Justia Connect Webinars IOLTA and Fee Agreements: Avoiding Common Ethical Pitfalls

IOLTA and Fee Agreements: Avoiding Common Ethical Pitfalls

This program addresses the most common ethical pitfalls attorneys face when managing IOLTA accounts and drafting fee agreements. It will walk through the Model Rules of Professional Conduct that govern trust account handling, explore the distinctions between qualified and non-qualified funds, and examine real-world examples of fee agreement failures. By the end of this session, you will have practical guidance for maintaining compliant IOLTA practices and creating clear, enforceable fee agreements.

Topics covered include:

Legal Ethics Law Firm Management Law Practice

Agenda:

Overview of Topic and Goals

Learning objectives and an overview of session

IOLTA Fundamentals & Rule 1.15

What IOLTA is
Why it matters
Model Rules of Professional Conduct governing trust accounts

Fund Types & Account Management

Qualified vs. non-qualified funds
Comingling prohibitions
Overdraft notification requirements

Fee Agreement Essentials

Rules 1.5, 1.4, and 7.1
When and why written fee agreements are required
Common pitfalls to avoid

Best Practices & Special Fee Scenarios

Handling flat fees and earned-upon-receipt fees
Disengagement letters
What to do when things go wrong

Q&A (As Time Permits)

Duration of this webinar: 60 minutes

Originally broadcast: June 16, 2026 10:00 AM PT

Recording Available Soon

Speaker

Daniel J. Siegel Attorney

Attorney Daniel J. Siegel is a nationally recognized authority on legal ethics, technology, data protection, cybersecurity, civil litigation, workers’ compensation, and law-practice workflow management. He is the principal of both the Law Offices of Daniel J. Siegel, LLC and Integrated Technology Services, LLC, where he addresses the complex legal, ethical, and operational issues that frequently challenge lawyers and law firms. Read More ›

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Credits

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Alabama CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 Ethics

Alaska CLE

Status: Approved

Format: Live (Virtual), On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 Ethics

California CLE

Status: Approved

Format: Live (Virtual), On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 Legal Ethics

Delaware CLE

Status: Approved

Format: Live (Virtual), On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 Enhanced Ethics

Hawaii CLE

Status: Approved

Format: Live (Virtual), On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 Ethics

Illinois CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 Professional Responsibility - Ethics / Civility / Professionalism / Sexual Harassment Prevention

Nebraska CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 Professional Responsibility

New Jersey CLE

Status: Approved

Format: Live (Virtual), On-Demand

Credits: 1.20 Ethics/Professionalism

North Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 Ethics

Ohio CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 Attorney Professional Conduct

Pennsylvania CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 Ethics, Professionalism, or Substance Abuse

South Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Format: Live (Virtual), On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 Legal Ethics/Professional Responsibility

Difficulty: All Levels

Texas CLE

Status: Pending

Format: On-Demand

Credits: TBD

Utah CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 Ethics

Vermont CLE

Status: Approved

Format: Live (Virtual), On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 Ethics

This presentation is approved for one hour of Ethics CLE credit in Alabama, one hour of Ethics CLE credit in Alaska, one hour of Legal Ethics CLE credit in California, one hour of Enhanced Ethics CLE credit in Delaware, one hour of Ethics CLE credit in Hawaii, one hour of Professional Responsibility - Ethics / Civility / Professionalism / Sexual Harassment Prevention CLE credit in Illinois, one hour of Professional Responsibility CLE credit in Nebraska, one hour of Ethics CLE credit in North Carolina, one hour of Attorney Professional Conduct CLE credit in Ohio, one hour of Ethics, Professionalism, or Substance Abuse CLE credit in Pennsylvania, one hour of Legal Ethics/Professional Responsibility CLE credit in South Carolina (all levels), one hour of Ethics CLE credit in Utah, and one hour of Ethics CLE credit in Vermont. This program has been approved by the Board on Continuing Legal Education of the Supreme Court of New Jersey for 1.20 hours of total CLE credit. Of these, 1.20 qualify as total hours of credit for Ethics/Professionalism. An application for accreditation of this activity has been submitted to the MCLE Committee of the State Bar of Texas and is pending.
This presentation is approved for one hour of Legal Ethics CLE credit in California from 2026-07-01 to 2028-06-30.

Justia only reports attendance in jurisdictions in which a particular Justia CLE Webinar is officially accredited. Lawyers may need to self-submit their certificates for CLE credit in jurisdictions not listed above.

Note that CLE credit, including partial credit, cannot be earned outside of the relevant accreditation period. To earn credit for a course, a lawyer must watch the entire course within the relevant accreditation period. Lawyers who have viewed a presentation multiple times may not be able to claim credit in their jurisdiction more than once. Justia reserves the right, at its discretion, to grant an attendee partial or no credit, in accordance with viewing duration and other methods of verifying course completion.

At this time, Justia only offers CLE courses officially accredited in certain states. Lawyers may generate a generic attendance certificate to self-submit credit in their own jurisdiction, but Justia does not guarantee that lawyers will receive their desired CLE credit through the self-submission or reciprocity process.

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