Sharing customers between GnuCash files

[Wm...]

Sat, 30 Jan 2016 15:16:06 
<21e601d15bb4$328cbc60$97a63520$@soffer-law.com>
"Benjamin Soffer (SLF)" <bsoffer at soffer-law.com> wrote...

>I guess Wm is just way smarter than I am, because I am missing Wm's points.

Maybe I am missing yours.

>Having a separate file for each of possibly dozens of clients with trust
>accounts wul likely create more work than just having accounts for them all
>within the same file

Definitely more work, but squeaky clean, some people like that, others 
don't care.

> where all the law firm's transcations are recorded.  I
>have one IOLTA checking accounts (one top level equity account), where all
>my clients' money is deposited, under which I have a subaccount for each
>client to keep track of that client's transactions.

Is that reflected in the IOLTA account? See [1] below.

>  Since it's not the
>firm's equity, I have cooresponding liability accounts.

Not the point, really, if control of both the liability and the matching 
funds in trust in equity can be swapped about and no-one will observe 
anything then an external observer may (and that is generally what 
regulation is about) wonder since there is the possibility (no 
accusation of yourself) of someone setting one against the other and 
making of with the balance.  It has been done often enough before ... 
hence the requirement in some jurisdictions (possibly not yours) for 
very clear separation of monies.

>  If there is a more
>efficient way to do this, I'd sincerely like to know how.

[1] Does the IOLTA (I think they seem like a fine thing in principal) 
statement of account that you (the lawyer) receive from them show:

Soffer (Lawyers wot look after funds)
o Ben Soffer      10 <-- you
o Mrs H Smith     20 <-- client
o Abdul Gish      21 <-- client
o Late Fred Jones 33 <-- etc

i.e. does the IOLTA account provide the separation?

-- 
Wm...