Utah Bar Foundation

• Publication year: 1992
• Pages: 46
• Citation: Vol. 5 No. 3 Pg. 46

Utah Bar Foundation Vol. 5 No. 3 Pg. 46 Utah Bar Journal March, 1992

Trustees Speak at A.L.A. Meeting

Two Bar Foundation trustees were invited to speak at the January meeting of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA). B. L. Dart (Dart, Adamson & Kasting) and Stephen B. Nebeker (Ray, Quinney & Nebeker) spoke about the importance of trust accounts and the part law firm administrators play in facilitating the Bar Foundation's IOLTA Program.

The Association of Legal Administrators organization is a group of administrators involved in law firm management — which could include financial, human resource, systems, facilities or practice management. The primary purpose of the local chapter is to promote the exchange of information regarding the administrative and management problems relating to legal organizations, including not only private law firms but also corporate legal departments, government, legal and judicial organizations and public service legal groups.

The monthly meetings cover a wide variety of topics that relate to the management of the firm, as well as educational topics, and the group conducts an annual salary and benefit survey relating to law firm staff employees.

For information about membership, please contact any of the following chapter officers: Anthony J. Frates 532-1922, C. Peyton Smith 532-3333, Julie Ann Carlisle 521-0250, Suzanne P. Wadsworth 521-5800.

Mr. B. L. Dart, speaking about trust accounts, explained that under Rule 1.13 of the Rules of Professional Conduct all property belonging to a client should be kept separate from the lawyers business and personal property. Monies should be kept in a trust account at a professional fiduciary in the State of Utah unless the client agrees otherwise. Complete records of such accounts must be kept by the lawyer for at least five years. The office administrator can assist the lawyer in these tasks. One of the most common disciplinary failings is the lawyer who does not follow this rule.

Mr. Stephen B. Nebeker addressed the Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) Program. He explained that the IOLTA Program allows participating attorneys to deposit small or short-term client funds in an interest-bearing account so that these otherwise idle funds can be pooled to generate interest. The interest from these accounts is disbursed by the Trustees of the Bar Foundation to such community organizations as Legal Aid Society, Utah Legal Services, and the Legal Center for...