Legal Thrive is a division of Schopp & Co.
ABOUT US
Legal Thrive is a VIRTUAL accounting firm that works with professional service companies including lawyers and law firms.
Focusing on professional service companies allows us to have an in-depth knowledge of the accounting and operation of your practice. Legal Thrive makes sure that your business is in order and thrives.
Legal Thrive does accounting things like billing, bookkeeping, cash management and forecasting. And, we bring the clarity to what those numbers mean to you and your firm and help you make informed financial decisions.
And, more importantly:
With us, business owners don't waste precious time doing bookkeeping. Instead, they do what they love.
WHAT WE DO
BOOKKEEPING
It all starts here - with the books.
Through a series of online software tools, Legal Thrive will process your monthly transactions and give you a report you can read and understand.
As part of our monthly subscription, we offer regular conference calls to discuss how your firm is doing. We don't provide plain and boring numbers, we bring insights and actionable information so you can make informed decisions.
BUSINESS ADVISORY
Once you have your books and records in top shape, the next logical step is to layer on advisory services. Advisory services answers the questions of how things are going and how to make them better.
Examples of questions we often answer:
- what is my average billing rate,
- can I afford to hire that new paralegal,
- where is breakeven,
- can I get a bigger office,
- can I buy that fancy new car (we don't get that question too often, but you get the idea)?
CLIENT TRUST ACCOUNTING
Because we specialize in law firms, we know the ins and outs of the IOLTA account. We know how important it is to keep the account in balance, sub-ledgers accurate and current and to have those documents in compliance with State Bar requirements.
We offer this as a one-off or a part of our bookkeeping services.
We also have a one hour CLE in ethics on the topic.
Send us a message if you are interested in a copy of the presentation.
USE TECHNOLOGY TO FREE YOURSELF
Being a virtual firm requires us to be on top of all the latest technology and software. As part of our service packages, we provide full set-up and training of all the cloud software we use.
We hate paper, so please don't expect to receive anything on paper from us. Instead, we use highly secure, cloud-based systems which allow to store and share documents with our clients.
We provide all the financial tools that allow you to extract information at any time and help to plan your financial future.
We have certification in QuickBooks Online, Clio, and Bill.com.
WHY WE DO THIS
"If running your own business was easy,
everyone would do it."
Wise Business Owner
In a nutshell, that is why we do this. It is not easy running a firm, but we can make it easier for you. We have the accounting issues worked out, we have the billing issues worked out, we know how to keep you out of hot water with the State Bar people. And we love doing it.
We also love sharing what we know.
Owning a firm does not mean you need to do all the work. It means that you need to make sure the work gets done. Partner with Legal Thrive and do what you are best at - practicing law - and we will take care of the rest.
MEET THE TEAM
Margaret Schopp
The number crunching started early. There was a Bank of America branch right across the street from the school and they gave her a job - lots of jobs. When she got to Deloitte the banking followed her. She was finally able to escape the world of regulations, button down suits and endless internal controls, and landed at Wild Brain as VP of Finance. And there she got to do everything everyone else did not want to do. However she loved it and more importantly, she loved the environment. It was never the same job two days in a row and she learned quick to figure things out and think on her feet.
That lead to launching her own firm where both tax and accounting were center stage. Then seeing Marina’s passion at bringing clients more than just numbers, she founded Legal Thrive, a place that does not just serve up data, they provide information.
When not knee-deep in numbers, she is out traveling the world or swinging a hammer on her next home improvement project.
Marina Kanushkina
It all started when she was 12 - Marina wanted a clothing empire. "I tried to talk my Mom into joining me in a clothing business - she wanted no part of it, but it did start my love with business and getting them going." She has come a long way since then; hospitality management in Switzerland, operating a profitable start-up restaurant, getting an MBA in The City, and working in a CPA firm preparing tax returns.
Marina moved to the Bay Area eight years ago to pursue her MBA degree. Four years later after working in a CPA firm, she helped Margaret to launch Legal Thrive because there is more to life than just a tax return. Her passion is to help business owners to understand financial data and to improve their firm’s operations by drawing upon technology. In addition that entrepreneurial mindset that she has had since she was 12 helps to ignite that same spirit in firm partners.
She loves traveling and outdoor activities like camping, snowboarding and walking her dog Schubert.
Sarah Roach
Growing up in a large family with both parents being self employed she learned very early on the importance of a good work ethic and gained a huge appreciation for entrepreneurship. Working as a babysitter at the ripe old age of 10 for $2 an hour started the fire of working and saving so she could be independent.
The entrepreneurship she had always appreciated came full circle 17 years ago when she started working for a stay-at-home mom who started a women’s clothing company. This was a perfect fit because of her entrepreneurial spirit and interest in patterns and designs. She wore many hats including production, bookkeeping, as well as 100’s of other things that need to be done in a startup company. Out of all of that, she found the accounting to be something she really enjoyed. After 17 years though it was time to focus on something that she truly loves – numbers. Sarah brings her hands-on expertise and natural curiosity to solve client’s accounting issues.
When not working she loves day long cooking projects (taking inspiration from any meal she’s loved or trips she has taken), hanging with friends and family, and of course the dogs.
