Section 51-81d - Client Security Fund(a) The Superior Court, in accordance with rules established by the judges of the Superior Court, may (1) establish a Client Security Fund to (A) reimburse claims for losses caused by the dishonest conduct of attorneys admitted to the practice of law in this state and incurred in the course of an attorney-client relationship, (B) provide for crisis intervention and referral assistance to attorneys admitted to the practice of law in this state who suffer from alcohol or other substance abuse problems or gambling problems, or who have behavioral health problems, and (C) make grants-in-aid to the organization administering the program for the use of interest earned on lawyers' clients' funds accounts pursuant to section 51-81c, for the purpose of funding the delivery of legal services to the poor, and (2) assess any person admitted as an attorney by the Superior Court, in accordance with section 51-80, an annual fee to be deposited in the Client Security Fund for the purposes described in this subsection. Such crisis intervention and referral assistance (i) shall be provided with the assistance of an advisory committee, to be appointed by the Chief Court Administrator, that includes one or more behavioral health professionals, and (ii) shall not be deemed to constitute the practice of medicine or mental health care.(b) All fees assessed pursuant to subsection (a) of this section and collected by the Superior Court in accordance with rules established by the judges of the Superior Court may be recorded with the State Comptroller and deposited with the State Treasurer, who shall credit such payments to the Client Security Fund. The State Treasurer shall maintain the Client Security Fund separate and apart from all other moneys, funds and accounts and shall credit any interest earned from the Client Security Fund to the fund. The Client Security Fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer in trust for the sole and exclusive purposes and uses designated in this section. The moneys in the Client Security Fund are not tax revenues and may not be transferred or credited to the General Fund or any other fund or account except as expressly directed by the committee established to administer the fund and in accordance with rules established by the judges of the Superior Court.(c) The Client Security Fund shall be used to satisfy the claims approved in accordance with procedures established pursuant to rules of the Superior Court, to provide funding for crisis intervention and referral assistance provided pursuant to this section, to make grants-in-aid to the organization administering the program for the use of interest earned on lawyers' clients' funds accounts pursuant to section 51-81c, for the purpose of funding the delivery of legal services to the poor, and to pay the reasonable costs of administration of the fund. Only moneys deposited in the Client Security Fund on or after October 1, 2016, may be used to make any such grants-in-aid to the organization administering the program for the use of interest earned on lawyers' clients' funds accounts pursuant to section 51-81c.(d) No such fee shall be assessed to any attorney described in subsection (g) of section 51-81b, except that any attorney who does not engage in the practice of law as an occupation and receives less than one thousand dollars in legal fees or other compensation for services involving the practice of law during the calendar year shall be obligated to pay one-half of such fee.(e) The Commissioner of Revenue Services shall notify the Chief Court Administrator or his designee of the failure of any person to pay any fee assessed in accordance with subsection (a) of this section.(f) All information given or received in connection with crisis intervention and referral assistance provided pursuant to this section, including the identity of any attorney seeking or receiving such crisis intervention and referral assistance, shall be confidential and shall not be disclosed to any third person other than a person to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for the accomplishment of the purposes of such crisis intervention and referral assistance, and shall not be disclosed in any civil or criminal case or proceeding or in any legal or administrative proceeding, unless the attorney seeking or obtaining such crisis intervention and referral assistance waives such privilege or unless disclosure is otherwise required by law. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, no attorney who provides crisis intervention and referral assistance pursuant to this section shall disclose any information given or received in connection with such crisis intervention and referral assistance unless such disclosure is required by the rules governing communications between attorney and client. Unless the privilege under this subsection has been waived or unless disclosure is otherwise required by law, no person in any civil or criminal case or proceeding or in any legal or administrative proceeding may request or require any information given or received in connection with the crisis intervention and referral assistance provided pursuant to this section.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 51-81d
( P.A. 97-267, S. 3; P.A. 00-170, S. 34, 42; 00-191, S. 1, 16; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 176; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 04-2, S. 21; P.A. 09-29, S. 1; P.A. 16-26, S. 1.)
Amended by P.A. 16-0026, S. 1 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2016 Regular Session, eff. 7/1/2016.Amended by P.A. 09-0029, S. 1 of the the 2009 Regular Session, eff. 5/7/2009.