Attorney Trust Account 5.1

Attorney Trust Account 5.1

Easy Soft's Attorney Trust Account 5.1 is a compact escrow account management program. Designed for the management of up to five bank accounts, it facilitates the tedious chore of tracking the disbursement of client funds while integrating with the necessary accounting functions appurtenant to account oversight.

You conduct all of the necessary tasks from the opening screen's menu bar. Select a bank account, then select a client or add a new one. Make deposits, add interest, deduct bank charges and write checks.

The heart of any trust-accounting program is its ability to disburse funds quickly and logically with a minimum of fuss. Each bank account can be set up to include standard payees, such as the names of the local title agencies, court reporters or messenger services. There did not seem to be a limit to the number of standard payees; I added about 25 without any error messages. Like any good program in this category, Attorney Trust Account lets you print checks using a laser printer. The setup for this valuable function was minimal; one minor adjustment and I was done.

While Easy Trust can be used by any attorney in any practice area, I found the program's integration with Easy Soft's real-estate program Easy- HUD (RESPA) to be particularly useful. With this, I could import transactions from Easy-HUD to Easy Trust. Since I recently reviewed the HUD program, (See August/September 1998 issue, page 43), I was able to test this feature and I found it to be a real time-saver.

Another useful feature is that the program will not permit the overdraft of a client's account. This is particularly useful for those attorneys using this program for mortgage closings, as you will avoid the possibility of an overdraft. Voiding an erroneous check was as easy as clicking the void button. Reconciliation was relatively painless (considering that doing it is something I hate); clicking on cleared checks takes them out of the account and brings the balance in line with the bank statement. The only problem I had was with the entry of interest, as I encountered some difficulty paying it out after I had zeroed out a client balance. I also think the ability to restore closed client files with the click of a button is an especially valuable attribute.

In all, Easy Soft's program lives up to its name. Although it does not have all the bells and whistles of some of the more complex programs (for example, reports are standardized and there's not much customization), it seems to be ideally designed for the smaller office with routine transactions. For those looking for an painless solution, this program could be your answer.

Easy Soft Inc.
(800) 905-7638
www.easysoft-usa.com
Windows 95, 98, NT

$249

Reviewed by Denise Ward, attorney,
Grean & Ward, Port Chester, N.Y.

Dec/Jan '99 Issue

PROS
Easy set-up; clear reports; simple bank reconciliation.

CONS
Only five bank accounts permitted; lacks some of the bells and whistles of other programs in this genre.

VERDICT
Ideal for smaller offices with routine transactions.