Ga. R. Prof. Cond. 1.15 (III)

As amended through October 9, 2024

Rule 1.15 (III) - Record Keeping; Trust Account Overdraft Notification; Examination of Records

(a) Required Bank Accounts: Every lawyer who practices law in Georgia and who receives money or other property on behalf of a client or in any other fiduciary capacity shall maintain, in an approved financial institution as defined by this rule, a trust account or accounts, separate from any business and personal accounts. Funds received by the lawyer on behalf of a client or in any other fiduciary capacity shall be deposited into this account. The financial institution shall be in Georgia or in the state where the lawyer's office is located, or elsewhere with the written consent and at the written request of the client or third person.

(b) Description of Accounts:

(1) A lawyer shall designate all trust accounts, whether general or specific, as well as all deposit slips and checks drawn thereon, as an "Attorney Trust Account," "Attorney Escrow Account" "IOLTA Account" or "Attorney Fiduciary Account." The name of the attorney or law firm responsible for the account shall also appear on all deposit slips and checks drawn thereon.

(2) A lawyer shall designate all business accounts, as well as all deposit slips and all checks drawn thereon, as a "Business Account," a "Professional Account," an "Office Account," a "General Account," a "Payroll Account," "Operating Account" or a "Regular Account."

(3) Nothing in this rule shall prohibit a lawyer from using any additional description or designation for a specific business or trust account including fiduciary accounts maintained by the lawyer as executor, guardian, trustee, receiver, agent or in any other fiduciary capacity.

(c) Procedure:

(1) Approved Institutions:

(i) A lawyer shall maintain his or her trust account only in a financial institution approved by the State Bar of Georgia, which shall annually publish a list of approved institutions.

(A) Such institutions shall be located within the state of Georgia, within the state where the lawyer's office is located, or elsewhere with the written consent and at the written request of the client or third-person. The institution shall be authorized by federal or state law to do business in the jurisdiction where located and shall be federally insured. A financial institution shall be approved as a depository for lawyer trust accounts if it abides by an agreement to report to the Office of the General Counsel whenever any properly payable instrument is presented against a lawyer trust account containing insufficient funds, and the instrument is not honored. The agreement shall apply to all branches of the financial institution and shall not be canceled except upon 30-days notice in writing to the Office of the General Counsel. The agreement shall be filed with the Office of General Counsel on a form approved by the State Disciplinary Board. The agreement shall provide that all reports made by the financial institution shall be in writing and shall include the same information customarily forwarded to the depositor when an instrument is presented against insufficient funds. If the financial institution is located outside of the state of Georgia, it shall also agree in writing to honor any properly issued State Bar of Georgia subpoena.

(B) In addition to the requirements above, the financial institution must also be approved by the Georgia Bar Foundation and agree to offer IOLTA Accounts in compliance with the additional requirements set out in Part XV of the rules of the State Bar of Georgia.

(ii) The Georgia Bar Foundation may waive the provisions of this rule in whole or in part for good cause shown. A lawyer or law firm may appeal the decision of the Georgia Bar Foundation by application to the Supreme Court of Georgia.

(2) Timing of Reports:

(i) The financial institution shall file a report with the Office of the General Counsel of the State Bar of Georgia in every instance where a properly payable instrument is presented against a lawyer trust account containing insufficient funds.

(ii) The report shall be filed with the Office of the General Counsel within 15 days of the date of the presentation of the instrument, even if the instrument is subsequently honored.

(3) Nothing shall preclude a financial institution from charging a particular lawyer or law firm for the reasonable cost of producing the reports and records required by this rule.

(4) Every lawyer and law firm maintaining a trust account as provided by these rules is hereby and shall be conclusively deemed to have consented to the reporting and production requirements mandated by this rule and shall indemnify and hold harmless each financial institution for its compliance with the aforesaid reporting and production requirements.

(d) Effect on Financial Institution of Compliance: The agreement by a financial institution to offer accounts pursuant to this rule shall be a procedure to advise the State Disciplinary Board of conduct by lawyers and shall not be deemed to create a duty to exercise a standard of care or a contract with third parties that may sustain a loss as a result of lawyers overdrawing lawyer trust accounts.

(e) Availability of Records: A lawyer shall not fail to produce any of the records required to be maintained by these rules at the request of theState Disciplinary Board or the Supreme Court of Georgia. This obligation shall be in addition to and not in lieu of the procedures contained in Part IV of these rules for the production of documents and evidence.

(f) Audit for Cause: A lawyer shall not fail to submit to an audit for cause conducted by the State Disciplinary Board pursuant to Bar Rule 4-111 .

The maximum penalty for a violation of this rule is disbarment.

Ga. R. Prof. Cond. 1.15 (III)

Comment

[1] Each financial institution wishing to be approved as a depository of client trust funds must file an overdraft notification agreement with the Office of the General Counsel of the State Bar of Georgia. The State Bar of Georgia will publish a list of approved institutions at least annually.

[2] The overdraft agreement requires that all overdrafts be reported to the Office of the General Counsel of the State Bar of Georgia whether or not the instrument is honored. It is improper for a lawyer to accept "overdraft privileges" or any other arrangement for a personal loan on a client trust account, particularly in exchange for the institution's promise to delay or not to report an overdraft. The institution must notify the Office of the General Counsel of all overdrafts even where the institution is certain that its own error caused the overdraft or that the matter could have been resolved between the institution and the lawyer within a reasonable period of time.

[3] The overdraft notification provision is not intended to result in the discipline of every lawyer who overdraws a trust account. The lawyer or institution may explain occasional errors. The provision merely intends that the Office of the General Counsel receive an early warning of improprieties so that corrective action, including audits for cause, may be taken.

Waiver

[4] A lawyer may seek to have the provisions of this rule waived if the lawyer or law firm has its principal office in a county where no bank, credit union, or savings and loan association will agree or has agreed to comply with the provisions of this rule. Other grounds for requesting a waiver may include significant financial or business harm to the lawyer or law firm, such as where the unapproved bank is a client of the lawyer or law firm or where the lawyer serves on the board of the unapproved bank.

[5] The request for a waiver should be in writing, sent to the Georgia Bar Foundation, and should include sufficient information to establish good cause for the requested waiver.

[6] The Georgia Bar Foundation may request additional information from the lawyer or law firm if necessary to determine good cause.

Audits

[7] Every lawyer's financial records and trust account records are required records and therefore are properly subject to audit for cause. The audit provisions are intended to uncover errors and omissions before the public is harmed, to deter those lawyers who may be tempted to misuse client's funds and to educate and instruct lawyers as to proper trust accounting methods. Although the auditors will be employed by the Office of the General Counsel of the State Bar of Georgia, it is intended that disciplinary proceedings will be brought only when the auditors have reasonable cause to believe discrepancies or irregularities exist. Otherwise, the auditors should only educate the lawyer and the lawyer's staff as to proper trust accounting methods.

[8] An audit for cause may be conducted at any time and without advance notice if the Office of the General Counsel receives sufficient evidence that a lawyer poses a threat of harm to clients or the public. The Office of the General Counsel must have the written approval of the Chairman of the State Disciplinary Board and the President-elect of the State Bar of Georgia to conduct an audit for cause.