The duty in context
Account for interest on client money money
The lawyer must account to the client (or third party) for a fair sum of interest earned on client money held, above any regulatory threshold.
How the codes express this duty
E&W Solicitors SRA Principles & Code SAR Rule 7.1 strong 69 cases
7.1 You account to clients or third parties for a fair sum of interest on any client money held by you on their behalf.
Solicitors Accounts Rules · 2019 · archived copy · official source ↗
E&W Barristers BSB Handbook no clear equivalent
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code 2026 no clear equivalent
AU Solicitors Solicitors' Conduct Rules no clear equivalent
AU Barristers Uniform Barristers Rules no clear equivalent
IE Solicitors Law Society Guide Ch10 — Interest on client monies strong 21 cases
A solicitor must account to a client for interest earned and/or charged on the client's monies where the amount of interest earned exceeds the amount specified by regulation.
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 no clear equivalent
JE Lawyers Law Society of Jersey Code no clear equivalent
ON Lawyers LSO Rules of Prof. Conduct no clear equivalent
BC Lawyers BC Code no clear equivalent
NZ Lawyers Conduct & Client Care Rules no clear equivalent
SCO Solicitors LSS Standards of Conduct no clear equivalent
SG Lawyers Professional Conduct Rules 2015 no clear equivalent
HK Solicitors Solicitors' Guide Principle 7.04 Commentary partial
This Principle also applies to the receipt by a solicitor of, for example, interest on client accounts, commissions received from insurance companies and agents and from stock brokers and from estate agents.
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
94 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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Munpreet Singh Virdee
Breaches, Client Money, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Karamjeet Kaur
Breaches, Client Money, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Rebecca Jane Elliott
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Chidi Umezurike
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Sarah Lesley Watson
Breaches, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Jayanthi Reddy Saganti
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Johnbosco Eberechukwu Onyeme
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Shohaab Dar
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Helen Lucey
In the matter of Helen Lucey, a solicitor practising as principal of Marshall & MacAulay Solicitors, The Square, Listowel, Co Kerry, and in the matter of the Solicitors Acts 1954-2015 [3012/DT106/12; 3012/DT20/14; High …
conditions View decision -
Luke James MCDONALD
Guilty Professional misconduct on both charges.
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Keith Smart
Breaches, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Kessar Nabi
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Daniel (Donal) Downes
In the matter of Daniel (Donal) Downes, a solicitor formerly practising as O’Dea & Company, Solicitors, 1st floor, Hardiman House, Eyre Square, Galway, and in the matter of the Solicitors Acts 1954-2011 [4298/DT46/14; 4…
strike_off View decision -
Andrew G Morrow
In the matter of Andrew G Morrow, solicitor, formerly practising as David Wilson & Co, Solicitors, Raphoe, Lifford, Co Donegal, and in the matter of an application by the Law Society of Ireland to the Solicitors Discipl…
conditions View decision -
Elizabeth Marion Emberton
Breaches, Client Money, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Rose Elizabeth Egarr & Andrew Walsh
Breaches, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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David Andrew Wilson & Natalie Jane Crompton
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Elizabeth McGrath
In the matter of Elizabeth McGrath, a former solicitor previously practising as O’Connell McGrath Solicitors at 5 Athlunkard Street, Limerick, and in the matter of the Solicitors Acts 1954-2011 [11016/DT21/14; 11016/DT6…
strike_off View decision -
John Barrie Wilson
Breaches
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Aine Feeney McTigue
In the matter of Aine Feeney McTigue, a solicitor previously practising as Feeney Solicitors, First Floor, Lismoyle House, Merchants Road, Galway and in the matter of the Solicitors Acts 1954-2011 [10123/DT23/13 and Hig…
strike_off View decision -
Peter Kenny
In the matter of Peter Kenny, a solicitor formerly practising as Kenny Associates, College Street, Carlow, Co Carlow, and in the matter of the Solicitors Acts 1954-2011 [8864/DT109/14 and High Court record 2015 no 70 SA…
strike_off View decision -
Paul Madden
In the matter of Paul Madden, a solicitor formerly practising as Paul Madden & Company, Solicitors, Fitzpatrick Square, Clones, Co Monaghan, and in the matter of the Solicitors Acts 1954-2011 [10035/DT205/13 and High Co…
strike_off View decision -
Steven Platts & Another
Breaches, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Rajesh Babajee
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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Mark St John Morris
Breaches, Client Money, Failures, Solicitors' Accounts Rules
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.