The IOLTA Rule does NOT apply if:

1. You are employed as a government attorney and cannot, as a condition of employment, have a separate practice.
2. You are employed as in house counsel to a corporation and cannot, as a condition of employment, have a separate practice.
3. You are not practicing law.
4. You are otherwise exempt from the requirements of R.1: 21-6 (i.e. not required to maintain a trust account).

STEPS FOR ASSOCIATES (OR PARTNERS) OF LAW FIRMS:

1. Even if you are not a signatory on a trust account, you must have a registered trust account. Usually, this trust account is maintained by the firm for the use of all of its attorneys.
2. All law firms register their trust accounts annually with the IOLTA Fund using our on line registration portal and are asked to confirm a roster of all attorneys in the firm. Attorneys no longer associated with the firm are removed and new members are added. The registered attorneys are then in compliance with Rule 1:28A.
3. Although it is ultimately the responsibility of individual attorneys to ensure that they are in compliance, firm members should not attempt to update individually. You should check with the firm's administrator to be sure the firm has complied and that your name has been submitted as part of the firm. (If you join the firm after the forms have been submitted for the year, write us a letter on firm letterhead and tell us that you are now part of the firm or ask the firm administrator to add your name via the online registration portal.)
4. If you prefer to check with us on the status of your firm's compliance with IOLTA, please call.
5. If you are part of an out of state law firm that has a branch office in New Jersey, but you are not assigned to the New Jersey office, please call us.

STEPS FOR SOLE PRACTITIONERS (including part time and occasional practitioners):

1. Establish a trust account in an approved trust account depository. Initially, this should be a non-interest bearing account. It is best not to discuss IOLTA requirements with your financial institution since not all personnel fully understand the IOLTA process. Do not open the trust account as an interest bearing IOLTA account.
2. Contact the IOLTA Fund at 732-247-8222 or email us at [email protected] to determine if your trust account should be converted to a IOLTA account. A Participation Form must be completed to convert the trust account to an IOLTA account.
3. Once the forms are received determine whether your trust account should be designated a Low Balance account or an IOLTA account. Both types of accounts must be registered with the IOLTA Fund.

LOW BALANCE ACCOUNTS:
Usually, trust accounts of new sole practitioners (and, almost always, those of part time and occasional practitioners) fall into IOLTA's low balance category. This means that the balance and activity in the account are low, defined as carrying an average client balance generally less than $2,500. The accounts would cost the IOLTA Fund more in service charges than would be generated in interest. These accounts are NOT converted to interest bearing IOLTA accounts. You will be designated an inactive IOLTA participant until these circumstances change. An IOLTA Participation Form is not required for low balance accounts. (NOTE: If you are uncertain whether yours is a low balance account please call us.)

When registering your account with IOLTA you will have the option to select the account type as “low balance”. You will then be in compliance with Rule 1:28A. You must register your Low Balance account annually with the IOLTA Fund.

IOLTA ACCOUNTS:
If you have determined that your trust account will have an adequate balance to earn enough interest for IOLTA, fill out the Participation Form and return it to the IOLTA Fund. The form can be found under the attorney menu on our website. The Fund's staff will then contact the bank to convert it to an interest bearing IOLTA account. You should NOT contact the bank about converting your account to IOLTA.

Once you have completed the online registration and submitted the Participation Form with the IOLTA Fund, you will be in compliance with Rule 1:28A. You must register your IOLTA account annually with the Fund.

REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Click on the “For Attorneys” dropdown box, then click on the 2024 IOLTA Registration Link. If you are a returning attorney user please use the email address and password you created in the previous registration cycle. Firm administrators previously approved must use their email address and the password provided by IOLTA. If you are a new user attorney you will need a current email address and your nine digit Bar Identification number to create a new user account. If you are a new Law Firm Administrator responsible for your firm’s IOLTA registration, please contact IOLTA to receive login credentials.