No funds belonging to the lawyer or the law firm may be deposited in the trust account. Common examples include:
- Fees already billed for and earned
- Funds an attorney holds that are not related to the practice of law
Exceptions to this rule include keeping some funds in the account which are reasonably sufficient to pay service charges or maintain a minimum balance to avoid service charges. You may also deposit funds belonging in part to a client and in part to the lawyer or law firm (such as a single settlement check) so long as the funds owed to the lawyer or law firm are withdrawn as soon as they are cleared.