Client Trust Accounts & Financial Management

The #1 cause of attorney discipline. IOLTA requirements, trust account management, common violations, and audit preparation.

8 Units

Early Units (Foundation)

Building Skills

Advanced Concepts

Capstone/Synthesis

IOLTA Requirements & Account Setup

This unit examines the legal and ethical foundations of Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA) programs, including historical development, statutory requirements, and practical setup procedures. Attorneys learn which funds require trust account deposit, how to establish compliant accounts, and how IOLTA programs fund civil legal services while safeguarding client property.

20 minutes

Trust Account Management & Reconciliation

This unit provides practical guidance on daily trust account management and monthly reconciliation procedures. Attorneys learn systematic approaches to depositing client funds, making disbursements, maintaining transaction records, and performing three-way reconciliations that ensure client fund accuracy and detect discrepancies requiring correction.

20 minutes

Recordkeeping Obligations & Retention Periods

This unit examines comprehensive recordkeeping requirements for client trust accounts, including transaction records, reconciliation documentation, and supporting materials. Attorneys learn state-specific retention periods, organizational systems for record maintenance, and best practices for protecting records while ensuring accessibility for audits and client requests.

20 minutes

Common Trust Account Violations & Discipline

This unit examines common patterns of trust account violations documented in disciplinary proceedings, from technical recordkeeping failures to intentional misappropriation. Attorneys learn to recognize risk factors, understand disciplinary standards and sanction ranges, and implement preventive measures that protect both clients and professional licenses.

20 minutes

Fee Agreement Structures

This unit examines how fee agreement structures interact with trust account obligations. Attorneys learn to draft clear fee agreements specifying payment terms, earning provisions, and refund obligations while ensuring compliance with Model Rule 1.5 reasonableness requirements and Rule 1.15 trust account safeguarding duties.

20 minutes

Client Fund Disbursement Procedures

This unit provides comprehensive guidance on disbursing client funds from trust accounts, including authorization requirements, documentation standards, lien resolution, and handling disputed claims. Attorneys learn systematic approaches to ensuring that every disbursement is properly authorized, accurately recorded, and supported by adequate documentation protecting both clients and attorneys.

20 minutes

Advanced Fee Deposits & Earned-on-Receipt Fees

This unit examines the complex and often misunderstood areas of advance fee deposits, true retainers, and earned-upon-receipt fee provisions. Attorneys learn to navigate significant jurisdictional variations in rules governing when fees may be deposited directly in operating accounts, when trust account deposit is required, and how refund obligations are determined when representations terminate before completion.

20 minutes

Audit Preparation & Random Audit Programs

This unit prepares attorneys to respond to trust account audits, whether random compliance reviews or for-cause investigations. Attorneys learn what records auditors request, how to organize documentation for efficient production, what audit processes involve, and how to remediate deficiencies discovered during audits while minimizing disciplinary exposure.

20 minutes

Learning Progression

This course is designed to be taken sequentially. Earlier units establish foundational concepts that later units build upon. While you can explore units in any order, following the numbered sequence provides the most coherent learning experience.