The duty in context
No improper use of client money money
The lawyer must withdraw client money only for its proper purpose, must not overdraw a client's funds, and must not use the client account as a banking facility.
How the codes express this duty
E&W Solicitors SRA Principles & Code SAR Rule 5.1; SAR Rule 3.3; SAR Rule 5.3 strong 1,062 cases
5.1 You only withdraw client money from a client account: (a) for the purpose for which it is being held; ... 3.3 You must not use a client account to provide banking facilities to clients or third parties. ... 5.3 You only withdraw client money from a client account if sufficient funds are held on behalf of that specific client or third party to make the payment.
Solicitors Accounts Rules · 2019 · archived copy · official source ↗
E&W Barristers BSB Handbook no clear equivalent
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code 2026 P.7; R.9.2 partial
Attorneys-at-law shall protect client money and assets... An attorney-at-law and a recognised law entity shall safeguard money and assets entrusted to them by clients and others.
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code of Professional Conduct · 2026 · archived copy
AU Solicitors Solicitors' Conduct Rules no clear equivalent
AU Barristers Uniform Barristers Rules no clear equivalent
IE Solicitors Law Society Guide Ch9 — Accounts regulations: General strong 90 cases
To use each client's money for that client's matter only, To use trust money only for the purpose of that trust... To establish and maintain proper accounting systems and proper internal control systems to ensure compliance with the regulations.
Solicitor's Guide to Professional Conduct (Law Society of Ireland) · 4th ed. (2022) · archived copy · official source ↗
IE Barristers Bar Code of Conduct no clear equivalent
JM Attorneys Canons of Professional Ethics Canon VII(a) partial 137 cases
An Attorney shall comply with rules as may from time to time be prescribed by the General Legal Council relating to the keeping in separate accounts- (i) the funds of himself or any firm with which he is associated; and (ii) those of his clients.
Legal Profession (Canons of Professional Ethics) Rules · 1978 (principal) · archived copy · official source ↗
JE Lawyers Law Society of Jersey Code P.7; R.7.4 a),c) partial
Members must protect client money and assets... Members must: a) identify, monitor and manage risks to money and assets entrusted to them by clients and others... c) ensure compliance with the Accounts Rules.
Law Society of Jersey Code of Conduct · 1 January 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗
ON Lawyers LSO Rules of Prof. Conduct r 3.6-10; r 3.2-7.3 strong
3.6-10 A lawyer shall not appropriate any funds of the client held in trust or otherwise under the lawyer's control for or on account of fees except as permitted by the by-laws under the Law Society Act. [3.2-7.3 A lawyer shall not use their trust account for purposes not related to the provision of legal services.]
Law Society of Ontario — Rules of Professional Conduct · current · archived copy · official source ↗
BC Lawyers BC Code r 3.6-10 strong 66 cases
A lawyer must not appropriate any client funds held in trust or otherwise under the lawyer's control for or on account of fees, except as permitted by the governing legislation.
Code of Professional Conduct for British Columbia (BC Code) · 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗
NZ Lawyers Conduct & Client Care Rules r 10.5.2 / r 9.3 partial
A lawyer who receives funds on terms requiring the lawyer to hold the funds in a trust account as a stakeholder must adhere strictly to those terms and disburse the funds only in accordance with them. ... A lawyer who wishes to debit fees held in trust or to receive funds to cover fees in advance must comply with the requirements of regulations 9 and 10 of the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Trust Account) Regulations 2008.
Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008 · SR 2008/214 · archived copy · official source ↗
SCO Solicitors LSS Standards of Conduct no clear equivalent
SG Lawyers Professional Conduct Rules 2015 r 16 (Client money) partial 23 cases
16 Client money
Legal Profession (Professional Conduct) Rules 2015 · 2015 · archived copy · official source ↗
HK Solicitors Solicitors' Guide Principle 13.02 / Principle 4.02 Commentary 4 partial
A client account cheque must never be dishonoured. A solicitor must take care to ensure that any cheque for use in connection with his practice will be honoured upon presentation. ... Dishonour of a client account cheque will other than in exceptional circumstances indicate a breach of the Solicitors' Accounts Rules (Cap. 159 sub. leg. F). ... Under rule 9(2) of the Solicitors' Accounts Rules (Cap. 159 sub. leg. F), money received for or on account of an agreed fee which is paid by a client to his solicitor must be paid into an office account.
