Canadian lawyers use Teranet/Teraview and other land title registry services to perform conveyancing related activities such as performing title and writ searches and recording registrations.
Many of these land title registry service providers allow lawyers to maintain a deposit account for payments associated with these activities.
Registries use two different types of deposit accounts:
Deposit Account |
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Electronic Registration Bank Account (ERBA) |
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Setup Deposit Accounts
To setup a deposit account:
- From the left navigation panel, click Accounting.
- From the Accounting left navigation, click Banks.
- From the toolbar atop the Banks screen, click Add.
- On the Add Bank screen, to add a deposit account, click the radio button for Operating.
- If an ERBA is also required, create another operating or trust account as appropriate.
Record Fund Deposits
Firms are responsible for maintaining a certain balance in these accounts to cover land-title searches and other activities.
Deposit Accounts |
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ERBA |
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Recording Fee Charges
Now that you have funded the account, you must record the billing of these items to your clients for reimbursement.
If your firm has chosen to absorb these fees and not to bill the client, you only need to record the deposit account’s funding and select the chart of account set aside for those charges.
When seeking reimbursement, you can record these charges in three different ways depending on how the lawyer wants the charges billed:
As Soft Costs |
Considering funds are taken out of the deposit account in a lump sum, most firms find it easier to record them as a soft cost/indirect cost recovery. In CosmoLex, there are two ways to enter these items:
These will be reported as income when billed to the client. If you want them to appear as Advanced Client Costs/Disbursement WIP, then convert them to hard costs after import (see hard costs). |
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As Anticipated Disbursements |
Some firms prefer to track these amounts before they are withdrawn from the deposit account. These are often referred to as Anticipated Disbursements. To track these amounts prior to withdrawing them, you must enter the charge as an accounts payable bill posted as a matter expense. When the registry service withdraws the funds, you can select all of the anticipated disbursements included and pay them from the related deposit account. |
As Hard Costs |
Hard costs require a direct relationship between the funds withdrawn from the deposit account and the item billed to the client. Considering funds are often withdrawn from the deposit account in a lump sum, it is the least common option. There are two ways to do so:
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Requirements per Jurisdiction
Each jurisdiction has its own requirements. New users should consult with their CosmoLex Certified Consultant and their LTO