trust disbursement only gets issued once the available balance actually supports it, with the system itself blocking anything that would exceed what's on hand.
Available trust or retainer funds get applied against open invoices in bulk rather than matter by matter, keeping receivables current without manual, one-off effort.
Client-wide and matter-specific transaction histories get pulled for any client inquiry or reconciliation review, giving both the full picture across a client's matters and the narrower cash-flow detail on a single one.
Open WIP and AR get lined up against the trust balance per matter to see exactly what replenishment is actually needed, rather than guessing at a shortfall.
The general ledger, run in cash or accrual mode, gets reconciled against the trust ledger every period as a matter of discipline, not just at year-end, so the books and the trust position never quietly diverge from each other.
Why This Matters
In PI accounting, Centerbase and Centerbase Legal Accounting or QuickBooks should not be treated as separate systems. Centerbase carries the matter information, billing history, and trust ledger. Centerbase Legal Accounting or QuickBooks carries the accounting records, checks, bank reconciliation, and trust liability.
If both systems do not match properly, issues can appear in:
Our role is to keep the Centerbase workflow, whichever accounting system sits behind it, reviewed, connected, and accurate, so the firm can rely on clean accounting records.