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 1,008 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 118 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 71 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 19 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
1,489 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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Adrian Patrick Shaun Dann
Breaches, Failures, Others, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Mark Pearson Ford
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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MA Shah, R Ahmed,
Breaches
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Ogunniyi & Adhikari
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Gerard Christopher Mann & Katherine Jane Bradford
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Jane Margaret Helen Henry
Breaches, Failures, Others
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Dale Robert Walkeer
Criminal Convictions
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Selcuk Karatas
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Robert Andrew Schofield
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Hector Diaz Suner
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Others
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Louis Stanley Spragg
Breaches, Failures, Others
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Karen Louisa KING
Guilty of professional misconduct on 2 charges. Guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct on 2 charges.
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Humphrey Lee Mcpherson
Fined, Restitution Ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered November 16, 2013. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO: 50/2011 BETWEEN VICTOR BROWN COMPLAINA…
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Akin Joseph Adaramaja
Struck off, Restitution Ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered November 02, 2013. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO: 35/2013 BETWEEN ELAINE FARR FRANC…
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Mark Cronin
In the matter of Mark Cronin, solicitor, formerly practising as Cronin Kenneally & Company and as Cronin Mungovan, The Square, Macroom, Co Cork, and in the matter of the Solicitors Acts 1954-2011 [10550/DT127/12 and 201…
strike_off View decision -
Chandrika Achala Devi URBAN
Guilty of professional misconduct on 9 charges. Guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct on 6 charges.
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Owen Kirkwood Clunie
Struck off, Restitution Ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered September 28, 2013. | Appeal part allowed - Court of Appeal decision delivered September 22, 2014. | Struck off again - Disciplinary Committee …
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Ramon G. K. Gordon
Repayment Ordered/Conditional Suspension | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered September 28, 2013. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCILCOMPLAINT NO: 118/2012 BETWEEN TEASHA …
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Mishal Abrahams
Agreed Statement of Facts
Agreed Statement of Facts View decision -
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Qing-nan Meng
Agreed Statement of Facts
Agreed Statement of Facts View decision -
Alan Neil WILSON
Guilty of professional misconduct on 3 charges.
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W. Anthony Pearson
Restitution ordered | Disciplinary Committee decision delivered April 27, 2013. View PDF DECISION OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL COMPLAINT NO. 110/2008 IN THE MATTER of PATRICIA DAWKINS and A…
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Denise RIDER-BELL
Guilty of professional misconduct on 5 charges.
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.