Trust Accounting System 8.1

Trust Accounting System 8.1

Most lawyers are not accountants. Their eyes glaze over at the mention of accounting terms. The Trust Accounting System (TAS) makes keeping track of others' money intuitive, while producing a result that is accurate.

Installation of the TAS initially requires the installation of the STI System. This system sets up the General Ledger for the accounting functions. Once TAS is in place, the system can account for as many as nine different trust checking accounts. TAS operates within the STI System, producing trust ledgers, up to nine different types of reports and 1099s.

Customization dialogs in TAS permit adaptability: renumbering users and trust accounts, renaming payees, renumbering checks and changing account number formats are painless. Promptly obtaining a current trust account balance, printing trust account checks or producing account ledgers in a presentable format are additional tasks uncomplicated by TAS.

Once the program is running, menus and toolbars are intuitive, logical and well-placed. Bubble help is there for those who are unfamiliar with the icon interface, Integration with STI's TABS is seamless and makes the system incredibly functional. The TABS integration makes accurate billing and statements--and internal reports--a reality.

Implementation of standard billing and disbursement references eases data entry, but the program is not so rigid as to impede the entry of a new transaction type. Electronic transfers are easy. Checks can be printed from within the program, or easily entered for reconciliation purposes. All of these features make TAS hum and let the attorney practice law rather than accounting.

Despite the ease-of-use features, the program is definitely designed for people with some accounting knowledge. TAS may seem to be more than what a solo practitioner needs, but in these days of increasing accountability, any lawyer with both operating and trust accounts can use TAS. STI brings law firm accounting into the big leagues, without losing sight of the needs of smaller players.

Software Technology Inc.
(402) 423-1440
www.stilegal.com
DOS, Windows 3.1, 95, NT

$500 for single-user system
$700 for up to 200-user system

Reviewed by Denise P. Ward, Esq., Grean & Ward, Rye, N.Y.

Dec/Jan '98 Issue