---
title: "Check a trust cheque or electronic transfer record against the payment rule"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/obligations/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/check-a-trust-cheque-or-electronic-transfer-record-against-the-payment-r"
type: "task"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A41-CO20261022-11"
practice_area: "Trust accounting & handling client money"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Check a trust cheque or electronic transfer record against the payment rule

> From the cheque or the transfer record, copy the payee, any crossing, the account name printed on the cheque, who signed or authorised it, and each particular the payments record shows.…

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/obligations/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/check-a-trust-cheque-or-electronic-transfer-record-against-the-payment-r  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Trust accounting & handling client money](https://ailawframework.com/obligations/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | From the cheque or the transfer record, copy the payee, any crossing, the account name printed on the cheque, who signed or authorised it, and each particular the payments record shows. Do not say the withdrawal was authorised. Do not draft a replacement instruction. |
| What the lawyer must review | The lawyer decides whether the withdrawal meets rule 43. A cheque must be payable to or to the order of a specified person and not to bearer or to cash, must be crossed not negotiable, and must include the practice name or business name and the expression law practice trust account or law practice trust a/c. A cheque is signed, or an electronic funds transfer is effected, under the direction or authority of an authorised principal or, if such a principal is not available, an authorised legal practitioner associate, an authorised Australian legal practitioner holding a practising certificate that authorises the receipt of trust money, or two or more authorised associates jointly. A written record of the required particulars is kept unless a computerised system records them in the trust account payments cash book at the time, and it must be kept so that record can be verified. The particulars are the date and number; the amount; for a cheque, the payee or, if the cheque is payable to an ADI, the ADI name or BSB and the person receiving the benefit; for an electronic transfer, the account name, the account number and the relevant BSB; the person on whose behalf the payment was made and the matter reference, or the ADI details where that limb applies; the ledger to be debited; and the reason. The records are kept in the order the cheques or transfers were issued or effected. A withdrawal that moves money from the trust account to the office account still needs the bill and the authority checked. This record does not do that. |
| Written for / versions | 1 jurisdiction versions below |

## Checking plan

**Source-by-source verification**

The responsible lawyer checks each element against the source named for it.

- What the AI does: From the cheque or the transfer record, copy the payee, any crossing, the account name printed on the cheque, who signed or authorised it, and each particular the payments record shows. Do not say the withdrawal was authorised. Do not draft a replacement instruction.
- What the lawyer does: The lawyer decides whether the withdrawal meets rule 43. A cheque must be payable to or to the order of a specified person and not to bearer or to cash, must be crossed not negotiable, and must include the practice name or business name and the expression law practice trust account or law practice trust a/c. A cheque is signed, or an electronic funds transfer is effected, under the direction or authority of an authorised principal or, if such a principal is not available, an authorised legal practitioner associate, an authorised Australian legal practitioner holding a practising certificate that authorises the receipt of trust money, or two or more authorised associates jointly. A written record of the required particulars is kept unless a computerised system records them in the trust account payments cash book at the time, and it must be kept so that record can be verified. The particulars are the date and number; the amount; for a cheque, the payee or, if the cheque is payable to an ADI, the ADI name or BSB and the person receiving the benefit; for an electronic transfer, the account name, the account number and the relevant BSB; the person on whose behalf the payment was made and the matter reference, or the ADI details where that limb applies; the ledger to be debited; and the reason. The records are kept in the order the cheques or transfers were issued or effected. A withdrawal that moves money from the trust account to the office account still needs the bill and the authority checked. This record does not do that.
- Who reviews: Responsible lawyer with competence in the matter
- Basis: Practical workflow informed by the linked primary sources; the traffic light and working checks are editorial guidance, not a court or regulator classification.
- Why: The level reflects what the work is, the consequence of an error, and how much of the output the lawyer must independently re-derive.

## Checks the lawyer makes

1. Read the cheque or the bank record, not the draft requisition, for the payee and the crossing.
2. Do not treat two staff initials as joint authority. The lawyer matches the signatories to the rule 43(2) categories.
3. A withdrawal that moves money from the trust account to the office account still needs the bill and the authority checked. This table does not do that.

## Notes

- These are suggested working checks. Confirm the required checking with the responsible lawyer before work starts; the checking approach does not establish permission to use AI.

## Sources

- [Legal Profession Uniform General Rules 2015 r 43, method of payment](https://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_reg/lpugr2015372/s43.html) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Jurisdiction versions

| Jurisdiction | Level |
| --- | --- |
| [United States](https://ailawframework.com/obligations/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/check-a-trust-cheque-or-electronic-transfer-record-against-the-payment-r/united-states.md) | Yellow |

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*