The trust accounting handbook is a practical guide created to assist attorneys to comply with recordkeeping standards for client trust accounts. When the State Bar asks you how much money you're holding for the client or what you've done with it while you've had it, you must report it to the State Bar.The ARDC's Client Trust Account Handbook (rev. This Ethics Spotlight highlights attorney obligations with respect to client trust accounts in light of recent concerns with respect to bank stability. That account is set up so that your bank pays the interest or dividends the account earns to the State Bar. The Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility makes available advisory opinions on the ethical considerations of the practice of law. The Interest on Lawyer Trust Account (IOLTA) became a thing in the 1980s. Quences of not fully funding your client's trust. Not participating in the Fall OCI Program and out-of- state employers. Learn the step-by-step process of becoming a lawyer in California, including education requirements, bar exam preparation, and licensure.