Hong Kong Solicitors' Guide to Professional Conduct (Volume 1) · current · archived copy · official source ↗
HK Barristers Bar Code of Conduct no clear equivalent
Cases dealing with this duty
1,577 decisions · link basis: found breached = a tribunal finding; rule cited = the mapped provision is cited in the decision; text match = high-precision text pattern
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Edward Richard Foster & Robert James Newman & Rashpal Kaur
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Analiza Abella Kjaer
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Green, Barbara Ann
On 27 July 2020, the Respondent was convicted in the District Court of New South Wales for dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception contrary to s 192E(1)(b) of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) and was sentenced t…
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Stephen David Jones
Breaches, Failures
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James Thomas Haigh
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Carleen McFarlane
Appeal dismissed, GLC Disciplinary Committee Decision Affirmed | Court of Appeal decision delivered December 09, 2022. View PDF in Full Screen …
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Chilwin Chienhan Cheng
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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Gregory M.D. Lopez
Appeal dismissed, GLC Disciplinary Committee Decision Affirmed | Court of Appeal decision delivered November 25, 2022. View PDF in Full Screen …
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Sukpreet Shawn Singh Samra
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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Gail Enright
In the matter of Gail Enright, a solicitor formerly practising in Michael Enright & Co, Solicitors, 28 South Mall, Cork, and in the matter of the Solicitors Acts 1954-2015 [2018/DT85 and High Court record 2022/198SA] La…
other View decision -
Gail Enright
In the matter of Gail Enright, a solicitor formerly practising in Michael Enright & Co, Solicitors, 28 South Mall, Cork, and in the matter of the Solicitors Acts 1954-2015 [2018/DT85 and High Court record 2022/198SA] La…
strike_off View decision -
GRAEME JOHN BOSTOCK
Professional Misconduct and Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct. Reprimand and Fine
Professional Misconduct and Unsatisfactory Professional Conduct. Reprimand and Fine 1 PDF View decision -
Paul Otto De Lange
Rule 4-29 Admission of Misconduct and Undertaking to the Discipline Committee
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Richard Charles Boyd
Breaches, Failures
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Terepo, Sesilia Fehoko
Misappropriated the sum of $850 withdrawn in cash on 9 December 2014 (Cash Withdrawal) from the trust account of her former law practice LMJ Lawyers (Law Practice); Caused a deficiency in the trust account of her Law Pr…
1. Not be permitted to apply for a new practising certificate unless the following condition is satisfied: (a) Must, at her own expense, undertake, complete and pass (achieving a pass mark of not less than 70% or equivalent as approved by the Director, Legal Regulation of the Law Society (Director) acting reasonably) the Ethics component of the Practical Legal Training course conducted by the College of Law and the Trust Account component of the Practice Management course conducted by the Law Society of NSW (or such other course(s) as may be approved by the Director acting reasonably). (b) Is to provide to the Director the original result notification from the provider/s of those courses. $0.00 1 PDF View decision -
Brian Sarney
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Jayesh Sasdev
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Zoe Ann Lowe
Breaches, Failures
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Alina Victorovna Nikolaeva
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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Monte William Prior
Rule 3-7.1 Consent Agreement
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Patrick D. Bailey
Struck Off, Restitution Ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered July 28, 2022. View PDF FORMAL ORDER OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO: 32/2021 IN THE MATTER OF SIMONE W…
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Sean Michael Callaghan
Breaches, Client Money, Code of Conduct 2007, Code of Conduct 2011, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Dishonesty, Lack of Integrity, Misappropriation of Client Account, Solicitors Accounts Rules 1998, …
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James Borbor Allie
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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PATRICK JAMES MUGLISTON
Struck Off the Roll of Practitioners
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Duty classification does not yet cover every jurisdiction (Ontario, New Zealand and Singapore decisions are indexed but not yet duty-classified), so counts here understate those corpora.