California Bar Launches Random Audits of Client Trust Accounts

The California State Bar will select for study the client trust accounts of 100 attorneys over the next month, after a voluntary audit revealed high rates of noncompliance.

The attorneys will be chosen at random and “represent a cross-section” of California lawyers, the bar said in a Monday news release. Areas of scrutiny will include trust accounting records, timely notification and distribution, supervision, and record accuracy, the release said.

The reviews will cover the reporting year 2024 and should cost between $5,000 and $10,000, the bar said, though firms with annual gross income up to $150,000 will be eligible for ...