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Importing Clients and Matters from QuickBooks Online into LeanLaw

How to import existing clients and matters from QuickBooks Online into LeanLaw — useful for firms migrating to LeanLaw with existing QuickBooks Online customer records.

If your firm has been using QuickBooks Online before adopting LeanLaw, you likely have existing customers (clients) and sub-customers (matters) already set up in QuickBooks Online. Rather than re-entering all of that data in LeanLaw, you can import it directly from your connected QuickBooks Online account.

 

When to Use QuickBooks Online Import

  • New LeanLaw firms: If you're setting up LeanLaw for the first time and your clients already exist in QuickBooks Online, import them to avoid duplicate entry.
  • Migrating from another billing system: If your QuickBooks Online already has the client structure set up (from a previous billing system's sync), import that structure into LeanLaw.
  • Adding a client that already exists in QuickBooks Online: If you need to create a LeanLaw client that already has a QuickBooks Online customer record, import it to link the two correctly rather than creating a new QuickBooks Online customer.

 

How the Import Works

LeanLaw reads your connected QuickBooks Online account's customer list and presents it for selection. When you import a QuickBooks Online customer:

  • Client created in LeanLaw: A new client record is created in LeanLaw using the QuickBooks Online customer's name and contact details.
  • QuickBooks Online link established: The LeanLaw client is linked to the existing QBO customer — future invoices for this client will sync to the correct QuickBooks Online account.
  • Sub-customers → Matters: QuickBooks Online sub-customers under the imported client can be imported as matters in LeanLaw.

 

⚠️ Do not create a new QuickBooks Online customer for an imported client: If you import a QBO customer, LeanLaw uses the existing QuickBooks Online record. If you instead create a new client in LeanLaw without importing, LeanLaw will create a new QuickBooks Online customer — leaving you with two QuickBooks Online records for the same client. Always import rather than recreate.

 

Importing QuickBooks Online Clients into LeanLaw

  1. Go to the Settings tab in LeanLaw.
  2. Navigate to Integrations > QuickBooks.
  3. Look for an Import Clients from QuickBooks.
  4. Select the Default Responsible Attorney.
  5. Browse or search the list of QuickBooks Online customers.
  6. Select the customer(s) to import.
  7. For each imported customer, optionally select which QuickBooks Online sub-customers to import as matters.
  8. Click Import Clients. LeanLaw creates the client records and links them to their QuickBooks Online counterparts.

 

After Importing

After importing, review each client's LeanLaw record to:

  • Verify the matter billing type (hourly, fixed fee, contingency) is set correctly — QuickBooks Online doesn't store this.
  • Set rates for each matter.
  • Configure trust accounting if the client has a trust account.
  • Set the responsible attorney and any originating attorney credits.