The Law Firm Matter Closing Checklist: 14 Steps to Close a File Without Leaving Money, Trust Funds, or Liability Behind

Most firms have a documented intake process and no documented closing process. That asymmetry is expensive: unbilled hard costs die in closed files, residual trust balances become bar complaints, and retention clocks never start. Here is a 14-step matter closing checklist covering the financial, compliance, and records work that has to happen before a file is truly closed.