Bookkeeper

Job Description

Job Description

About Our Client

We’ve been retained by one of Alabama’s fastest-growing law firms to find their next Bookkeeper. Our client is a plaintiff’s personal injury firm based in Huntsville, helping good people after a bad accident. Behind every settlement check is a client who has waited months, sometimes years, to be made whole.

The firm sees the money that passes through it as a trust, not just a transaction. Much of it belongs to their clients before it ever belongs to the firm. The person who keeps the books is a steward of that trust and is responsible for ensuring that every dollar lands in the right place, at the right time, to the penny.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. Ecclesiastes 9:10

The Mission

Own the financial records of the firm so that every dollar is accounted for accurately and on time. The partners should always have a clean, current picture of the firm’s finances they can make decisions from.

Outcomes

Within your first 12 months, success in this role looks like:

1. Trust accounts reconciled, every month. Complete a three-way reconciliation of the IOLTA trust account (bank, book, and client ledgers) by the 10th of each month, with zero unexplained variances and no client ledger ever carrying a negative balance.
2. Settlements disbursed accurately and quickly. Process 100% of settlement disbursements within 2 business days of funds clearing, with every settlement statement tied to the trust ledger before a single check is released.
3. Books closed on schedule. Close the operating books in QuickBooks Online by the 15th of each month and deliver a Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, and case-cost report to leadership with no post-close corrections.
4. Case costs tracked to the matter. Record every advanced case cost against the correct client matter in QuickBooks Online so that cost reimbursement at settlement is complete, with nothing left unrecovered.
5. Bills and vendors under control. Pay all vendor bills on or before their due date, maintain a clean vendor list with no duplicates, and keep accounts payable aging current.
6. Year-end and audit ready. Deliver a complete, CPA-ready year-end package (including 1099s and trust account records) by January 31, requiring no rework from the firm’s accountant.
7. Processes documented. Write and maintain step-by-step procedures for every recurring finance task (reconciliation, disbursement, month-end close) so the work never depends on one person’s memory.

Where This Role Can Go

This is a bookkeeping role today, but our client is not hiring for a seat. They are hiring for a person. The firm is growing, and with growth comes more opportunities for everyone on the team.

The right person who masters the fundamentals above could grow into:

1. Finance Manager / Controller. Owning the full accounting function: cash-flow forecasting, budgeting, case-cost recovery analysis, payroll oversight, and managing outside CPA and tax relationships.
2. Operations leadership. Building the systems behind the firm: reporting dashboards, vendor and technology decisions, process design across Filevine and QuickBooks, and support for hiring and onboarding.
3. Chief Financial Officer. Serving as a strategic partner to the owners: revenue projections from the case pipeline, profitability by case type and referral source, capital planning, and the financial side of growth decisions.

Growth here is earned, not scheduled. Responsibility, title, and compensation will expand as you prove faithful with what is in front of you.

Competencies

These are the traits the firm will hire, coach, and evaluate against:

• Integrity & discretion. You handle client money and confidential information and never cut a corner, even when no one would notice.
• Attention to detail. A one-cent difference bothers you until you find it.
• Organization & planning. You run the month on a calendar, not on emergencies.
• Follow-through. When you say it will be done Friday, it is done Friday.
• Proactivity. You flag a problem before it becomes one, and you bring a recommended fix with it.
• Clear communication. You can explain a financial issue to an attorney in plain English, in writing or in person.
• Calm under pressure. Settlement day, month-end, and a CPA request can all land on the same afternoon, and you stay steady.
• Openness to feedback. You welcome a second set of eyes on your work and improve from it.

The Details

• Schedule: Part-time to full-time, Monday through Friday, in the firm’s Huntsville office. Hours can grow with the role.
• Pay: $25 – $30 per hour, or a comparable salary, based on experience, with room to grow as the role expands. The firm also distributes generous bonuses based on firm and individual performance.
• Reports to: Director of Operations.

Requirements

What You Should Bring

• 3+ years of hands-on bookkeeping experience, including month-end close and bank reconciliations
• Strong working knowledge of QuickBooks Online (required)
• Trust or escrow accounting experience (IOLTA experience strongly preferred)
• Law firm, personal injury, or other professional-services experience is a plus
• Comfort with Excel and with learning new software (the firm uses Microsoft 365 and Filevine)
• Bonus: coursework or credentials toward a CPA, CMA, or accounting/finance degree, or experience with forecasting, budgeting, or financial reporting

Benefits

• Stipend for Health Insurance