---
title: "Check a trust ledger kept in the practice's own name"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/obligations/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/check-a-trust-ledger-kept-in-the-practice-s-own-name"
type: "task"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A41-CO20261022-17"
practice_area: "Trust accounting & handling client money"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Check a trust ledger kept in the practice's own name

> Copy the name on the ledger, the date money was transferred into it, the date it was withdrawn from the general trust account, and what the file says the money is for. Do not decide that the ledger is authorised.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/obligations/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/check-a-trust-ledger-kept-in-the-practice-s-own-name  
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| How AI is used | Copy the name on the ledger, the date money was transferred into it, the date it was withdrawn from the general trust account, and what the file says the money is for. Do not decide that the ledger is authorised. |
| What the lawyer must review | The lawyer decides whether the ledger is one rule 49 allows. A practice must not keep a trust ledger in its own name, or in the name of a legal practitioner associate, except as the rule authorises. It may keep a ledger in the practice's name only to aggregate, by transfer from other trust ledgers, money properly due for legal costs. That money must be withdrawn from the general trust account not later than one month after the day it was transferred into that ledger. It may keep a ledger in an associate's name only for money in which the associate has a personal and beneficial interest as vendor, purchaser, lessor or lessee, or in another similar capacity. That money must be withdrawn from the general trust account at the conclusion of the matter. Whether the costs were properly due, and whether an associate's interest is of that kind, are decisions for the lawyer. The bill and the authority for a transfer to the office account are checked as well. This task is the limit on keeping the ledger and on how long the money may sit there. |
| 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: Copy the name on the ledger, the date money was transferred into it, the date it was withdrawn from the general trust account, and what the file says the money is for. Do not decide that the ledger is authorised.
- What the lawyer does: The lawyer decides whether the ledger is one rule 49 allows. A practice must not keep a trust ledger in its own name, or in the name of a legal practitioner associate, except as the rule authorises. It may keep a ledger in the practice's name only to aggregate, by transfer from other trust ledgers, money properly due for legal costs. That money must be withdrawn from the general trust account not later than one month after the day it was transferred into that ledger. It may keep a ledger in an associate's name only for money in which the associate has a personal and beneficial interest as vendor, purchaser, lessor or lessee, or in another similar capacity. That money must be withdrawn from the general trust account at the conclusion of the matter. Whether the costs were properly due, and whether an associate's interest is of that kind, are decisions for the lawyer. The bill and the authority for a transfer to the office account are checked as well. This task is the limit on keeping the ledger and on how long the money may sit there.
- 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. Count one month from the day of the transfer into the practice ledger, not from the day the bill was drawn.
2. An associate's ledger is only for a personal beneficial interest of the kind the rule names. Do not use it for the associate's fees.
3. Do not treat the one-month withdrawal as a substitute for checking the bill and the authority.

## 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 49, ledger in the practice's name](https://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_reg/lpugr2015372/s49.html) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Jurisdiction versions

| Jurisdiction | Level |
| --- | --- |
| [United States](https://ailawframework.com/obligations/trust-accounting-and-handling-client-money/check-a-trust-ledger-kept-in-the-practice-s-own-name/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.*